About Me
Hi! My name is Valerie Crisci and I am the proud owner and partner of a Service Dog. Her name is Cleo. Cleo was trained by an organization called "Canine Partners for Life" (CPL) and we have been a team for about four years now. I searched long and hard to find CPL and Cleo and I want to share that story with you.
I’ve always wanted a service dog. I remember being little and wanting to train our big, mutt, Bandit to be a service dog. I remember trying to train our little white toy poodle Muffy to "sit" using Cheerios as training treats. I searched online for service dog organizations and was disappointed to discover that the minimum age to be a recipient was on average 13. So, when I was 13. I returned to the internet and began my search in earnest!
The internet is a big place and there were so many service dog organizations. How could I choose? I soon discovered that many of the organizations want you to send them a puppy to train and often, those organizations would charge you the full amount it costs to train a service dog; anywhere between $30,000 to $60,000, and with the added problem of them returning your dog if it is deemed untrainable. Finally, I found a website that provided a list of accredited service dog organizations ("Assistance Dogs International" (ADI) and started the application process.
For five years I applied to and was denied by almost every Service and Guide Dog school on the North American continent. I applied to both Service and Guide Dog schools because I am legally blind and physically disabled. None of these organizations could train a dog to meet my specific set of needs. One of the Service Dog organizations told me, "You can’t be blind and use a wheelchair." Well, yes, yes you can, because I am, and I do!
In my final pass over ADI's list of organizations I found CPL and I sent them an email. When they emailed me back, I received the answer I had been waiting five years for; they could train a dog to meet all my needs. An application, video of my house, two essays, and a recommendation letter later I was sent to spend three weeks in Pennsylvania to train with my Service Dog, Cleo!
CPL trained Cleo to do many tasks for me, and I have continued her training since returning home. Cleo works in more Service Dog fields than one. An example of a physical task she assists with is retrieving my phone if I fall so I can call for help. When I get anxious and start to pick at my skin, she disrupts me. She locates curb cuts for me, as I am legally blind as well as use a power wheelchair. She alerts me to when I need to take a puff of air from my non-invasive ventilator. Cleo can do so much more than I ever thought possible for a Service Dog. I swear that Cleo is as smart as a five-year-old human child, and CPL changed my life with this insanely smart dog!
But, the most important rule CPL impressed upon me during our orientation was how critical it was that people do not distract Cleo from her job and her focus on me. I started "Respect The Vest" because it has become increasingly clear to me that people do not understand the consequences of distracting a Service Dog.
