This article is from page 7 of the 2010-02-02 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 7 JPG
THE parents of a young Clare school- boy have hailed as “incredible” the impact a special training programme for people with disabilities has had on their son’s life.
Nine-year-old Jack Caldwell and his new best friend, a two-year-old gold- en retriever named Aggie, officially
teamed up at a ceremony in Dublin last week.
Up until a month ago, Jack, who suf- fers from Ataxic Cerebral Palsy, had to use a walking frame to help him move around. The pair were brought together under a scheme operated by Irish Dogs for the Disabled.
Over a period of six to eight months, the charity trains dogs to meet the
needs of its clients.
Aggie has been trained as a stability dog meaning Ennis boy Jack can walk holding her harness on one side and a stick on the other.
In a letter, Jack’s parents John Cald- well and Emer Sherry expressed their delight at the positive impact Aggie has made on their son’s life.
“When we heard that Irish Dogs for the Disabled had identified a suitable dog for him, Jack was motivated to start practicing to walk using tripod walking sticks. Within four weeks, he was confident enough to leave the walking frame at home and just bring his walking sticks to Cork. This was an incredible achievement for a nine- year-old with balance problems and low muscle tone,” they said.
They say that the difference made to Jack’s life as a result of teaming up with Aggie has been “incredible”.
“Aggie is a beautiful two-year-old golden retriever with a lovely calm disposition. Jack adored her from the minute he met her. The difference this has made to Jack 1s incredible. On his second day of training, Jack said to us, ‘I love Aggie because no-one looks at me anymore.’ In his mind, the burden of going out in public with a visible disability had been lifted.”
Irish Dogs for the Disabled aims to assist people with disabilities to enjoy a greater independence and a better quality of life through the provision of specially trained Assistance Dogs.