Dog Helps Public See Past Young Man's Disability

“What I want to convey to people is, don’t feel sorry for the disabled community. We are just as much human beings as you are. And don’t feel sorry for me because I’m in a wheelchair. Be grateful because I am teaching you a lesson in humanity.”

These heartfelt, inspiring words came with noticeable physical exertion from the mouth of 16-year-old Jason Gackstetter, a Carmel Valley resident with cerebral palsy. The occasion was the Canine Companions for Independence graduation ceremony in which Jason received Assistance Dog Taran II. Canine Companions is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing follow-up support to ensure quality partnerships.

Jason is smart, funny and insightful beyond his years. However, he uses a wheelchair and has an obvious disability, which seems to be why he is rarely given opportunities to share his gifts with others. Public social encounters are awkward. Sometimes, people completely disregard Jason, not knowing how to speak to him or act around him.

This is where Taran comes in. The beautiful, well-behaved, Labrador/Golden Retriever cross in the blue vest captures people’s attention. She is an easy conversation starter. “I would be completely invisible without an assistance dog,” explains Jason. “With Taran, it’s like I’m not invisible. The world cares about me. The world cares about people like me. I’m not alone.”

Taran is Jason’s second assistance dog from Canine Companions. He received Assistance Dog Marisa when he was only six years old. “The assistance dogs draw people to him,” says Nancy, Jason’s mom. “People his own age come up to Jason to talk to him about his dog. It changes people’s perception of him. Instead of pitying him or thinking he’s the kid in the wheelchair that they don’t know how to talk to, they think he’s the kid with the amazing dog. They’re actually jealous!’

Canine Companions is able to provide these life-changing assistance dogs for free, thanks to many generous donors and volunteers. Jason and his family are among them! His father, Tim, is a board member, his mother is helping to organize Canine Companions’ DogFest Walk n’ Roll (http://www.cci.org/dogfestandiego) and Jason is a fundraiser and participant.

DogFest, coming up this Saturday at Liberty Station in Point Loma, will include a scenic, fully accessible, 1.2 mile dog walk followed by a celebration with live music, holiday shopping at dozens of vendor booths and activities for the whole family and their dogs. The event is projected to be the largest of 20+ Canine Companions DogFests held nationwide this year.

“The Canine Companions community has meant so much to us over the years,” says Nancy. “We’ve met so many good friends. It has added to our lives tremendously.”

About Canine Companions for Independence:
Canine Companions for Independence provides highly-trained assistance dogs to children, adults and veterans with disabilities. Established in 1975, Canine Companions has six training centers across the country. Canine Companions is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. For more information, visit cci.org or call 1-800-572-BARK.