A new ‘leash’ on life

Nine-year-old Bear Bonner of Bay Shore is a typical 9-year-old boy. He attends the Viscardi School, and when he is not in school, he enjoys being active with his family by going to parks and swimming.

“He likes to be silly, but he is also sweet, and he loves to be around people,” shared his mother, Erin Bonner.

Bear also has spinal muscular atrophy—a disorder affecting the motor neurons that control voluntary muscle movement—which makes day-to-day tasks more difficult for Bear to complete on his own.

Vanni is a 2-year-old Labrador retriever specially bred and trained by Canine Companions to assist Bear with his disabilities, and he is about to open a whole new door of opportunities for Bear.

Canine Companions leads the service dog industry by providing service dogs to people with disabilities at no cost to their clients. Bear’s parents, Erin and Kevin, signed him up for the Canine Companions’ waiting list as soon as Bear was eligible, once he turned 7.

As Bear waited for his new best friend, Vanni was being raised by volunteer puppy raisers in Massachusetts. From the ages of two months to 18 months, Mary and Andy Siegel, plus Sarah Donnelly and her family, shared the responsibility of raising Vanni before the pup was passed along to the Northeast Training Center in Medford.

Vanni received six months of professional training from Canine Companions’ staff before team training began. Bear and Erin were invited to participate in two weeks of intense training at the Northeast Training Center, during which staff matched Bear with Vanni, taught Erin and Bear the proper commands, and facilitated bonding between the new dog and handler teams.

For Vanni and Bear, it was an immediate match made in heaven.

“When we met all the dogs before our match was solidified, Vanni got up on this table and plopped on over to Bear,” noted Erin.

Vanni quickly learned to walk at the same pace as Bear’s powerchair, and Erin noted, Vanni was a natural. He excels at opening doors, turning on lights, and picking up dropped items for Bear. To the envy of other 9-year-olds, Vanni can even retrieve Bear’s lunchbox from his backpack with ease.

Canine Companions have also been trained with commands to help reduce the cortisol levels—stress levels—of their handlers.

“A big thing for Bear is his anxiety and being alone,” admitted Erin. “Bear has a short reach, but Vanni would always go where Bear can touch him. Even when Bear is in his chair, there is a lap command, so Vanni can come up and put his paws on his lap. If Bear just needs a little bit of support, we say ‘visit,’ and he just puts his head on Bear’s lap until Bear tells him to get off.”

Bear agrees the duo is a perfect match.

“Bear was making a list of ways Vanni and he are similar, and he said, ‘I think we are both really silly, but we are both really sweet. And we like to play, but we really like to snuggle, and we both like our snacks,’” shared Erin.

A brunch and graduation ceremony were held at the end of team training on Aug. 9, where puppy raisers reunited with the dogs for the first time since they passed the leash to Canine Companions’ professional trainers six months prior.

Mary and Andy Siegel were able to see the practical assistance Vanni provides Bear, and the emotional bond building between the duo. Vanni is the seventh Canine Companion dog raised by the Siegels, and while handing over the leash is always difficult for the couple, the outcome is beyond worth it.

“It was hard [to give Vanni back to Canine Companions], but you also get to be a part of this wonderful community,” shared Mary. “And then they always send you another little puppy!”

“You learn something new every time you do it,” added Andy.

The love, support, and independence Vanni provides Bear is amazing to see, but it is the norm at Canine Companions.

During the Aug. 9 graduation ceremony, class speaker Morgan McCarthy shared how Canine Companions has changed her life. McCarthy and her first Canine Companions dog, Dewey II, were a great team for eight and a half years before Dewey succumbed to kidney failure. At the Aug. 9 graduation, she received her successor dog, Wolf V, and spoke from experience about the impact the graduating service dogs will have on their handlers.

“Today, we are handed a new ‘leash’ on life—life with independence at the forefront. For some of us, it’s simply retrieving something from the floor, or opening doors, but it is also just being noticed and having doors open to beautiful friendships,” said McCarthy. “I, for one, am no longer sitting by a window watching the world go by around me, because I have four paws, a wet nose, lots of kisses, and a forever friend by my side for it all.”

During the ceremony, all attendees celebrated Canine Companions’ eight-thousandth service dog placement since 1975, and the hardworking dogs who are going to their unique placements: Diego VII will aid a social worker at Frederick Community college; Falcon VII will help physical therapy patients at the Jackson clinics; and Kimmi is going to assist those testifying at the Queens County DA Office.

The beautiful mission of Canine Companions has recently been highlighted in the Netflix documentary “Inside the Mind of a Dog,” released earlier this month. The documentary provides scientific and emotional insights about our fluffy friends, and even follows a group of Canine Companion dogs as they progress through training at the Northeast Training Center in Medford.

With National Service Dog Month around the corner in September, cuddle up with your dog and family in front of the TV, and embark on a delightful journey into the world of dogs.