Golden Years
Operating since 1987, WAGS is beginning to see some of it alumni dogs ease into retirement, and clients with retired dogs are developing partnerships with new dogs. For some, this means two highly trained, lovable dogs in the house: one young and energetic, the other a little grayer around the muzzle. For others, it means saying goodbye to their first beloved dogs as they reach the ends of their lives. We know, of course, that no dog can ever be replaced in our hearts. But with so much love to offer, new dogs don’t take long to settle in next to their predecessor’s place. Before we know it, our hearts have grown a little more. Tim Brinkman knows this first hand. Tim, a friendly and outgoing individual who loves cats, dogs and the Packers, is several months into a new partnership with his second WAGS dog, Shiloh. But first, there was Eli.
A friend with a disability first introduced Tim to WAGS back in 1991. Tim has quadriplegia, acquired in 1973 as a result of a diving accident. Despite the severity of his disability, Tim, who holds a B.A. in Social Work, had been living independently for nearly 20 years, driving his own van and working as a community services specialist for people with disabilities. His work involved peer counseling and ensuring that accessibility needs were being met for people who had recently acquired disabilities. However, Tim was intrigued by the idea of a service dog. He supposed that having a WAGS dog would only boost his independence up another notch, especially with regard to dropped items. So with the encouragement of his friend, Tim made the first call to WAGS. By May 1992, a handsome redheaded golden retriever named Eli became a permanent member of Tim’s household, and a partnership was born.
Eli, says Tim, wore several hats during his time as a service dog. First and foremost, Eli was Tim’s loyal partner, ready to pick up anything that Tim dropped. On one occasion, Eli’s professional retrieving ability was especially tested. Tim had ordered a cheeseburger at a drive-through window of a fast food restaurant. While Tim was driving home, the wrapped cheeseburger fell out of the bag and rolled onto the floor of the van. When they got home, Eli carefully picked up the wrapped cheeseburger and gave it to Tim without hesitation. Tim admits that he rewarded Eli’s superior restraint (even for a WAGS dog) with a couple of well-earned french fries.
Eli also served as “social worker” both to the people with brain injuries with whom Tim worked and at the nursing facility where Tim’s parents lived. Sporting his own name tag, Eli visited people recently injured and often depressed. Tim observed that whenever Eli was in a room, even the most despondent person could not help but to grin from “ear to ear”. Many times, says Tim, he felt like a “second banana” to the very popular Eli. If for some reason Eli was not with Tim, the first question out of people’s mouths would invariably be, “Where’s Eli?”
Eli also served as a teaching assistant, as he accompanied Tim to a variety of speaking engagements. Tim spoke frequently to local service groups, like the Kiwanis and Knights of Columbus, as well as schools groups, where his audiences were made up of all ages of student, from kindergarteners to college students. Tim’s talks were designed to educate his audiences about disabilities, and to highlight how a service dog can improve independence. Eli would happily demonstrate his skills, especially his highly advanced retrieving abilities.
An equally important role that Eli and all service dogs fill is the “bridge” role. Service dogs bridge the gap between the worlds of people with and without disabilities. Because they are so approachable, service dogs facilitate interactions between people without disabilities and people with disabilities in a way that is easy, enjoyable, and informative. As Tim experienced time and time again when he was out and about, people he did not know would approach him to talk to him about Eli. Tim’s male friends, too, never minded the fact that Eli attracted female attention their way!
Above all, Eli was Tim’s devoted friend. From their first day together, Tim and Eli worked well as a team. On his first night home, Eli’s trainer suggested that Tim keep Eli leashed to the wheelchair alongside Tim’s queen-sized waterbed. Besides, explained the trainer, Eli would not want to jump up on the waterbed because it would be too warm. However, at 3:00 a.m. that first night, Tim awoke to a fuzzy reddish tail in his face. Squeezed in between Tim and the guardrail of his bed was Eli, snuggled in tight. The bond had been formed.
At the end of the day, Eli liked to play as much as any dog does. After his vest came off, Eli enjoyed playing with Tim, running and chasing tennis balls. Eli was a joyful, smart dog who loved to work when it was time to work, and he loved to play when it was time to play. He was happiest just being active, whether retrieving a dropped object or racing across the yard to chase a ball.
For ten years, Eli lived with Tim. Sadly, Eli became ill in late 2002. Tim had noticed in late November that a restless, arthritic Eli was having trouble resting. He wasn’t able to lie down comfortably, and would pace and pant through the night. His veterinarian found the culprit: a softball-sized tumor was lodged in Eli’s pelvis area. Tim was advised that surgery to remove this cancerous tumor would result in a complete loss of Eli’s back limbs. What did Tim want to do, asked the veterinarian. For people who dearly love their dogs, end of life decisions are extraordinarily difficult. On the one hand, we want to keep our dogs with us as long as we can. On the other hand, we do not want to see our dogs suffer in their later years, just to prolong their time with us. Ultimately, our love for our dogs helps us to choose the most humane path. Eli was a proud dog who, according to Tim, “walked like a king.” Eli’s quality of life without his back limbs and the pain that he might have had to endure were unfair for a dog that had lived such a rich life, and not Tim’s choice for his beloved Eli. So the decision was made. On December 2, 2002, Eli’s veterinarian came over to Tim’s house. Tim and Eli were given some private time to say goodbye, and then Eli died comfortably and quietly in his own home, lying on his favorite blanket, with his best friend by his side.
Tim loved Eli very much, and he allowed himself important time to grieve. But he missed having a dog around. He knew he could resume his life independently again, like in the years before Eli. Yet, having a WAGS dog had enriched his life immensely, and Tim came to the realization that he would prefer to always have a WAGS dog with him. So one month after Eli’s death, Tim asked to be partnered with a second dog. In the summer of 2002, Tim began working with Shiloh, a striking blonde golden retriever. By 2003, one year after Eli’s death, Shiloh moved in permanently with Tim.
What new adventures await Tim and Shiloh? Tim expects to be returning to work soon, resuming his work with people with disabilities. Of course, Shiloh will accompany Tim, serving as a canine therapist—following in the footsteps of Eli. In the meantime, Shiloh prefers to stay as close to Tim as possible, and at night Shiloh sleeps right next to Tim’s bed on his favorite blanket. Chances are that one of these nights Tim will awaken to a fuzzy blonde tail next to his face. And that will be just fine with him.
