They say expecting parents go through a “nesting process” before baby arrives. Well, no human babies here but before I brought my sweet little Puppy-in-Training Arrow home in September 2015, I nested for what would become the most heartful endeavour I’d ever embarked upon in my 30 years of life so far.
Barley gave me freedom. To go for a walk by myself, to go shopping, to travel, to continue working when part of my job was going from building to building across campus. I was never alone because I had Barley with me. No longer did people stare at me because I was in a wheelchair. They stared at Barley and his amazing ability to pull. No longer the lady in the wheelchair going slow, I was the lady with the dog everyone loved and he brought a smile to their faces.
I could write a book about Caber. The book would begin with an idea. The idea that a dog could help victims of crime in ways that humans could not. Like some ideas that seem to fizzle, this idea stayed front and centre in my mind until I did something about it.
It was a wonderful afternoon filled with laughter, tasty treats, amazing party fashions from the 20th Century, puppies, and so much love for the special ladies in our lives. Fashion historian, Ivan Sayers, did not disappoint with his marvelously curated show and his wit.
One day, on the way to cuddling, I stopped at the hospital to visit my beloved uncle. While I was there, the Doctor advised my uncle that his cancer was terminal. After crying my heart out I continued to puppy cuddle. When I stepped into little Quaker’s kennel he sat there staring intently into my face, then when I sat down with him he licked a tear off my face then pressed hard against my body as he slid into my lap. He continued looking into my eyes and I believe he could feel my pain and was saying “I’m here for you”.
Kane has not only assisted countless victims of crime and tragedy in our community for the Moose Jaw Police Service and the Moose Jaw RCMP, but he has provided an extra something special for our police service without any judgement or hesitation.
For me, it was a chance to meet someone who was volunteering their time raising a puppy, knowing they would be giving it up to help someone.