Winner
of the Eukanuba Assistance Dog of the Year Contest
The Value of an Assistance Dog: Priceless
By
Steve Dale
Jeff
Brosi and Jasper are the winners of the Eukanuba 2004 Assistance
Dog of the Year Contest.
When
informed that among 130 entrants, he landed on top, Brosi responded
with typical New York City bravado, “Why there’s no
doubt,” he says, “Jasper is one of the best service
dogs out there.”
Brosi,
who is 25, explains, “I didn’t even know service dogs
could help people in my situation And now with Jasper I can get
things done faster; he’s a great help.”
Jeff’s
mom is positively ebullient, “A dog has never meant so much.
After Jasper joined the family, a new light came back to my son’s
eyes. Any mother can understand what I mean after what’s
happened.”
What
happened is the kind of story you might think would only be on
a TV soap opera. In 1999 Jeff worked as a bartender, helping to
put himself through school. It was a late night, and Jeff was
tired, as he was driving home, he pulled off to the shoulder to
sleep.
At
about 4:30 a.m. a car plowed into his standing vehicle. That car
swerved into oncoming traffic. The police found the vehicle empty.
With a phony license plate and vehicle registration, to this day
they have no idea who hit him.
The
first paramedic on the scene was a friend of the family who had
known Jeff since he was a baby. “I remember being cut out
of the car, but of course, it was a long time before I knew exactly
how much my life would change,” he says.
He
was in the hospital for five months, and is now a quadriplegic.
His
dreams of following his dad and both his brothers to become a
firefighter had been crushed in less than a New York City minute.
Jeff had been going to college at Mt. Saint Vincent where he was
majoring in elementary education. He somehow managed to return
to school and graduate, and then even began a Master’s Degree
program in School Counseling from St. John’s University
(where he has also since graduated).
“He
never missed a beat,” says mom, Pat. “He’d say,
‘Well my life has to go on, doesn’t it?’ But
it wasn’t so easy, just doing the littlest thing now took
so much time and effort.”
Six
months after getting out of the hospital, Jeff attended a disability
expo and was introduced for the first time to service dogs trained
to assist quadriplegics. “About one second, that’s
how long it took for me to sign up,” he says. ”I knew
about dogs helping the blind, but I just didn’t know dogs
could do this.”
He
signed up with Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) in June,
2000. But it wasn’t until November of 2003 that he was paired
with Jasper. “That’s a big problem, the demand for
these dogs exceeds number that are available, so people have to
wait,” he says. “By the time they told me that I finally
had a dog, I had learned to be pretty independent. The thought
had crossed my mind, ‘what do I need to have the responsibility
of a dog for now?’
Still,
he decided to go for it. “The best decision I ever made,”
says Jeff.
Jeff
went for two weeks of training, to start the bonding process and
to learn how to train his new partner. CCI dogs are free, but
Jeff did pay about $100 for leashes, collars and a vest indicating
that Jasper, a 3-year old golden/Labrador retriever mix, is a
CCI service dog.
When
Jeff drops things, Jasper is right there to pick them up, he retrieves
objects, opens doors and even pulls the wheelchair when Jeff gets
tired.
Ask
mom and she also talks about those practical applications, but
she also prefers to speak about peace of mind, “Because
Jasper is always with Jeff, I know that he’s never out alone,”
she says.
Jeff
used to periodically get light headed. Instantly Jasper would
be at his side. “He just knew something was wrong,”
says Jeff. “I don’t know how. I don’t get really
down – but you know, sometimes a little frustrated. When
that happens, I look down and there’s a squeaky toy in my
lap. Jasper is so in touch with whatever it is that I’m
feeling.”
Jeff
continues to participate in one of his favorite hobbies before
the accident, caring for tropical fish; he has three tanks. Jasper’s
favorite hobby is to decapitate the heads’ of those squeaky
toys.
Jasper
entered Jeff’s life when he had just over a year to go in
grad school. “Friends weren’t so much an issue for
me because I’m pretty outgoing. But there’s no question
that Jasper attracts people, especially the girls. This is good.”
Unfortunately,
Jasper hasn’t been able to help find Jeff employment; he
been looking for school counseling job for nine months. Jeff explains
the New York schools are old and mostly not accessible. He’s
willing to consider relocating, but his network of family and
friends are in New York City.
In
his essay which he submitted for the contest, he wrote, “A
bag of dog food, $35, a visit to the vet $75, The value of Japser
to Jeff, Priceless.”
As
the winner of the Assistance Dog of the Year Contest, which I
helped to judge, Jeff won’t have to worry about any more
dog food bills. He’ll receive a lifetime of Eukanuba food
for Jasper. They also receive an all expense paid trip to the
2005 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship dog show in Tampa, FL.
January 15 and 16. In addition, Eukanuba is making a $50,000 contribution
to assistance/service dog organizations.
For
further information about CCI, check out www.caninecompanions.org.,
or call 800-572-2275 Jeff wanted me to be sure to include their
need for volunteers to raise puppies and also their need for funds.
