ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, October 21, 1996 TAG: 9610210014
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
Booker is an 11-year-old golden retriever with a talent for fetching telephones when they ring, flipping light switches and picking up items as small as a dime.
He can get mail out of a mailbox and help make a bed.
He serves as a backpack for his owner, Carol Willoughby, at grocery stores.
"Before my sons went off to college, he'd clean up their rooms," said Willoughby, who lives in Roanoke County.
Booker is no trick dog, performing purely for entertainment. He does for Willoughby, 46, what she cannot do for herself. He's called a service dog.
Willoughby has rheumatoid arthritis. She has trouble getting up and down stairs and out of chairs. She uses an electric wheelchair on outings.
She's had Booker for almost 10 years. She said she was lucky to get him as quickly - and as cheaply - as she did.
The average wait for a service dog is five to eight years, Willoughby said. And they're expensive, ranging from $4,000 to $10,000.
Booker was donated to Willoughby by people in Michigan who had bred him for show. She paid $3,000 to have him trained.
He is one of about 12 service dogs in the Roanoke, Blacksburg and Lynchburg areas, Willoughby said. In a region with "thousands, possibly" who could benefit from service dogs, the need is far greater than the number of dogs available, she said.
This summer, Willoughby co-founded the Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation. Named for the saint who was known for his love and compassion for all creatures, the nonprofit foundation will help disabled people acquire trained service dogs.
Any person who has impaired mobility or emotional or developmental disabilities, who needs and can care for a service dog, would qualify for one, Willoughby said.
"If they aren't able to care for the dog themselves, they have to have a support person - a relative or neighbor - who can help with care," she said.
Willoughby said the foundation - one of about 40 organizations nationwide that train and/or help link disabled people with service dogs - will be selective in placing dogs. Homes must have loving environments, she said. Owning a service dog "is more like having a family member," she said.
Karen Michalski, executive director of the Blue Ridge Independent Living Center in Roanoke, said she knows the valuable service these dogs can provide. She has tried several times to put people in touch with groups that train service dogs and to help people find the money to buy one.
"It's not been real easy," said Michalski, whose agency helps people with disabilities learn to live independently. "I would imagine the biggest stumbling block to having more individuals with disabilities benefit from service dogs is lack of funding available.''
Willoughby and co-founder Sherri Spell have been working since June to raise money for the foundation. Money will be used primarily to train dogs to perform up to 50 tasks for their masters. It also will fund disability awareness programs and demonstrations for schools, clubs and civic organizations.
The Rotary Club of the Roanoke Valley donated $3,000 to the foundation last week. The money will buy 500 hand-carved Christmas ornaments that will be sold to the public for a minimum $15 donation. Proceeds will go to the foundation. Other foundation support has come from Central Fidelity Bank and the Columbia Lewis-Gale Medical Center.
Willoughby also is seeking puppy donations, preferably golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers. She's also looking for volunteers who can raise the puppies until they reach training age.
Willoughby said she may have to use foundation funds to purchase puppies if enough aren't donated.
"There's a possibility we'll look at dogs that end up at the [Roanoke Valley] SPCA," she said. "Sometimes they get good dogs there that meet our criteria."
Willoughby said she and Spell realized how difficult it was for someone in Southwest Virginia to get a service dog when they tried last year to find one for a boy with cerebral palsy whose service dog had died the day school started.
It took just several days to find a dog but months to find someone to train it, Willoughby said. The dog is in training now in Verona.
"It's very difficult for anyone who needs a [service] dog to get one in this area," Willoughby said. "We realized we needed to start an organization right here."
For more information about the foundation, call 989-6354. The Christmas ornaments can be purchased at Brandon Animal Hospital, Cave Spring Veterinary Clinic, North Roanoke Veterinary Hospital, Roanoke Animal Hospital, Salem Animal Hospital and Southern Hills Animal Hospital. They also can be purchased at the Salem Farmer's Market this Saturday and Our Lady of Nazareth Catholic Church on Thursday.
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: NHAT MEYER/Staff. 1. Booker (above), who was Nationalby CNBService Dog of the Year in 1988, shows Blake, an 11-month-old golden
retriever in training, how it's done. The telephone receiver has a
handle attached to the back to make it easier for the dogs to pick
up. 2. Carol Willoughby (left photo) shows her appreciation to
Brooke, another of her service dogs. color.