THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 4, 1995 TAG: 9412310117
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Linda McNatt
LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
She wasn't hard to miss, waiting patiently in line at Farm Fresh just before Christmas. All 130 pounds of her was stretched on the floor, paying little mind to all of the hustle and bustle around her.
The huge Great Dane in the local supermarket was enough of an oddity to prompt me to start a conversation with her master, Tom Hamill.
``Marilyn'' is an ``Independence Dog,'' a service dog trained at a center in Pennsylvania that specializes in training dogs for the physically challenged.
Hamill, in a conversation at his home last week, told me that he qualified for her after he broke his neck playing rugby about eight years ago. The accident left him paralyzed, and forced to use a wheel chair.
But the accident didn't stop Hamill from completing his education, attending law school, passing bar exams and eventually practicing law.
That's what he was doing when he lived in New Jersey, just before he and his wife, Julie Chaffin Parrish, moved to Isle of Wight. That was a few days before I saw them at the store.
The couple met at Widener University Law School in Wilmington, Del. ``Chaffin,'' as her family knows her, grew up in Richmond. Her father has lived at Morgart's Beach for several years. She and her husband decided to join Dad because they liked the area.
With them, they brought two other dogs, three cats, and, of course, ``Marilyn,'' who seems to be more than a dog.
When you look at her, she looks back. There's a calmness about her I wish I could instill in my children. She obviously is fully in control of any situation.
Because she's so big, it's hard not to notice.
Hamill told me that he was especially matched to Marilyn, who was rescued from a pound after a family that apparently had no idea how big she'd get gave her up.
The school, he said, recognized her intelligence. But the independence training isn't confined to Great Danes. The school, started by a woman biochemist who was paralyzed by a lab accident, uses everything from pit bulls to Irish setters. It's an individual thing, Hamill said, based purely on the personality and intellect of the dog.
Hamill found out about Independence Dogs when he was at a shopping mall in New Jersey. He applied for one. An anticipated two-year waiting period turned into more than three years when the Hamills moved, and the training center lost track of them.
Once the school found Marilyn, they knew she'd be perfect for Hamill. At 36, he's a large, handsome man, quiet and mild-mannered. At the three-week training session for dog and master last February, Hamill and his dog learned to live together and to love each other.
``The training is based purely on love and affection,'' Hamill said. ``I think she knows she's a working dog, and she really enjoys her work.''
Marilyn plays like any other dog, Parrish said. But as soon as she's called to put her harness on, she's all business.
``She calms down immediately,'' she said. ``She stays very calm and focused on her work.''
Marilyn, Parrish said, doesn't allow her husband to do anything he didn't do before the dog became a part of his life, but she allows him to do many things easier and faster.
Her harness has saddlebags, so she can carry things. She retrieves whatever he drops. When the two are out, she either pulls his wheelchair or, on a steep upward grade, she gets behind it and pushes.
``With her, I still do part of the work,'' Hamill said. ``She's not an invitation to be lazy. But she increases my range, my ability to do things.''
Under federal law - the Americans with Disabilities Act - Marilyn is allowed anywhere Hamill goes. And she already has been a number of places in the county - to local restaurants, businesses and, of course, grocery stores. People seldom comment about his unusually large companion except to say how gorgeous she is, Hamill said.
If there is ever a question about her being in a certain place, he simply explains that she's a service dog, and it's lawful for her to be there.
Marilyn and her special training cost about $10,000, Hamill estimates. But because of his disability, he wasn't required to pay for anything but the harness she uses when she works.
The Independence Dogs organization holds fund-raisers throughout the country to help provide animals to those who need them.
The training center was established in 1984. Marilyn was dog No. 51. Hamill said he believes the center is now up to No. 58. The training is a long process. But most important, Parrish said, is the bonding between dog and master.
``It's almost enforced bonding,'' she said. ``I went with him to the training, but it was my job to get him up and stay out of the way.''
If you'd like more information about dogs like Marilyn, you can contact Independence Dogs at 246 State Line Road, Chaddsford, Pa. 19317. The telephone number is 610-358-2723.
Or if you'd like to help provide one of these magnificent animals with such a meaningful purpose in life to someone who could benefit, contributions to the organization are tax deductible.
Meanwhile, you're likely to see Marilyn almost anywhere. She's allowed, you know. She's even been in the courtroom.
Hamill said he plans to either start his own practice or join a local law firm. His wife has plans for starting her own business.
Marilyn, he said, has added to his life. He recently got rid of a motorized wheelchair. It was uncomfortable, too heavy.
And grinning, with his dog draped across his lap, he said, ``Motorized wheelchairs don't lick you in the face.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
Marilyn, a Great Dane companion for Tom Hamill, retrieves whatever
he drops, and when the two are out, she either pulls his wheelchair
or, on a steep upward grade, she gets behind it and pushes.
by CNB