Laura shares this update from Canine Partners charity. Ed
Congratulations to Jonathon Giemza-Pipe, who lives with canine partner Toby on the Isle of Wight.
Jonathon has been taking part in the Invictus Games when he competed in archery.
He said,
“I took part in both the archery (novice), shot and discus.
“Whilst I was disappointed not to make it past the qualifying rounds, I am very proud to be part of an amazing team.
“To say that everyone is pumped up, would be no exaggeration, especially with the added spice of taking on the Americans in their own back yard! So far I’d say we’re giving a pretty good account of ourselves. The folks here in Orlando could not be more friendly and helpful, and the air of positivity is quite infectious.
“From a personal point of view, I’m proud to be here, with my own beautiful family, without whose patience, love and encouragement I wouldn’t have made it. I’m surrounded by some incredible human beings, even if my participation in the sports has come to an end. Some of these folks are carrying their wounds openly, many, many more have them buried deep down.
“If these individuals collectively don’t inspire you, I’m not sure what can?”
Stay up to date with the latest results via the official Website
Help for Heroes and Canine Partners
To date, Help for Heroes has provided funding for eight Veterans to have the support of a canine partner.
These amazing dogs have changed the lives of those they are helping: restoring independence, giving family members peace of mind, allowing their disabled partners to return to work and even saving lives by responding in emergencies.
To find out more about Canine Partners, which does not receive any government funding and relies on donations, please visit the Website.
Jonathon and Canine Partners
Jonathon was partnered with canine partner, Toby, in July 2014. Toby’s training and subsequent partnership with Jonathon has been funded by Help for Heroes.
This is his story:
I was a Major in the Royal Artillery, and was injured while serving in Iraq in 2007. I have subsequently suffered with chronic hip and spinal pain. I didn’t know it, but I had fractured my hips, which wasn’t identified until an x-ray in 2009 by which time I was grinding bone on bone. My world fell apart. It was at this time that my wife was expecting our third child, and as soon as he was born my coping mechanisms hit an abrupt stop.
I had always prided myself in being an outgoing, positive and cheerful soldier who took most of what life threw at me, and moving forward. With the arrival of strong painkillers, and perhaps more importantly the realisation of what was really going on in my body, I turned in on myself, and found myself cut off from the world. In a short time I was confined to our bedroom, unable to move, wracked in pain, and waiting for a major operation. The consultants I saw were amazed I had been able to walk into their appointments, my hips were so badly damaged, but I think I’d blame that on my two decades in the Army. If it taught me nothing else, I learnt that you never gave in to pain, you just got on with the job in hand. Being only 38 at the time, I was devastated to lose both my hips, but worse, realised that damage to my nerves was likely to be permanent.
To combat the pain, I’ve recently been fitted with a Peripheral Nerve Stimulator embedded under my skin. My pain medication has increased over time. I’m a bit of a mess!
A counsellor at Tedworth House, the Help for Heroes Recovery Centre in Tidworth, near Salisbury, asked if I had heard of Canine Partners. I had, but thought that I was nowhere near ‘damaged’ enough, but thought I’d fill out an enquiry form. Couldn’t hurt, could it? I honestly didn’t expect my application to go anywhere, but after all the screening, I received a call from the Charity, telling me that they had identified a partner for me, and would I like to come to meet Toby. I’d spoken to a friend who had a canine partner and he’d recommended that I didn’t feel that I had to accept the first dog offered, that I should be objective, but I lost my heart to Toby the very first time I met him. My wife filmed our first meeting, and it was clear that we ‘clicked’ as soon as we met! I wanted to take him home with me!
By this time I was confined to moving around using a wheelchair, and I was finding the lack of mobility a real problem. Mentally I was finding it very hard to come to terms with the person who I had been, and who I was now. Tedworth House had come to our rescue, as I was unable to get around at our family home, as my wife was adapting it to make it accessible. My wife and three boys moved into a static caravan on our drive, in order to supervise the work. This however was not something I could handle, so I moved into Tedworth House for a time.
I will never forget my training course at Canine Partners. I had had a Labrador before, but I was scared stiff, what would it really be like to have an assistance dog? My biggest concern was what kind of dog would Toby be, would he be some kind of automaton who only responded to words of command, who had had his personality trained out of him? I shouldn’t have worried, Toby took it all in his stride, and very quickly we became almost inseparable. Having a partner who could do the simplest of things, picking items from the floor has made such a massive difference to my life. BT (Before Toby!), I hadn’t wanted to go out, my body was in such pain, all I wanted to do was lie down and feel sorry for myself. Why move if it hurt?
Toby brought with him a new lease of life, and I know that everyone who is fortunate enough to be partnered with one of these incredible animals says this, but it is so true. Having Toby means that I now have a structure to my day, even if I have lost that which the military gave me. I honestly believe that having a canine partner makes you a healthier person. We must go into the fresh air on far more occasions during the day than our ‘undamaged’ colleagues who only see the sky when they come and go to work! Seeing Toby chasing a ball, greeting other dogs on the beach before heading back to me, makes me feel fantastic. He seems to know instinctively when I am about to have a severe pain episode, where I tend to withdraw inside myself. Toby gets up on my knee and pushes his head against mine, and gives me a much needed distraction. It’s been amazing to see how perceptive he is with the rest of my family. If someone is down or upset, he is quick to move over to them, knowing that some Toby time is needed!
Previously I wanted nothing to do with anyone outside my wife and boys. I thought people were staring at me in my chair, so I hid away. With Toby by my side, I’m now happier to go out, with or without my family, as Toby is the focal point, and being such a handsome and special dog, I can’t argue with that! Every day, if we’re out, I catch people admiring him, or coming up to ask if they can say hello to him.
My wife says that she now feels happy if she leaves me on my own, as Toby will look after me! As I have been dependent completely on my wife for some time the relief she feels as a Carer is significant. He has made an immense impact on not only my life, but also those of my family. My boys fell in love with him, and as a whole family he has helped us rediscover what it is like to smile and laugh again and to feel like a proper family.
One of the most important things he does for me is when we’re out: he helps to make a ‘hole’ for me. Since being in a wheelchair I have developed this claustrophobia, thinking that people are crushing in on me. I suffer badly from nightmares at night, but having him beside me at night helps to calm me down. Recently I went to London, on my own for the first time, on a train, which was a massive step for me. When I arrived in Waterloo station, I dropped my train ticket, and immediately started to stress about how I was going to pick it up; I hate to ask for help, perhaps it’s a bloke thing. Before I’d finished my thought, Toby had scooped it up in his mouth and passed it to me. Several people around me said they’d never seen anything like it! I never thought he’d manage to pick up something so flat to the ground!
When we’re at home I can get him to retrieve my boots, although the look on his face when he retrieves more than two is priceless! It is probably a bit unfair when my wife and I wear similar boots. She is particularly pleased that she no longer has to help me with my socks, but I can’t think why…..? Around the house, I do try to mobilise every now and again using my crutches, and Toby is invaluable in getting them for me.
I know that I am a totally different person today, with Toby by my side, than I was BT! I am leaving the military, after 22 years, to begin a new life, and with Toby’s help I’m pretty sure that it’ll be interesting!
