My Canine Partner

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Today's poem was written with a close friend's mother, Sheila, in mind; she was disabled in a car accident some years ago. Her first Assistant Dog, Juneau, sadly long since deceased and replaced by others, was trained by Canine Partners, a UK charity transforming the lives of people with disabilities by partnering them with highly trained assistant dogs. 

We all have our personal battles to fight, disabled people more than most. Assistant Dogs are skilled in helping their owners  confront and overcome all manner of obstacles, emotional as well as physical. Sheila is no exception, an  inspiration, even after a recent stroke, an epitome of the human spirit at its finest, as embraced by disabled people from all walks of life on a daily basis.

For more information about Canine Partners: info@canine partners.org.uk; for organizations outside the UK, see: https://assistancedogsinternational.org  (Support by way of donations always welcome and much appreciated.) 

I have always admired the indomitable spirit of  disabled people everywhere, not least since joining them in a less but significant capacity following an accident in 2012. I was fortunate enough to recover sufficient mobility to get out and about with the aid of a walking stick. Even so, I used to walk miles and miss it terribly, especially as I cannot walk far these days, nor have been able to do so since. Even so, I try to emulate people like Sheila, truly an inspiration, and try my best to nurture  the kind of a positive thinking mindset that sees disabled people climb mountains every day of their lives.

MY CANINE PARTNER

While I'm just an ordinary person,

although I have a disability;

Juneau's trained to be one in a million

assisting, supporting, inspiring me

Juneau helps me participate fully 

in the business of everyday living;

people would rather get to know me

instead of looking away or staring

Juneau is my trusty canine partner,

together we tackle life's ups and downs;

we make a team like you'll find no other

on slopes where, once, mountains 

Far more than assistant or friend to me, 

Juneau helps make my dreams reality

Copyright R. N. Taber, 2010, 2021

[This poem, dedicated to 'Disabled People Everywhere' first appears in my collection, On the Battlefields of Love, Assembly Books, 2010.]