By Sarah Hall

Editor

Laura Jean Cooper’s life isn’t easy.

“I have multiple disabilities,” the Liverpool woman said. “I’m a diabetic. I have mobility issues. I have asthma.”

It’s difficult for Cooper to live on her own.

But thanks to the efforts of Canine Helpers for the Handicapped, that could soon change. The organization is working with Cooper to get her a service dog, which would help her lead a more independent life.

“My dog will be trained to detect high and low blood sugar,” Cooper said. “The dog will help me [pick up] fallen objects. My dog will also bring my inhaler and telephone when I’m having an asthma attack.”

If Cooper ever found herself in a life-threatening situation, the dog is trained to alert someone. The animal would be at her side 24/7 to provide aid whenever necessary.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, service animals are defined as “dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.”

Cooper is working with Canine Helpers for the Handicapped, a nonprofit based in Lockport, which has provided more than 700 people with service dogs over the last 33 years. The organization trains rescue dogs from shelters and other organizations to work with people with disabilities to improve their quality of life. Volunteers spend up to two years preparing dogs to act as service animals.

The struggle Cooper faces now is the cost: $16,000 to train the dog and to prepare Cooper to care for the dog and learn how to work with it, a four-month process.

“I’ve been trying to get donations for about six months,” she said.

Now she’s reaching out to the community for help. To donate to Cooper’s fund, contact Canine Helpers for the handicapped at (716) 433-4035 or 5699 Ridge Road, Lockport, New York, 14094. More information about the organization can be found at caninehelpers.org.

While it’s a long and costly process to acquire a service dog, Cooper said it will be worth it.

“I can go grocery shopping and not worry about depending on others. The dog would carry groceries in its pack,” she said. “ My life will change for the better.”