‘Sophie has opened up my life’
A Timaru man with neurotoxicity whose life was transformed by an assistance dog hopes sharing his story in a new book will shed light on what’s possible for those with disabilities.
Before adopting golden retriever Sophie 10 years ago, Brett Kane was ‘‘wholly reliant on Mum’’ and feared leaving the house on his own.
‘‘I had to go everywhere with Mum because I couldn’t handle busy environments. Sometimes I would have to leave her in the middle of the supermarket holding the shopping bags,’’ Kane said.
‘‘Sophie has opened up my life.’’
The 50-year-old said he developed neurotoxicity while working in the automotive industry, his exposure to chemicals and solvents causing damage to his brain. He moved in with his mother at age 27, no longer able to work or navigate high-stimulus situations.
‘‘Disability can be extremely isolating,’’ he said.
‘‘But Sophie encourages social interaction. She puts a smile on people’s faces, and it’s infectious. That lifts your day.’’
Kane’s story features in a new book, Friends Indeed by Sue Allison, which focuses on 41 people and their assistance dogs.
The book also features blind Wellington man George Taggart, who was stopped from boarding a bus because the driver did not believe poodle Guss was a guide dog; an Afghanistan veteran with complex regional pain syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder supported by german shepherd Delta; and a 15-year-old quadruple amputee whose labrador Charlotte starts the working day by helping her dress.
‘‘It’s transformative, the sheer impact on lives these animals can have,’’ Kane said.
‘‘There’s very close bonds with people and their companion animals.’’
Kane heard about the book through the Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust, Allison having approached the charity looking for people whose lives had been touched by an assistance dog.
‘‘They just put the word out for people who might be able to put this book together, and shed a bit of light on life from another perspective,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s important for others to know that these things are possible and if it helps others, we have to do our bit.’’
Kane said if there was just one word to describe his relationship with Sophie, it was ‘‘profound’’.
‘‘When you have an assistance dog, because they’re working so closely with you, it is a completely new dimension to the bonds that are possible.’’
Kane adopted Sophie in 2010, at a time when there was no organisation training dogs that catered to the needs of his injury or disability.
‘‘I’ve trained her myself because the organisation wasn’t there originally, that’s an unusual pathway,’’ he said.
‘‘She acts as a guide dog. When I have trouble navigating environments, she takes over. When my brain slows down, she can get me out. Some of the businesses have been exceptionally great with helping train her.’’
Sophie gained access rights in December 2010, meaning ‘‘she can go anywhere I can go’’.
Kane stifled a sob as he thought back to Rosie, his mother’s golden retriever who opened his eyes to what was possible with a companion animal. Her death left him grief-stricken.
‘‘When I wasn’t up to something, she took me home. She did that instinctively.’’