Dr. Bonita Bergin, who, in 1975, invented the concept of the service dog to assist people with mobility limitations—then launched Canine Companions for Independence, later founded the Assistance Dog Institute, now called the Bergin College of Canine Studies–recalls the scenes of disabled people improvising she’d observed while traveling in Pakistan, India, Turkey, and other countries with her husband (after they taught abroad) that helped shape her innovation.
After returning home to Northern California, and starting a Master’s program in Early Childhood
Education, Bergin and her classmates were told that folks with all manner of disabilities were then commonly housed in state hospitals, with no differentiation for type of disability. When the instructor asked the students to ponder how to address those circumstances, and images of her global trek rolled through her mind– a prelude to her lightbulb moment of conceiving the notion of service dogs to assist people with mobility limitations. Bergin chronicles the naysayers she encountered in attempting to present her service-dog concept—it truly provides a glimpse into the wall of resistance a pioneer can face in introducing a true innovation—eventually deciding to call the CEO of a local organization that worked with disabled individuals. The woman answering the phone there wouldn’t put through the call to the CEO without first hearing Bergin’s proposal. So Bergin outlined 
the idea, to which the woman responded: “I’ll do it!” Turns out the woman was a quadriplegic named Kerry Knaus, who—teaming with Abdul, a puppy then living with Bergin—helped carry out Bergin’s vision, carving out
a historic role, as her basic needs and desire for independence were realized. For example, when her attendant left her place for errands or other outings, and didn’t return before nighttime, Knaus was left sitting in the dark. Could Abdul, she asked Bergin, be trained to turn on the light switch? She immediately replied “yes,” as she did each time Knaus raised a comparable question about a new skill she was hoping Abdul could help with. “Retrieve” wasn’t far behind. And owing to Bergin’s intuitive prowess—she notes that studying early childhood education made her uniquely equipped to train Abdul (“the same methods training kids”)—and Abdul being a very bright, eager-to-please canine, Knaus’ string of requests to make her life more independent spawned the first service dog and attendant field…and, not long ago, marked its 50th anniversary. (https://www.berginu.edu/)
COMEDY CORNER: Josh Johnson’s “Emotional Support Dog vs Service Dog” (https://www.joshjohnsoncomedy.com/)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play “Name That Animal Tune” today.
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