With the long-awaited acquisition of a specially trained canine companion complete, a wheelchair-bound college student is now on schedule to cross the next line in her pursuit of a journalism degree.
A student in the general studies program at New River Community and Technical College’s Lewisburg campus, 19-year-old Bethany McFerrin hopes to move to Huntington next summer and enroll in Marshall University’s journalism program, accompanied by Koby, a mixed-breed dog that was rescued and trained by Wagmor Service Dogs in Ohio.
According to Sarah McFerrin, Bethany’s mother, who is also a student at New River, Koby is a great Dane/Labrador retriever mix and is between 18 and 20 months old.
“He went through basic obedience and advanced obedience training in Dayton, Ohio,” Sarah explained.
After Wagmor put Koby through his paces, the McFerrins traveled to Ohio for the final portion of the dog’s formal training, during which Koby practiced retrieving — which will be his main occupation as he assists Bethany in day-to-day tasks — and bonded with his new owner. The two women also took Koby on a couple of outings, helping the dog become used to crowds and foot traffic.
Sarah noted the family owns five other dogs as pets, and Koby fits right in with the “pack” when he isn’t working.
“He is a typical dog, but he knows when he gets his vest on, he can’t play; he has to work,” Sarah said.
That work primarily involves retrieving items that Bethany, who has the neurological disorder cerebral palsy, might not be able to reach without assistance, such as a cell phone, pencil or remote control, Sarah explained.
As a protective mother, Sarah said of Bethany’s planned move to the “big city” of Huntington, “She’ll be OK. I’m not sure I’ll be OK, though.”
Sarah also plans to continue her own education in the teaching field, transferring to Bluefield State to complete degree requirements.
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Financing Koby’s purchase and training presented challenges for the McFerrin family, but the problems were alleviated when a group of Sarah and Bethany’s fellow students stepped forward this past spring with the idea of staging a fundraising raffle.
The members of the Beta Zeta Delta Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society enthusiastically took on the raffle project, expanding it from Bethany’s Greenbrier Valley home campus to include New River PTK members in Princeton, Beckley and Summersville. In all, some 50 people were involved in selling tickets and publicizing the focus of their effort — helping Bethany get the trained canine companion that will enable her to independently pursue her goals.
“In less than four weeks, we raised $6,584,” said Joanna Post, who during her recently concluded term as president of the PTK chapter spearheaded the raffle project.
Current PTK president Terry Holliday said, “It was the biggest fundraiser for the chapter since it was founded in 1988.”
~ Courtesy of Register-Herald
Tags: assistance dog, college dog, college student, helper dog, service dog
