Success Stories
Tim Renko and Brady

My name is Tim Renkow and I am eighteen [in 2009] and live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I have cerebral palsy which makes it difficult to do physical activities that most people take for granted. An assistance dog would do tasks such as retrieving the phone and picking up dropped items.

One of the most useful things a dog could do for me is open doors. I have just recently moved from being in a walker all the time to sometimes using a wheelchair. It can be difficult opening doors from a wheelchair. When I pull the door open the wheelchair moves toward the door, which doesn't allow me to open it wide enough to get in or out. An assistance dog would greatly decrease the time I spend being stuck in places like bathrooms

Another obstacle that an assistance dog would help me to overcome is to allow me to go up hills in my wheelchair without relying on the kindness of strangers. It would give me more independence and allow me to get to places on time. The drawback is, of course, that I would no longer have an excuse for being late to things like class, but that would be a minor price to pay for independence!

I will be attending Memphis State University this fall on an art scholarship. This will be a new adventure, since it will be the first time I will be living on my own. Having an assistance dog will make such a difference in this new experience.

Please help me achieve my dream, and make a donation to NLMAD. Thank you for your help.