‘An extraordinary thing’: Service dog helps 23-year-old Rehoboth woman achieve dreams

Jazmin Tinsley always dreamed of being a teacher.

But what once seemed out of reach for the Rehoboth Beach 23-year-old — who was born with cerebral palsy, has autism and is nonverbal — is now closer than her family ever imagined. All thanks to Bonus, a 2-year-old Canine Companions for Independence service dog recently tasked with helping her.

Most dads might balk at the thought of dealing with a boy constantly trailing after their daughter, but for Jazmin's father Kevin, this faithful pup is exactly what he hoped for, and he welcomes the attention.

"He’s just an incredible, incredible support animal for her,” said Kevin. “It’s really been a very cool experience, I think, for everybody.”

What Canine Companions does

Canine Companions, the largest nonprofit provider of service dogs in the United States, now works with 2,711 puppy/raiser teams throughout the country and has paired more than 7,100 service pups from its in-house breeding and training program with people in need since the organization was founded in 1975.

Bonus is one of more than 150 service dog graduates this year. Before joining the Tinsley family two months ago, he was one of 1,083 puppies being raised by volunteers.

The mission of Canine Companions is to enhance people’s lives and foster their independence by pairing them with specialized working dogs who allow them to live on their own terms with confidence, according to the organization.

The jobs of a dog vary depending on the needs of its owner, but pups are taught more than 40 commands like how to pick up items, turn lights on and off, help with alarms, pull wheelchairs, open doors, interrupt nightmares and soothe anxiety.

Some puppies also help meet physical therapy needs, and are placed with children or help out in health care settings.

Bonus becomes a Tinsley

As the Tinsleys’ first Canine Companions service dog, Ohio, approached 11 years old – and retirement from service – they knew another service dog would be needed to aid Jazmin.

Having a service dog helps Jazmin with daily tasks and physical demands that are difficult to perform and, according to her father, improves her social skills.

Going out in public can be a challenge for someone as shy and introverted as Jazmin, he said.

Jazmin uses a walker, and that can feel ostracizing as it may be the first thing people notice about her, her dad said, but having Bonus with her can provide more opportunities for socialization and help inspire a more comfortable environment.

To get a new service dog as Ohio retired, the Tinsleys had to repeat the process of applying to Canine Companions, joining a waiting list, and participating in an intensive two-week training program.

While Kevin and his wife, Sandy, were hesitant at first about having to be re-trained after owning a service dog for eight years, they quickly realized just how much Canine Companions has evolved their practices since their last training, with Kevin calling the experience “an incredible process that [Canine Companions] has absolutely mastered.”

During the training, the family lived in a dorm in Medofrd, New York, and spent eight hours a day among a small group of service dog recipients-to-be and trainers practicing verbal commands, taking field trips, becoming familiar with the pups, and establishing potential pairings based on the personality and needs of both parties.

After training, Jazmin’s two-year journey to get a new service animal concluded with Bonus graduating from the organization’s matriculation ceremony and officially becoming a member of the Tinsley family.

“It’s just unbelievable and I’m so glad we went to the training after we did it, ‘cause there’s no way we could have operated this dog not knowing and going through that two weeks of training,” he said. “It’s so important to her personal well-being to have an animal that can support her. We had to do it.”

'Her best friend'

As Kevin runs through some of their most used commands on the back porch of his eggshell-colored Rehoboth Beach home, Bonus immediately sniffs out the treat bag in Jazmin’s lap before she gives him plenty of pets and hugs.

Out of the dozens of commands Bonus can perform, some of the most helpful for Jazmin are the dog’s ability to pick things up for her when she can’t bend down, to carry things up and down the steps if they are too heavy for her and to give an “alert bark” to let someone know she needs help, especially if she is alone.

Jazmin is about 80% nonverbal, said her father, and uses audio settings on her phone to communicate with her family and the dogs. They are also teaching Bonus a hand signal for the "speak” command.

Kevin recalls a recent day when Jazmin couldn’t bring something to him on the first floor from her bedroom on the second floor, and was able to command Bonus to do it for her. As a parent, he appreciates that Bonus can pick up behind Jazmin or close the refrigerator door when she accidentally leaves it open, he said with a laugh.

“He’s slowly learning how just to pattern himself after Jazmin, and it really is incredible how much these dogs actually support her needs,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what it is. They’re so well trained and so well disciplined that you ask you him to do something and he does it the first time, every time.”

For families like the Tinsleys, where the recipient of the service animal cannot control the dog on their own, it is important that the service animal not only mesh with the person in need, but also with their caregivers.

Kevin jokes that he and his wife are the bad cops to Bonus – keeping him in line, taking care of him, setting the rules — while Jazmin is the good cop, showering the pup with food and affection. Bonus understands the dynamic. When he isn’t sleeping in his pink kennel in Jazmin’s bedroom, he’s doting on her at all times of the day.

“If she just walks out of the room and starts going upstairs and the dog’s laying in front of the mantel or something, the dog just gets up and follows her,” he said. “So that is absolutely her best friend. It’s really, really wild.”

Jazmin gains confidence, friendships through Bonus

Wearing a blue Canine Companions shirt on a sunny fall day during National Service Dog Month in September, Jazmin beams with pride while playing a game of fetch with Bonus in the front yard of her family home.

In addition to duties Bonus can do for Jazmin, his presence has improved her confidence, social skills and ability to navigate public spaces, her dad said.

When people approach the family while they’re out. Bonus presents an opportunity to teach others about Canine Companions – with Jazmin handing out one of the many brochures she always carries – while also letting Jazmin meet and interact with new people as she proudly shows off her dog.

Neighbors are familiar with Jazmin and her service dogs, saying hello or having a quick chat as Jazmin rides her pink tricycle on a daily four-mile walk with her mother.

Coming from a family of teachers, Jazmin dreams of becoming one. Her social skills have increased so much since having a service dog that she has a job at Ann Taylor Factory Store and recently applied for an assisted employment position that would allow her to help with pre-K students in a Sussex County classroom, a first step toward reaching her goal.

These things offer opportunities for young people to engage with a disabled person, and such efforts may help society become more inclusive, said Kevin.

“When you’re someone who has autism and cerebral palsy and everything else that goes with what she has, you don’t have any friends, you only have family,'' he reflected. "Then you’re obviously very to yourself and not very outgoing. To think that she wants to go out and be in public and be a teacher never would have happened if we never got Ohio.

“I believe she’d still be such an introvert and not even capable of walking out of the house, let alone now she’s such an open and happy and outgoing person,” Kevin said.

While Canine Companions takes pride in the life-changing services their dogs provide for recipients, the Tinsleys also have gained lifelong friends in the puppy raisers who were part of those efforts.

Two of the puppy raisers for Ohio are frequent visitors to the Tinsley home, making trips to Rehoboth for occasions like Jazmin’s school graduation, her birthday and other milestones.

On Ohio’s 10th birthday, his puppy raiser traveled from Florida and brought her mom to celebrate with the Tinsleys. Bonus’ puppy raiser met the family at his graduation and has kept in touch with them ever since.

“We’ve just maintained a wonderful relationship with them because I feel, and my wife feels just the same way, it’s such a massive sacrifice to raise a puppy for two years and then give it up,” said Kevin. “It’s probably the No. 1 reason why we feel so passionate about inviting them into our house.”

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‘Such a peace of mind’

As Jazmin sits on the front steps of her home, arms slung around Bonus and faces smooshed together in a hug, it's evident the pup has only just begun to positively transform her life.

Seeing his daughter’s happiness and newfound independence, Kevin said he hopes more people in need look into getting a service animal and don’t let a waiting list discourage them.

Kevin knows firsthand how helpful and calming it is to have that extra layer of support and protection in place for a loved one.  Whether Jazmin needs physical assistance or needs to get her family’s attention, he feels secure leaving his daughter home alone because he knows she is Bonus’ top priority.

“If Sandy and I are over our neighbor’s house, Jazmin’s by herself, she’s never nervous. She’s got two, 70-pound dogs right next to her, so it’s such a peace of mind,” he said.

Although having two large dogs in the house is something Kevin never thought he would want — fur everywhere, the routine maintenance, daily teeth brushing — seeing their impact on Jazmin makes it worth it.

“I gotta tell you, I see my daughter’s joy with these animals so significantly. It’s pretty cool,” said Kevin. “And for Jazmin, it’s like she’s overwhelmed almost with all the attention she gets from the animals. It makes her so happy and it really is such an extraordinary thing.”

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at [email protected].

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Service dog helps Rehoboth woman with disabilities reach for dreams