Disabled girl always has a buddy

No words ever pass between Laura and Dawn Greenberg. The best friends make faces at one another, rest their heads together, and even share a bedroom. Though neither can speak, the sense of mutual need and love is clear without words.Laura, a 16-year-old Arlington Heights resident, suffered a brain injury 10 years ago that stripped her of most motor skills, leaving her unable to walk, talk or complete basic tasks for herself.Now Dawn, a 2-year-old Labrador/golden retriever, has helped her and her family move forward.On a hot July day at summer camp, Laura suffered a seizure and heat stroke. She didn't regain consciousness and she was intubated."Her liver started to fail and then her brain began to swell," said her father, Stu. "She was put into a medically induced coma at Lutheran General's Pediatric intensive care unit for 15 days.""Before her injury, Laura was your typical little girl --always laughing, running, talking and playing," said her mother, Sue. "Now, that seems like ages ago and just yesterday at the same time."Dawn, the skilled companion dog placed with Laura last February, is one of 178 free dogs given to disabled people this year by the nonprofit organization Canine Companions for Independence.Trained to help with dozens of daily tasks, "she even knows how to open a refrigerator," Stu laughs..After Stu or Sue Greenberg gives Dawn a one-word command, the dog sets to work helping Laura.Responding to "switch," Dawn uses her paws to reach up and turn off a light switch. Hearing "light" she uses her wet nose to turn it on again.A command of "side" brings Dawn to Laura's right side, to distract the Kirk School student from a habit of biting her hand.Instructed to "visit," Dawn places her head sweetly on the tray of Laura's wheelchair.Dawn goes everywhere with Laura and her parents -- to Kirk School, to summer camp, and on outings and shopping trips."When we take Laura out of her wheelchair, Dawn lays down like a pillow, so (Laura) can rest her head on top of her," Sue Greenberg said. "When Laura goes to sleep, Dawn goes to sleep. They're together most of their waking hours."The Greenbergs received the dog after a 20-month application process."We first heard of CCI two years ago, when Laura had a check-up at Arlington Pediatrics," Sue said. "Another patient had a service dog, and (Laura) reacted really well with it."The application process for a Canine Companion dog is more complicated than many college applications. And the waiting list is just as long."There's a written application, a personal interview, a telephone interview, and once a person's made it through all of those hoops, they attend a team training where they receive their dog," said Kelly Galindo, a development associate at CCI.Currently, 66 individuals in CCI's north central region are waiting to receive an assistance dog. "We hope to place a dog with (all 66 people) in the next two years," she said.Each dog costs more than $45,000 to breed, raise and train."CCI dogs are bred in Santa Rosa, Calif., and placed with volunteer puppy raisers until they are 14 to 16 months old. After that, they are sent to a training center for six months of advanced training," Galindo said.The Greenbergs were notified last fall that they were on the waiting list to receive a dog. In late January, Sue, Laura and Stu attended a two-week training session at CCI's North Central Regional Center in Delaware, Ohio."It was the longest amount of time we'd ever been away at once besides our honeymoon," Stu Greenberg said. "Our family vacations are never more than a week."The training, which the Greenbergs describe as "exhausting" and "amazing," consisted of daily lectures, exams, practice and public outings with individuals and dogs."The first couple of days we worked with all of the dogs, and by the end of the session you're placed with the one that best fits your needs," Sue Greenberg said. "Dawn was definitely the best fit for us. She really connects with Laura."Whenever Laura drops a toy, for instance a favorite stuffed animal, Dawn's eyebrows raise intently, ready for a command. As she drops the object back into her owner's lap, her tail wags up and down with happiness."You can tell Dawn's a very feminine personality," Sue Greenberg said. "We've nicknamed her 'Miss Priss.'"Sue Greenberg says Laura is proud that Dawn is hers."You can just see how thrilled she is when people comment about what a nice dog Dawn is. That's her dog, and she loves that," she said.The Greenbergs will have Dawn for at least seven years. "Most dogs retire after they're 9 or 10," Galindo said.Though they're guaranteed a new dog after she retires, Stu and Sue insist that Dawn will always stay a member of their family."We couldn't imagine sending her away," Sue Greenberg said. 512299Dawn has a lovable face.Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer 512302For the Greenberg family of Arlington Heights, Dawn the dog, daughter Laura's best friend, is another member of the family, which also includes parents Sue and Stu.Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer