Service Dog Breaking the Ice

Furry companion changes paralyzed law student’s life

By Robyn Bradley Litchfield • March 28, 2010

Hearing the signal, 2-year-old Phoenix popped up from under the table at a Montgomery coffee shop and rushed to his owner’s side.

Jake Jeter then gently wrapped the black-and-yellow leash around his hand and started to roll his wheelchair away with the golden retriever in tow. When another customer struck up a conversa­tion, he paused to offer a warm smile and chat briefly.

“That’s a pretty dog,” said the customer, a young man about Jet­er’s age. “I didn’t even know you hadone under there (the table).”

These days, such encounters are common for Jeter, who has been confined to a wheelchair for almost 10 years. Strangers of all ages seem to be more likely to ap­proach him when his service dog is around.

But that was not always the case.

“After the accident, I was al­ways worried about how people perceived me. Would they be un­easy about the wheelchair?” the 26-year-old Faulkner University Jones School of Law student said. “Once I got Baxter (a Labrador/golden retriever mix and Phoe­nix’s predecessor), a lot changed — people started talking to me about the dog.”

His friendly four-legged friends helped him break social barriers. Thinking about the difference, Jet­er said it still amazes him to see children’s faces light up when they see his service dog. And he always takes time to introduce his canine companion.

Jeter was introduced to service dogs while still undergoing reha­bilitation in Atlanta, where he dis­covered a nonprofit organization called Canine Assistants. The group trains and provides service dogs for children and adults with physical disabilities and other spe­cial needs. To date, the organiza­tion has sponsored more than 1,000 dogs throughout the nation.

The program’s entire budget comes directly from donations from individuals, corporations and foundations, including Milk-Bone.

In fact, Jeter and one of Canine Assistants’ service dogs are the stars of Milk-Bone’s most recent TV commercial as part of its “It’s Good to Give” campaign (and a portion of purchases will benefit Canine Assistants).

Jeter’s parents, Jim and Maria Jeter of Baldwin County, said re­sponse from the TV spot has been incredible.

“It has been great because it has opened up Jake to so many more people,” Maria Jeter said.

And she can’t say enough nice things about Milk-Bone, which provided half the $10,000 cost of training and preparing her son’s service dogs. She also praised Winn-Dixie in Sturbridge for pro­viding the other half of the fee.

Having a canine assistant has meant so much to her son, she said.

“The first year and a half (after his accident) was an extremely dif­ficult time for Jake,” Maria Jeter said.

Jeter always had dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps by becoming a military fighter pi­lot. But things went horribly wrong one cool, breezy October morning when he was 17. After taking their ACT (college placement exam) one Saturday, he and some friends headed for the beach, one of Jeter’s all-time favor­ite places to be. During a volleyball game, a gust of wind blew the ball into the water, and Jeter offered to retrieve it.

Thinking it was deeper than it was, he jumped in headfirst.

“The moment it happened, I felt it, like when your foot goes to sleep,” he said. “I couldn’t move, and my friends pulled me out.”

Jeter had no movement in his arms for about two months.

His mom said his damage was between cervical vertebrae 6 and 7 (C-6 and C-7). According to the Shepherd Center, the Atlanta area rehabilitation center where he was treated, there are eight cervi­cal vertebrae in the neck and they make up a ring of bones that sur­round the spinal cord.

Now confined to a wheelchair, Jeter has regained some feeling in his arms and hands and has limited use of his fingers, but he can feel no pain and has no move­ment below chest level. He can, however, feel soft touch.

But it took a great deal of work on his part. The rehab team at the Shepherd Center was great, he said, and knew how to push him.

“When they expect more of you, you expect more of yourself,” he said. “They kind of kicked my butt, but that’s what I needed at that time.”

And it was while he was there at the Atlanta rehab center that he was introduced to Canine Assist­ants. A woman came to visit the center with her dogs, and he learned all about the program. He applied immediately, but was on a waiting list for two years.

Jeter and his family assumed a service dog would be able to help with flipping on light switches, fetching books and other light-weight items and opening doors, but they never expected the dog to change Jeter’s life.

Jim Jeter said, “When he got Baxter, he was more of an ice-breaker than anything, which was the main thing for me, and it al­lowed him to blossom.”

Being part of a military family, Jim Jeter said his son was raised with a “Hey, get up and get going” attitude, which is one thing that helped him through the toughest times. Still, there were some rough patches, some really bad days in the beginning.

Everybody has bad days, said his mom, and with paralysis, bad days are certain. But with a dog to care for, you’ve got to get up and get going.

Jeter’s younger sister, Kathryn Jeter, remembers her big broth­er’s struggle.

“He was working so hard, and then Baxter came along and brought a little joy to his life,” she said.

When Baxter came into Jeter’s life, he was attending Auburn Montgomery. About this time, he met AUM classmate Greg Cumuze of Montgomery.

Cumuze joked and said he’s known Baxter for about six years but didn’t start paying attention to Jeter until about five years ago. Since then, the two have become great friends.

“The best thing Baxter did for him was take the focus off the chair,” Cumuze said, adding that Jeter is such a likeable person that once people get to know him, they never see the chair. “I’ve always told Jake that I used him to get to Baxter.”

Cumuze also pointed out that because Jeter is determined to do everything he can for himself, Baxter didn’t have much to do in terms of everyday tasks, but the companionship he offered was wonderful.

After being with Jeter for about eight years, Baxter began to slow down just a bit. A few months ago, he “retired” in Baldwin County with Jeter’s family, and the new pup came along.

Jim Jeter said that both dogs are great, but they definitely have different personalities. Being an older dog, Baxter is more laid back and would do what was asked of him and sit quietly. Phoenix, on the other hand, still has some pup­py in him and is always into every­thing.

“With Baxter, the two of them could almost look at each other and know what the other was thinking,” he said. “With Phoenix, he still has to stay on him a bit. But he’s working with him.”

Yes, Jeter admitted that Phoe­nix is a work in progress, but he is coming along nicely and begin­ning to catch on to commands. It just takes time and repetition — lots and lots of repetition.

And Jeter is always up for a challenge. Despite his physical challenges, he earned a bachelor’s degree from AUM and then en­tered the Jones School of Law at Faulkner University.

Cumuze said his friend is a “champ” with a “Just Do It!” atti­tude. It’s what keeps him going in school and what led to Jeter earn­ing his pilot’s license.

“He’s the kind of guy that reaches a goal and then sets anoth­er one, usually one that’s higher than the goal before it,” Cumuze said.

Jeter takes everything that has happened during the past decade in stride.

“It was an accident. Things happen, but I feel like it would not have happened unless I was strong enough to get through it and do well with what I’ve been chal­lenged with,” he said.