Amanda Graves and Sandy I want to invite you to a party; it is exactly the kind of party this community really understands.

Here is the story:

Amanda Graves suffered a trauma in her childhood so severe that she suffers, chronically and indefinitely, from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Since that time, throughout her life, she has remained reclusively by her mother's side and, eventually, could not tolerate attending school. Amanda's mother is Carolynn Graves, an estate agent with Sutton, in Orangeville.

Since she was otherwise a bright child, the board of education sent teachers to the Graves' home to tutor Amanda on an individual basis. So, she has been able to keep up with her studies.

The past year has been particularly difficult for both Amanda and Carolynn. Amanda had reached that point in her life where she was no longer able to attend school at all. The doctors had told them that the medication Amanda was taking was not sufficient for her ever to become part of society, to end the exile to which her affliction had condemned her.

The realisation led Amanda, Carolynn and the team of medical professionals and others to try to find another way.

They looked for a dog.

Naturally, not just any old pal of a dog could fill the bill of Amanda's needs. They already had two of those. It had to be a "service dog".

There are many kinds of dogs that care for individual humans. The best known are the Seeing Eye dogs, famous guides to the blind, exemplary of the best in the dog's nature as "person's best friend".

Basically, we all know about the existence of these loyal servants and something about to treat them and their owners. They are allowed to go everywhere; they should not be approached or distracted; they should be given space in which to do their job of guiding. Anyone who owns a business will know that a Seeing Eye dog has the right of entry.

However, not everyone understands on the same basis that there are Service Dogs who also undergo expensive and rigorous training to perform similar services for otherwise disabled people.

There are medical alert dogs who travel on the laps of their owners in wheelchairs. There are dogs who keep watch over their charges suffering from autism, for example, or PTSD. And these dogs must earn "Assistance Service International" certificates. The National Service Dog institution has a waiting list of two to three years, so great is the call and, more to the point, so rare is the dog.

Not only is the training for such a life of service extremely thorough, the life itself must test the dog for some time. There are training visits by the trainer, supervision through the process. The caveat here is that there are businesses who make claims of being able to provide fully trained dogs and look for sums of $20,000 - up front. However, it is essential that every institute dealing with such dogs must have its Assistance Dog International (ADI) certification.

Carolynn and Amanda were eventually put in touch with Wade Beattie of Autism Dog Services.

Amanda's case was new for him, but he wanted to help if he could. This process is expensive. To raise such a dog, train it and then train in situ costs $18,000. At the moment, Wade Beattie is working on getting a charitable status for his business, when corporations will be able to sponsor dogs, but that could take a year. In the meantime, Amanda's needs were more urgent. So Wade and Carolynn agreed that, somehow, they would work the money out. Carolynn said she would work more hours; Wade said no; go to the community for help. He would wait for the money.

After several visits to Amanda, and her counsellor, trying to understand the challenges of Amanda's world, he brought Cody to them.

Amanda loved Cody and, with Wade at their side, they attended public school for limited time periods. However, Cody did not work out well and Amanda suffered a big setback in losing him.

A short while later, Wade introduced another dog, Sandy, to Amanda. Afraid of more hurt by failure, Amanda was reluctant to let herself become attached to this second dog. As Carolynn put it, Sandy was determined to make Amanda love her.

And she won the day.

Now the young girl and the dog go everywhere together - everywhere. And this should be understood. Sandy is Amanda's certified Service Dog. She wears a coat designating her as such and as such has the legal right to accompany Amanda into all public places. And into public places they do go!

They go to the movies; to shopping, to restaurants. They go to school.

This is the monumental step forward for Amanda and Carolynn. Amanda and Sandy go to school. Such is the value of this little canine to Amanda that, with Sandy at her side, she can handle the crowds and flow to be in school, in high school.

As always, with a pioneer, as Amanda rightly calls herself, there have been moun- tains to climb. With the willingness on the part of the school community to give her a hand up, they will all manage. There have been talks and assemblies, explaining the necessity and the rules surrounding Sandy and Amanda. The dos, the don'ts.

Sandy is an aid to dealing with a disability. Just accept it, support it, learn from it. So, that's the story, now here's the celebration.

A couple of weeks ago, at an After 5 gathering with the Chamber of Commerce, Michelle, who owns I Scream for Ice Cream, was suddenly inspired to say that she would offer a basket of ice cream goodies as a draw over the month of December to everyone and anyone who came into her shop. $5 a ticket. All the money goes toward paying for Sandy.

Carolynn was blown away by the generous offer. Her friends pushed her to ask the same of the other shops and businesses in the town to do the same. In less than 24 hours, she had created a poster, tickets and had enlisted additionally the following happy crowd: Mad Hatter, Dave's Butcher Shop, The Chocolate Shop, Seasons on Mill, Shoeless Joe's, Blue Bird Cafe, Harmony Whole Food, White Truffle Restaurant, Boston Pizza, Mochaberry, Winchester Arms, Black Birch Restaurant, Aardvark Music, Best Western, Kelsey's, Wild Wings, Caledon Mountain Veterinary Clinic.

Each of these is offering a gift certificate or basket of goodies for a draw in their own shops to be made on the last day of this year. All the tickets are $5. All the money goes toward paying for Sandy.

In addition, Carolynn told me, there is another child very much in need of the same sort of service dog in her life. Whatever money comes in over and above what is needed, those funds will go to the other child's dog.

This story tells itself, of the unflinching love of a mother, the ready hand of help from the community, the miraculous attachment that can happen between humans and animals.

If you would like to join the party one way or another, give Carolynn a call: 519-939-6385.