Girl Meets Dog
Girl Meets Dog
How a friendly German shepherd changed the life of a blind paramedic-turned-paralympian By Matthew Liptak
S
hawn Cheshire didn’t want a guide dog. At some point, she didn’t even want to keep on going. But Kiara changed all of that. Cheshire had been in the Army for eight years, working as a helicopter mechanic. Then she worked as a paramedic in Central New York. It was during a shift as paramedic four years ago that she lost her sight. The Camillus resident was in the back of the ambulance. She got knocked off her feet and struck her head. She had a traumatic brain injury. Her sight was gone. It was as simple, sudden and terrible as that. As difficult and challenging as life without sight can be, Cheshire, now 41, didn’t want help from a four-legged friend. “I’ve lived sighted my entire life,” she said. “I’ve been completely blind probably for a little over four and half years. I did not want a guide dog.” But those close to her were persistent. A dog might be just what she needed to turn her life around. They were right. Today things are different. “I never really knew I could love a dog like this,” she said. Cheshire has a photo of her first meeting with Kiara. In it, Cheshire is
petting the dog on the head. She said she picked a shepherd specifically because she thought they were known to be more aloof. She was in for a surprise when she was on her own with Kiara. Once the training was done and they were together, the dog regularly demanded love and affection from her. “I couldn’t figure out why she was doing that,” Cheshire said. “It was driving me nuts. I didn’t want a needy dog.” It wasn’t until later that Cheshire learned there was a reason for Kiara’s gentle nuzzles and requests for attention. She was not only a guide dog. She was becoming Cheshire’s therapy dog. “One of the things my PTSD counselor told me is when I’m having a rough day she seems to be the most needy as far as needing me to love on her,” she said. “She drove me nuts. It was driving me nuts. What she was doing was she could sense that I was kind of distraught. She was trying to bring me out of that by focusing on something positive which was her affection towards me. When I shifted my focus to her and not thinking about what’s making me distraught it pulled me out of that.” Kiara brought Shawn Cheshire out of herself and so did the U.S.
Shawn Cheshire and her dog, Kiara, a German shepherd. “She’s just more than a dog,” Cheshire says. “She’s a soul. Veterans Administration. It was they who suggested she consider the paralympics. She took them up on it. Cheshire is now a world-class paralympian, driving the tandem bike she rides as her pilot steers it. They finished sixth in the Rio 2016 Paralympics. “I’d never been a cyclist before,” she said. “They sent me to a camp and they put me on a tandem. I was overweight and not a happy person, but somebody gave me a challenge. I didn’t know anything about the paralympics. It just gave me a focus — a reason to get out of bed every morning.” Being an athlete is now Cheshire’s full-time gig. When interviewed she was in California, training for the nationals. Kiara was there too. Kiara waits quietly for her owner
March 2017 •
in the center of the track while she trains, satisfied with a towel to lay on and a deer antler to occasionally gnaw on. And of course she’s there to greet her two-legged friend at every finish line. “Over the last four years of racing I’ve shifted from I needed to do this, to I do this now because I love it,” she said. “I have goals. I want to be a world champion.” The nationals this year are at the end of April. Cheshire will be competing in a 30-kilometer time trial and a 90-kilometer road race. Wherever she places in those contests, her biggest four-legged fan should be there to greet her. The bond between them is a life-changing one for both. “She’s just more than a dog,” Cheshire said. “She’s a soul.
IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper
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Page 9
How a friendly German shepherd changed the life of a blind paramedic-turned-paralympian By Matthew Liptak
S
hawn Cheshire didn’t want a guide dog. At some point, she didn’t even want to keep on going. But Kiara changed all of that. Cheshire had been in the Army for eight years, working as a helicopter mechanic. Then she worked as a paramedic in Central New York. It was during a shift as paramedic four years ago that she lost her sight. The Camillus resident was in the back of the ambulance. She got knocked off her feet and struck her head. She had a traumatic brain injury. Her sight was gone. It was as simple, sudden and terrible as that. As difficult and challenging as life without sight can be, Cheshire, now 41, didn’t want help from a four-legged friend. “I’ve lived sighted my entire life,” she said. “I’ve been completely blind probably for a little over four and half years. I did not want a guide dog.” But those close to her were persistent. A dog might be just what she needed to turn her life around. They were right. Today things are different. “I never really knew I could love a dog like this,” she said. Cheshire has a photo of her first meeting with Kiara. In it, Cheshire is
petting the dog on the head. She said she picked a shepherd specifically because she thought they were known to be more aloof. She was in for a surprise when she was on her own with Kiara. Once the training was done and they were together, the dog regularly demanded love and affection from her. “I couldn’t figure out why she was doing that,” Cheshire said. “It was driving me nuts. I didn’t want a needy dog.” It wasn’t until later that Cheshire learned there was a reason for Kiara’s gentle nuzzles and requests for attention. She was not only a guide dog. She was becoming Cheshire’s therapy dog. “One of the things my PTSD counselor told me is when I’m having a rough day she seems to be the most needy as far as needing me to love on her,” she said. “She drove me nuts. It was driving me nuts. What she was doing was she could sense that I was kind of distraught. She was trying to bring me out of that by focusing on something positive which was her affection towards me. When I shifted my focus to her and not thinking about what’s making me distraught it pulled me out of that.” Kiara brought Shawn Cheshire out of herself and so did the U.S.
Shawn Cheshire and her dog, Kiara, a German shepherd. “She’s just more than a dog,” Cheshire says. “She’s a soul. Veterans Administration. It was they who suggested she consider the paralympics. She took them up on it. Cheshire is now a world-class paralympian, driving the tandem bike she rides as her pilot steers it. They finished sixth in the Rio 2016 Paralympics. “I’d never been a cyclist before,” she said. “They sent me to a camp and they put me on a tandem. I was overweight and not a happy person, but somebody gave me a challenge. I didn’t know anything about the paralympics. It just gave me a focus — a reason to get out of bed every morning.” Being an athlete is now Cheshire’s full-time gig. When interviewed she was in California, training for the nationals. Kiara was there too. Kiara waits quietly for her owner
March 2017 •
in the center of the track while she trains, satisfied with a towel to lay on and a deer antler to occasionally gnaw on. And of course she’s there to greet her two-legged friend at every finish line. “Over the last four years of racing I’ve shifted from I needed to do this, to I do this now because I love it,” she said. “I have goals. I want to be a world champion.” The nationals this year are at the end of April. Cheshire will be competing in a 30-kilometer time trial and a 90-kilometer road race. Wherever she places in those contests, her biggest four-legged fan should be there to greet her. The bond between them is a life-changing one for both. “She’s just more than a dog,” Cheshire said. “She’s a soul.
IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper
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Page 9
