You are here: Home > About Accessibility NZ > Wix

Wix

Wix (or Wixie) is my mobility assistance dog. She is a black labrador and I often refer to her as "Wix the Big Blak Wunder Dawg". Mobility assistance dogs, also known as service dogs in some areas, are NOT pets. They are working animals.

Wix was fully trained and certified by an accredited training school in the Chicago, IL suburbs. She is trained to do tasks that can assist me in activities of daily living. Some of these tasks include:

  • Pulling my wheelchair
  • Picking things off the ground (as small as coins or credit cards)
  • Fetching the (cordless) phone
  • Opening doors
  • Turning light switches on or off
  • Holding and giving papers to people standing behind counters too high for me to reach (by standing up on her back legs)

Wix was rescued from the shelter by the school that trained her. That school does not have a puppy breeding programme, as they feel there are enough dogs "out there" that need good homes. They work with local shelters and try out the dogs for a while. If the dog doesn't qualify as a service animal, they are often placed as well trained pets with famillies looking for pets. The dogs that do make it are in school for up to 18 months. The costs of training a mobility assistance dog can range up to US$20,000.

During her work life, Wix came with me everywhere I went. She was with me at the office, accompanied me to the grocery store, went to the movies with me, etc. The bond we have is pretty special.

Wix has travelled the world with me. From her humble beginnings in Chicago, she went to Canada several times. She has flown all over the United States, and was with me in the cockpit during my trip from the United States to New Zealand. She travels like a champion. On small Air New Zealand flights, she has been given her own seat. Regulations state that nothing can be on the ground in the aisles during take-offs or landings. So she jumped on the seat and sat. It was interesting and somewhat funny to see the faces of people when they boarded the plane and realised a big blak wunder dawg was looking at them from one of the seats!

Unfortunately, Wixie is an aging dog. She is now thirteen years old, and while she is very healthy and gets quite bouncy sometimes, she is too old to work (regularly). She is now semi-retired, enjoying the much deserved life of a much loved pet, spending her days between being sprawled on the couch or exploring the garden. Once in a while, she puts on her vest and goes to work. She may be aging, but she's still keen!

Obligatory photos

As with most dog owners, I am "gaga" about my dog and therefore take a lot of photos of her. You can see photos of her on Flickr.