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Racer, Helpful Hounds Team Up - Assistive Dogs - Paws With A Cause Driver partners with organization that trains assistance dogs By Karen Palmer MANSFIELD News Journal Thursday, May 13, 2004 MANSFIELD -- When Power Stroke Diesel driver Terry Cook arrives at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway, two beagles probably will be riding along in his motorcoach. Abby and Toby accompany the 33-year-old driver to almost every race. "No matter how good or how bad of a day you're having, the dogs are going to love you no matter what," Cook said in a telephone interview from his home in Mooresville, N.C. "When I go back to the motorcoach, the dogs always have a smile on their face." So it was natural for this dog-loving driver to throw his support behind Paws With a Cause, an organization that trains assistance dogs for people with mobility and hearing disabilities. During the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, there will be a replica version of the No. 10 Power Stroke Diesel Ford race truck at the track to promote the "Racing for Independence" program. The replica features a two-person driving simulator that allows people to compete against other drivers in a computer-simulated race. Those who try their luck in the simulator are asked to make a donation to Paws With a Cause. All donations will go to the nonprofit organization. "We did a lot of research, being dog lovers, on a lot of different programs that deal with animal awareness," said Cook, who grew up in Sylvania, Ohio, near Toledo. After the race season last year, Cook and his wife Amy flew to Grand Rapids, Mich. The headquarters for Paws With a Cause is in nearby Wayland. To demonstrate how an assistance dog works, Paws officials asked Amy to sit in a wheelchair with her elbows strapped in. Then they teamed her with a Labrador retriever to help her get around. "She got a first-hand realization of what it was like to be a handicapped person," Cook said. "A dog, which is man's best friend to start with, can help you ... It just was a natural fit for us to team up with them." By Karen Palmer [log in to unmask] (419) 521-7224 Originally published Thursday, May 13, 2004 Reference: Paws With A Cause Paws With a Cause is a 25-year-old nonprofit organization that trains assistance dogs for people with mobility and hearing disabilities. Puppies live with foster parents in homes, providing the early experience the pups need to become someone's reliable partner. When the puppies are 15 to 18 months old, foster parents turn over the dogs to Paws With a Cause, where each is trained for a specific client's needs. Paws With a Cause encourages independence for people with a range of disabilities including epilepsy and seizures, blood and kidney disorders, cancer, Meniere's syndrome, Parkinson's disease, cardiomyopathy, lupus, Lou Gehrig's disease, spina bifida, polio, chronic fatigue syndrome, arteriosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, deafness and muscular dystrophy. It costs more than $18,000 to breed or rescue, raise, train and place each assistance dog. With no federal, state or local funds, Paws With a Cause relies on donations. There is an endowment fund for clients who need to retire their dogs and maintain the same quality of life with another Paws With a Cause assistance dog. For information on Paws With a Cause, visit http://www.pawswithacause.org or call (800) 253-7297 SOURCE: MANSFIELD News Journal, OHIO Thursday, May 13, 2004 http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/news/stories/20040513/localnews/412307.html * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn