Mona

Mona is almost 13, but she is no bigger than a 5-year-old. She doesn’t like to ask people for help, even though it is hard for her to do daily activities on her own. Mona has difficulty keeping her balance and cannot walk very far. She can’t push a wheelchair herself when she uses one.

Fortunately, Mona has an amazing service dog called Sam. Service dogs are trained to help people who have a physical problem. Sam allows Mona to lean on him when she walks. Sam can also pull her wheelchair and turn the lights off and on. If Mona drops something, Sam can pick it up for her. At night, he even pulls her socks off for her.

Sam also goes to school with Mona and helps with everyday tasks there; he carries her books from class to class in a special rucksack, he puts Mona’s completed assignments in her teachers’ homework trays. In the canteen he throws away her rubbish.

Sam helps Mona lead a fuller life. He also helps to make Mona less dependent on other people. And of course, Mona’s classmates love having Sam around. With Sam’s help, Mona has raised over $500 by doing a sponsored walk for her local humane society. Because of Sam, Mona doesn’t have to ask people for help. Sam brings her closer to other children, and he even helps her to raise money for charity.