Pacman
11 November 2013-11 July 2025
Pacman crossed the Rainbow Bridge where he was joyfully met by my late husband Ray.
Ray had a progressive autoimmune disease, Inclusion Body Myositis. Over 20 years, Ray gradually lost all his muscles, and by the time he received Pacman, he was in a large power wheelchair. A wheelchair creates a barrier to friendships and relationships as much as it does to every day living. When Ray was given Pacman, he went from being that anonymous man in a big wheelchair to Ray, the man who had Pacman the service dog.
Ray and Pacman were constant companions, both at home and as we traveled. Pacman attended The Myositis Associations’s New Orleans and Orlando conventions, and he was the hit of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship where everyone knew him by name.
Pacman was bred and born to be a service dog by Canine Companions for Independence https://canine.org/ CCI was founded in 1975, and they have now placed more than 8000 service dogs.There are very high standards for candidates to become service dogs, and only 50% of them make the cut. Pacman worked hard for two years learning everything he needed to change Ray’s life.
Pacman spent his first 18 months in training with Ray & Carole Burke, long time volunteer CCI puppy raisers. They taught him to be a confident, well-behaved, and task-trained dog with the skills he needed to move on to more complex training. From there, Pacman went into six months of advanced training at the Orlando CCI campus where he worked with professional trainers to learn all the skills necessary to help people with mobility disabilities.
Canine Companions programs are all funded through donations, and they spent approximately $60,000 training Pacman for Ray. He was given to Ray at no charge.
After Ray died in 2021, Pacman retired and became my pet. I believe Pacman missed being on the go with Ray, and he would get bored sitting around the house. This was a dog who needed a job! Although he was no longer allowed in restaurants and other public places, he could now enjoy bites of people food and lots of treats. I could walk him off-leash, and my sister would feed him bites of steak from the table! (Sorry, CCI!)
Pacman served with honor and distinction. He was loved, and I will always be grateful to Canine Companions for Independence for for giving my husband such a wonderful, life-changing dog.
Please consider donating to Canine Companions for Independence. Every contribution, no matter how small, helps Canine Companions continue their work to change peoples lives.
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