Cosmo had no interest in being adopted until he met Sunny Nemmes.
Nemmes was on her way to a wedding in 2005 when her car was hit by another vehicle near Castlegar. She suffered a traumatic brain injury, which kept her from working, and says the strain of her health condition played a part in her marriage failing.
Her condition worsened in 2009 when she began having seizures, sometimes as many as 10 to 25 daily. Nemmes decided she needed help and started applying for service dogs, but was told she could be waiting up to eight years for an animal of her own.
Two years later, Nemmes was at Kaslo May Days when she was drawn to a litter of puppies up for adoption. One of the pups, a chocolate Labrador, was ignoring everyone who approached.
But then Nemmes sat down next to the dogs, and the pup took notice. He ran over, circled Nemmes, put his chin on her hand and fell asleep.
鈥淚 just sat there and rocked him for about 20 minutes. [The breeder] said, 鈥極h my god, I was thinking, we're going to have to raise him myself, because nobody wants him, and he doesn't want anybody.鈥� He just came right at me.鈥�
After that, Nemmes and the dog she named Cosmo were inseparable.
In B.C., guide dogs are used to assist people living with visual impairments, while service dogs provide hearing and mobility assistance. They open and close doors, retrieve and carry items, and provide support to people living with autism, operational stress injuries, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Nemmes spent two years training Cosmo to recognize when she was having a seizure and what to do when it occurred. When she had a seizure and couldn't swallow, Cosmo knew to grab her gently by the arm and roll her body onto its side.
This occurred one time during a dental appointment, when Cosmo emerged from under Nemmes' chair to bark at the dentist and had them clear her airway. When the seizure ended, Cosmo returned to his position and Nemmes finished having her teeth cleaned.
She also experienced what are known as absence seizures, which impact a person's awareness of their surroundings. These sometimes occurred while Nemmes was on a walk with Cosmo. Once she was stopped by Cosmo from strolling off a cliff. Another time he kept her from falling into a bonfire.
Nemmes credits Cosmo with saving her life 12 times. Having a service dog, she says, means handing control of her well-being over to the animal.
鈥淚f Cosmo had thumbs, he would have been driving the car.鈥�
Sit, lie down, pass the test
In 2015, the provincial government was in the midst of creating the Guide Dog and Service Dog Act. The province already had some legislation in place, but the B.C. Liberals wanted to end service animal impersonation by introducing training standards, identification cards and penalties for fraud.
But the bill also required dogs be trained at accredited facilities, which Nemmes thought would be a financial and transportation barrier for herself and other rural B.C. residents.
Nemmes was certain Cosmo could pass any test without additional training. She decided take Cosmo to meet her local MLA, who at the time was Kootenay West's Katrine Conroy, an advocate for more inclusive rules.
鈥淎nyone who really, truly needs it, we should have a chance to get the dog, train it, go for the test and be certified," said Nemmes. "We should have that chance. There's no guarantee that you will pass the test, but you can do it multiple times if you work out the bugs.鈥�
Conroy was impressed. The act had bipartisan support, but she recognized how it could be too restrictive for people who already had service dogs.
鈥淚 knew how important their relationship was, and how in order for Sunny to do what she needed to do, she needed Cosmo in her life," says Conroy, who retired last year.
"There were other people like that, too. It was tough for people to get their dogs trained, and those guide dogs can be pretty incredible supports to people who need them, and they need to be recognized as that.鈥�
On March 24, 2015, Conroy addressed the Legislative Assembly during a debate on the act and called for changes to address Nemmes' concerns. She also spoke about Cosmo, describing him as "one of the best-trained guide dogs I have ever seen. He just doesn't have that piece of paper that says he's actually a guide dog."
When the act came into force in January 2016, it laid out how people in need can receive a trained dog from an accredited school. But thanks to Conroy, Nemmes and Cosmo, it also said residents and their dogs can apply for certification as teams not trained by accredited schools, provided they pass a public safety assessment.
The exam isn't easy. It features 40 exercises (which can be ) that a dog must pass, including demonstrating proper behaviour in restaurants and on public transit, obedience drills, and on-leash recall.
Cosmo aced the test, and then some. Nemmes recalls the visiting assessor praising Cosmo after it was complete.
"The lady said, 'I threw in five extra tests that were just me seeing how far I could push him, and I couldn't push him. I couldn't faze him.'"
People, not dogs, require more training
As the Guide Dog and Service Dog Act nears its 10th anniversary, gaps remain in legislation that one organization says need to be addressed.
Meredith Areskoug is a spokesperson for Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS), which trains service dogs for hearing, mobility and PTSD assistance. The society also works with accredited facility dogs that are paired with community care professionals. (B.C. and Alberta Guide Dogs, a separate organization, trains and provides animals for visually impaired clients and residents living with autism.)
Areskoug says the public still does not understand guide and service dog rights, which are protected under the B.C. Human Rights Code. Teams of handlers and dogs can't be denied access to businesses, restaurants, hotels, buses and taxis, or any public place. Rental terms and strata bylaws also don't apply to the dogs.
But people and their dogs are still routinely turned away from businesses, according to Areskoug, who also trains service dogs and says her clients don't always know how to advocate for themselves.
鈥淚t's frustrating, and it's challenging, because how do these dogs become guide dogs, service dogs, if they're not allowed to be trained in the areas that they're supposed to be working in, in their future career?鈥�
Areskoug said it's not clear to her clients who enforces the rules 鈥� the B.C. government suggests service denial complaints be made to either the Human Rights Tribunal or the provincial Security Programs Division. PADS has also sent letters to businesses informing them of their obligations to people with service dogs.
Guide and service dogs aren't federally regulated. Each province has its own rules and licensing for the dogs, which Areskoug says has led to some people improperly accused of fraud when they travel with their dogs outside B.C. to elsewhere in Canada.
The wait to receive a dog is also taking longer than Areskoug says it should. Wait lists across the industry are increasing by 30 per cent annually, she said, and PADS doesn't have the funding necessary to meet demand.
鈥淚 understand the frustration and people going to train their own dogs because our wait lists are long. It often takes time for people to be given the diagnosis that they would benefit from having a service dog with them. So it's this lengthy period of getting there, and then another lengthy period until they get their dog.鈥�
After 14 years with Cosmo, Nemmes is now among those in need of a new service dog. On July 8, following years of declining health and poor mobility, Cosmo passed away in Nemmes' arms.
Nemmes says she wants to be cremated after she dies so her ashes can be released into a river with Cosmo's remains. It will be their final journey together.
鈥淲hen you get an animal," she says, "it's a soul contract."
