The following is a copy of our January newsletter. We had such an overwhelming response from our subscribers that we decided to share it publicly:
Hello, and Happy New Year!
For many, 2008 was a dismal year. The state of the economy, loss of jobs, and the unstable housing market brought about unforeseen challenges to many. It is understandable that people would be feeling depressed or downtrodden under such circumstances; perhaps some of you are still in such a situation. I implore you to use this situation to create opportunities for growth and prosperity in 2009!
For those of you who are familiar with our story, you know that our personal challenges reemerged in the fall of 2006 when my daughter and I lost our home and family; and subsequently lost our entire board of directors, making it virtually impossible to continue our mission of opening doors for service dogs everywhere... The financial state of the economy compounded our issues by scaring what was left of our donors away; leaving us no foreseeable way to continue the program I promised my beloved Dewey I would never let die with him.
At the end of December 2008, my service dog, Dawson began to have seizures and was immediately taken out of work (with Nadja moving into full time status) until further tests could determine the cause of his sudden onset. We soon discovered that he has Lyme disease, and is currently undergoing treatment.
Before Dawson's diagnosis, I started to panic... thinking about the loss of Dewey (still all too fresh in my mind and heart). I kept telling myself that I couldn't bear to lose Dawson...not like this, not now! The panic started to take hold, but I rebuked the panic and made a conscience decision to think positively instead.
When I calmed myself, I was able to keep Dawson, my daughter and other dogs calm through his events (something I know is vitally important, being a seizure survivor myself). Through cleared and calm thinking, I was able to create a log and write down all of Dawson's events, vital signs, food intake, et... things that became instrumental in helping his vet determine his medical treatment.
In hindsight, had Dawson not had seizures, we probably never would have detected his otherwise asymptomatic condition; and the repercussions of late stage Lyme could have spread throughout his entire body. We caught it early, and are assured by his vet that he will make a full recovery.
I've learned through the many seemingly-insurmountable roadblocks of my life's journey, that our best blessings come from positively enduring and learning from the challenges that confront us. I've learned to become still in the midst of the storms of life, in order to turn setbacks into opportunities. When you hit rock bottom, conventional methods don't always work to dig you out of your situation. If you remain calm and positive (the key to moving forward), you seek alternative, or "out of the box" thinking to get back on top ... and the end of 2008 proved to me that my alternative thinking paid off!
Canine Ability, LTD was created out of a primary (and frankly, desperate) need to help my daughter and I become financially stable and pay bills that were slipping way behind due dates. In an economy where businesses were falling apart, it seemed impossible that a new venture should be able to prosper---but I couldn't think that way if I wanted to succeed. I had to choose to succeed where every road sign told me I would fail. My challenges were the key to my fortitude---the stakes were way too high, failure was not an option for me.
With no other alternative in sight, I turned to my Abilities as a canine behavior expert, and combined them with the new talents I'd learned as a public speaker/educator through Canine and Abled, Inc. I downplayed my disabilities--physical and circumstantial--and focused instead on my Abilities. Not only was I able to get back on my feet financially, I was rewarded by another unexpected opportunity.
Canine Ability was able to save Canine and Abled, Inc. by covering its past debts and future costs of operation. We were back in business--with double the education, double the entertainment, and double the Ability to make a difference!
If I'd given into the depression and the "why me" mentality that threatened to prevail, I would have missed so many golden opportunities and remained "stuck." Alternatively, by making the conscience choice of using challenges as stepping stones, I now have twice the blessings (and another memorial to Dewey) through the birth of our new program addition, Canine Ability!
We're so excited about what 2009 has in store for us! We've been blessed with many new opportunities, new program material, and offers of assistance; and we're taking advantage of all of them! We'll be accepting full-time bookings for the first time in two years, offering new program material, and promoting my upcoming sophmore book. We're excited to be moving ahead after our personal situation stalled our corporate plans.
I've learned through my journey that sometimes dead ends and setbacks can be a good thing; and this time is no different. Through the setbacks of the past two years, I've met amazing people, been forced to use alternative and creative thinking, and partnered with other like-minded organizations that will be instrumental in our future plans.
Our first 2009 task was creating a brand new Myspace group for service dogs! Here, other handlers, trainers, and fanciers (including C&A supporters and audience members) alike can come together to ask questions, share stories, ideas, training tips and offer advice/receive support in all issues pertaining to service dogs. Through this forum, we'll be able to introduce our mission to a wide audience and shed light on the growing problems of access denials and impostor service dogs. Please take a look at our group and pass it on to all in your address book and help us to make this group the much-needed. supportive network that we envision: http://groups.myspace.com/canineandabledservicedogs
We look forward to bringing you many more updates of growth and good news in the year to come, and we pray that this year blesses each of you with good health, prosperity and amazing opportunities as well!
Happy New Year!
Kimberly Carnevale
