Kimberly

About me:

First and foremost, I am a proud single Mom to a beautiful daughter. She is my miracle baby (now five years old, but always my baby!) and the absolute light of my life. Back in 1998, I was a professional athlete working towards a spot on the United States Equestrian Team when a horrific car accident ended my dream; and life as I'd known it. I sustained multiple injuries, the most troublesome being a traumatic brain injury. I was forced to 'relearn' how to read, write, walk and talk; sometime later that I was diagnosed with MS. I wanted to give up, but something wouldn't let me. That something was my first service dog, Dewey. Dewey pulled my wheelchair, alerted to seizures, and taught me how to walk again; most importantly, he taught me how to LIVE again! Shortly after being partnered, I faced illegal access denials and misunderstandings because I don't “look” disabled. In 1999, I founded Canine and Abled, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting awareness of service dogs through inspirational education. With my service dog by my side, I embarked on a journey that is nothing less than miraculous. I tackled my reading/writing difficulties in order to pen my first book, "Canine and Abled, Taking The Dis Out of Disabled," which was published in 2004. I absolutely LOVE what I do! Canine and Abled, Inc. has expanded to provide me a new career in motivational speaking. My favorite speaking is of the spiritual sense; faith-based groups are my absolute favorites! I consider it an absolute honor to share the good news of God's love with others; and to be supernaturally provided with the words and messages that allow me to move my audiences to enlightenment, inspiration, and motivation through the love of God. Today, I share my life and the stage with my faithful canine companions, Service Dog, Dawson (a beautiful Collie), Service Dog In Training, Nadja (a black German Shepherd), and Gracie (our resident Shih-Tzu/Bichon and funny little fur person mascot). We lost my beloved Dewey to heart failure in 2006, and have vowed to keep his spirit alive in this program that he created. I am working on my sophomore book—and have founded a new program---Canine Ability, Ltd. (Living The Dream). Canine Ability bridges the gap in communication to bring out the Ability of every dog through in home behavior modification, character-building education programs, and in depth behavior seminars. Our future looks grand! How do I know this? Though we’ve been through a lot; we’ve remained together, and together, we are Canine and ABLED!

My daughter with my Service Dog
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My service dog needs to learn to obey my little girl in the event of an emergency. Here, they demonstrate their teamwork in taking good care of me ;-) www.canineandabled.com