University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
The Messenger
Vol. 5, No. 4/1996
Supplying self-sufficiency
     
     M. Jean King, Delaware '60, and her service dog, Darshan,
celebrated the "graduation" this spring of David Zimmerman of
Courtland, Minn., and his new canine partner, Belle. Founder and
president of Independence Dogs in Chadds Ford, Pa., King provides
service dogs to assist persons with restricted mobility. The
highly trained dogs can pull wheelchairs, brace and support,
assist with walking, open and close doors, turn light switches on
and off, retrieve dropped objects and bring telephone receivers.
Zimmerman, a swine farmer, trained with Belle, a golden
retriever, at the College of Agricultural Sciences farm in
Newark.