The Gabe Story Rick Yount has seen the importance of the human-animal bond because he has worked for years training assistance dogs. Beyond simple companionship, people rely on these working dogs for the demands of everyday living that can include anything from opening doors to fetching keys and medicine or dialing emergency numbers to summon medical treatment.
Rick just wasn’t prepared for the day when his dog, a 7-year-old go lden retriever named Gabe, needed assistance. Gabe couldn’t stand up. In obvious pain, the dog’s rear legs weren’t functioning, and he was partially paralyzed from the lower spine to the hind end.

“It was terrifying to see, and the veterinarian’s x-rays were inconclusive,” Yount said.

Fears of tumors or spine damage were part of the fuzzy diagnosis, but the only way to know for sure was to look inside. In many situations, that means exploratory surgery. Gabe’s veterinarian offered a non-invasive alternative, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan from the Iams Pet Imaging Center near Washington, D.C.

The short procedure revealed that Gabe was suffering from an aggressive infection. After treatment with intravenous antibiotics, he was cured and back to his assistance dog training duties within days.

“Surgery is always a risk, and MRI at the Iams Pet Imaging Center provided the same look inside Gabe’s body that made his treatment possible,” Yount said. “Gabe is a very important dog, both as my companion and as a working dog. When it comes to healthcare, he deserves the best.”

Gabe’s important work continues, and he has added to his resume after Rick moved to Santa Rosa, California, to become a trainer at the Assistance Dog Institute where he helps train the assistance dogs, the trainers and the people who partner with these dogs. Gabe has served as the sire for several liters who will serve as the next generation of assistance dogs for those in need.