pme donates: Noam's assistance dog
Noam is 11 years old and lives with Pelizaeus-Merzbacher syndrome. This genetic disorder prevents him from standing, walking or speaking on his own. The lively pupil lives with his mother Cornelia in Düsseldorf, attends a special school and loves dogs. A donation from the pme Familienservice has now helped him fulfill his dream of having his own companion dog.
Our team member Katrin Josten met Noam's mother Cornelia at the local shooting festival. She was so moved by the fate of the pupil, who has severe physical limitations due to a genetic defect, that she brought him up for discussion with her employer pme for a donation. Noam had long been collecting money for his own assistance dog to help him in everyday life.
A donation of 5,000 euros from pme Familienservice brought Noam a good deal closer to his dream of having his own companion dog at the end of 2023. In the meantime, the dog's training, which cost 30,000 euros, has been fully financed - also with the help of other donations. Thea will soon be able to move into her new home with the Pohl family.
Katrin Josten met Noam's mother and spoke to her about the challenges of everyday life for Noam and the newest member of the family, Thea.
How did you come up with the idea of getting an assistance dog for Noam?
Cornelia Pohl: There were several reasons. The first reason was that Noam has an incredible love of dogs. And the second reason: I know a family who have a child with the same condition. The parents had a very difficult time with the child during puberty. Now, at the age of 20, the young man still rejects his mother completely and only lets his father get close to him. Noam is also allowed to act out as he needs to during puberty. But I am alone with him and I want to give him someone to support him when puberty becomes difficult for him.
The child doesn't do it on purpose when it rejects the mother. It's the hormones going crazy. Of course he also has his classmates, but they don't meet in the afternoons because they live all over the place. Noam is also non-verbal and that makes it even more difficult to communicate with people who don't know you well.
That's why I thought that a dog like this would be a great companion for Noam, who would understand him without words and be there to comfort him when he might no longer accept me.
Noam (2nd from right) and his mother Cornelia (right) in conversation with Katrin Josten (left).
Is your assistance dog already with you?
CP: Our companion dog Thea will arrive in January 2025 and Noam will be almost 12 years old. They'll need a bit of time to get used to each other. Noam will probably start puberty at around 13 or 14. And by then he will have already integrated the dog into his life as a partner.
What was it like to become an assistance dog?
CP: We met the trainers from the dog center at REHACARE and had an initial meeting there. During a further interview, they first asked about my ideas to find out whether I had any wishes that couldn't be realized.
And then Noam and I went to the trainers at the Baltic Sea. Noam was introduced to four or five different dogs with different characters. The trainers looked to see which dog reacted how to Noam. There were very different behaviors, which I found very interesting. And they noticed what kind of dog Noam needs. One of the animals, for example, didn't approach Noam at all.
This spring they came to us with three dogs from one litter, brought them all into our apartment one after the other and introduced them to Noam. And even then, the dogs' behavior was very different. One dog, for example, couldn't be persuaded to come to Noam's wheelchair, even with treats.
Thea went to his wheelchair, put her head on Noam's lap and even climbed onto his legs with her front paws to say hello to his face.
How can Thea Noam's guide dog support her in everyday life?
CP: Noam can improve his motor skills through natural play with Thea, for example by simply pushing the ball down when playing ball games. He is now able to keep his hand open - even in an inverted form when he gives a treat - and not close it into a fist. Or he can practise throwing a stick. These may sound like small things to us, but they are real challenges for him. The dog gives him great motivation. It's much nicer than learning something because his mother tells him to.
When the childminder is with us in the evening with the dog and Noam is getting ready for bed, they lie on the floor very close to each other for another ten minutes. They then listen to a radio play. Noam simply sleeps better when Thea visits in the evening.
This dog or dogs in general seem to motivate Noam positively, but on the other hand also relax him.
Soon to be three: Noam and mother Cornelia with Thea.
Social commitment of the pme Familienservice
Whether in refugee aid, projects for children or the homeless - many pme Familienservice team members volunteer in their free time. pme Familienservice also supports social projects in Germany and around the world. In 2023, the company donated a total of 55,000 euros to five charitable organizations that work on a daily basis for disadvantaged people, children and young people or climate issues, among others. All 2000 team members had the opportunity to submit suggestions for social projects that they thought were particularly worthy of support. The associations with the most votes received a donation to enable them to implement their projects.
