Canine Companion: Service dog goes with student in his day-to-day life

Few can say they have a pet worth $10,000, let alone a pet that went through seven days a week of training for a year and a half to suit the owner's individual needs. But sophomore Lukas Bratcher has just that.

Mystere is a 9-year-old English black Labrador service dog, trained by Kansas Specialty Dog Service, based in Washington, Kan., and was given to Bratcher during his sophomore year of high school.

Bratcher was born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (amyoplasia).

"It means I have stiffness in my joints, some of my muscles are not present, it affects all four limbs of my body, is present at birth and is not genetic," Bratcher said.

The non-genetic birth defect is different from muscular dystrophy in that, while muscular dystrophy is hereditary and causes the muscles to progressively deteriorate, amyoplasia is non-progressive, according to emedicine.com.

Because Bratcher's birth defect leaves him unable to freely walk, he relies on an electric wheelchair to get around.

At first, Bratcher needed help from other people, but Mystere now serves as an extended set of arms and legs, allowing Bratcher to be less dependent on others.

Bratcher said he once fell out of his chair, and with nobody to help him back up, sent Mystere to bring his mother.

KSDS matches dogs with people based on personality traits, Bratcher said. He went through multiple phone and video interviews with KSDS.

"They're so picky where they send their dogs," Bratcher said.

KSDS does not disclose any information about potential dogs prior to handing them over, he said.

When KSDS asked Bratcher, who wanted a golden retriever, the breed of dog he preferred, a black Labrador was last on his list.

Bratcher said he didn't like black labs because he thought they were less dependable. When he found out seconds before he and Mystere met face to face, he couldn't help but laugh.

When they first met, Bratcher said it was a strange and hard experience, especially when Mystere would accompany him at Mead High School.

"A lot of students came up to me and asked me a lot of questions," Bratcher said. "In college, it's not really an issue anymore."

In the past five years of knowing Mystere, Bratcher said there are a lot of people who, once they get to know what she does, have a lot of respect for her.

"Not a lot of dogs can do what Mystere does," Bratcher said. "It's a stressful job for Mystere."

Mystere gets stepped on a lot because she is really quiet and people don't notice her, Bratcher said. She usually goes home on the weekends.

"I'm more independent [because of Mystere]," Bratcher said. "I don't have to worry being alone and [needing] help. The fact that I will be OK is a pretty nice thing."

Mystere, however, is not always on duty.

"There's a definite change in her when she has her harness off. It's like when you're in jeans and a T-shirt versus wearing an $800 tux," Bratcher said. "She's definitely a normal dog when off duty."

Bratcher said if he could describe Mystere using three words, it would be gentle, kind and loving. She's also too smart for her own good, he said.

Mystere will retire when she gets too tired to keep up with the daily tasks, Bratcher said. He plans to keep her as a pet after retirement.

Contact Yong Kim at yong.kim@whitworthian.com.