<< Previous   of   Next >> Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) Titus, a 2-year-old golden retriever, brings Eric Rea of Seattle a pair of headphones as he works out of his office at Flying Lab Software in Seattle. Rea was injured in a skiing accident 10 years ago and is a quadriplegic. He got Titus from Summit Assistance Dogs in Anacortes so he can live on his own. Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) Titus, a 2-year-old golden retriever, waits by his master’s side as he works out of his office at Flying Lab Software in Seattle.

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CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

An independent life

Service dog allows man to live on his own

By Tony Dondero
Enterprise reporter

Eric Rea's life changed 10 years ago, unfolding a series of events he likely could not have forseen.

The Edmonds-Woodway High graduate, then a University of Montana student, was back country skiing in the Montana wilderness.

The 6-foot, 4-inch 22-year-old hit a spot where there was too little snow pack, slipped and fell and broke his neck.

The result was a spinal cord injury that left him a quadriplegic with no use of his legs and very little use of his arms and hands.

Rea, now 32, has lived with his parents in Edmonds with the support of caregivers in the years since then. He uses a motorized wheelchair to get around and needs help getting dressed, showering and other daily tasks.

But a new service dog, a golden retriever named Titus, has made things a bit easier, allowing Rea, a software developer for a gaming company in Belltown, to be out on his own.

Lisa Freshour of Summit Assistance, an Anacortes-based organization that provides highly-skilled service dogs for people throughout the Northwest, trained the dog for Rea. “She's quite awesome,” Rea said.

Rea is in the process of moving into an apartment in Ballard, not far from his girlfriend, Gabrielle. He will still have caregivers to assist in helping him adapt to his new digs.

Titus' main job is to open and close doors, pick up objects that Rea drops — such as a computer mouse or phone — and other tasks, as well as provide companionship. At the office, Titus sits on a dog bed under the desk and can react to Rea's commands so Rea's co-workers don't have to be interrupted.

“It's a disruption. It puts me in an awkward position. I have to ask people to do a lot of things for me,” Rea said.

Rea drives to work in a van equipped with controls to fit his abilities and Titus sits in back.

While Titus enables Rea to live on his own, Rea also found a way to support himself.

An art major in college, Rea was initially “really frustrated” at not being able to use his hands to do artwork. He couldn't draw a straight line any more because he has limited use of his hands.

He earned an online degree in web design from New School University and a game animation certificate at the University of Washington.

“When I started game art it was rewarding to find something that was artistically engaging and fun,” he said.

His job at Flying Lab Software entails designing buttons and animation for the user interface for “Pirates of the Burning Sea,” which is published by Sony Online Entertainment.

Rea's dog was donated to Summit by its previous owner. The non-profit currently has 28 applicants waiting for a service dog and the wait is two to five years, according to www.summitdogs.org.