A man and his dog: Waynesboro resident trained his own service St. Bernard [Public Opinion, Chambersburg, Pa.]

Jan. 28--A nasty fall almost 12 years ago rearranged Carl Smith's life, but he overcomes the daily challenges of a painful disability with his passion for woodworking and help from Harlee, a service dog he trained himself.

"He's my shadow, my constant companion," Smith said during a recent interview at his Waynesboro area home. "It's like his mind and my mind are the same when we're out and about."

Smith, 57, suffers from extensive nerve damage resulting from a cervical spinal injury. He has regained function over the years, but still has difficulty maintaining his balance and getting up from a sitting, kneeling or prone position. His hands don't work quite like they should, so picking things up and holding them can be tricky.

"It's like having two kids with 10 friends that won't listen," Smith said of his hands. "Oh believe me, I've had to adapt."

That's where Harlee, a loyal 3 1/2 year-old Saint Bernard, comes in. He can carry things or retrieve Smith's cane, keys and any number of other items on command. Standing on all fours, the 141-pound dog is about waist-level to Smith. This allows Smith to use Harlee's sturdy frame to steady himself while standing, using stairs and getting up from a kneeling position.

As a working service mobility dog, Harlee is allowed under the Americans with Disabilities Act to go anywhere with Smith except for a hospital operating room. When they're out running errands, the dog wears a vest with a built-in handle for Smith to hold.

Adjusting to life with nerve damage was tough. Depressed and unable to do many of the things he once enjoyed, Smith had to find a new pursuit. He discovered woodworking about five years ago, and is thriving at it. Harlee joins Smith in his basement workshop, picking up things he drops and keeping a watchful eye.

Falling down

Smith's physical problems began in February 2000. He and a friend had been to Sheetz in Hagerstown, Md., and were walking back to her house when his foot slipped on black ice. He remembers hearing a dog bark and his friend yell, "watch!" before his head hit the sidewalk. His shoulders followed, then his back. It had been a bad fall, but Smith had no reason to think it would completely alter his life.

"I had a headache because I had hit my head," he said. "That was all."

He got back up without much trouble and they continued on. Smith said he had no interest in going to a hospital. The first indication that he might have a serious injury came a few days later, while he was working at the Staples Distribution Center in Hagerstown.

Smith was having trouble holding on to things with his right hand. His fingers went numb and "rolled up" awkwardly when he tried reaching into his pocket for money to buy a vending machine candy bar. He kept working as the numbness persisted, spreading from his right hand to his elbow. Within a week Smith was still able to function almost normally, but he was completely numb from the neck down. A doctor diagnosed him with extensive damage to many of the motor and sensory nerves throughout his body. He went under the surgeon's knife about a month later, and two metal plates were screwed into his vertebrae.

After having a spinal fusion and two hip replacements, Smith's level of mobility is fairly impressive considering the circumstances. A few years ago he gave up a walker in favor of a cane. He has regained some nerve sensation and learned to mostly override the "failure to communicate" between his brain and his hands.

Still, it's been a long road and the doctors say his condition is degenerative. Especially frustrating are the practically constant waves of intense pain he feels through his entire body. As for the prescription medications he's tried, "I might as well be popping M&M's," he said. Without any other option, Smith just puts up with the discomfort.

"It sucks," he said. "I have no compassion for people that say my arm hurts or my leg hurts. I would trade places with them any day. At least their pain will eventually go away."

Before his accident, Smith had his own remodeling business in addition to working as a forklift driver for Staples Distribution. He bought a house in Quincy in late 1999, where he lived with his long-term girlfriend at the time and their daughter. He enjoys motor sports, and one of his favorite hobbies was working on cars.

After the fall, nearly everything changed. He couldn't work anymore, and his only income being disability insurance, Smith eventually had to file for bankruptcy. He lost the house to foreclosure, and his girlfriend left him. Auto projects were no longer an option because he couldn't even turn a wrench. Depression hit hard.

"I didn't leave the house, I didn't eat much," he said. "I didn't even watch TV because it reminded me of everything I couldn't do anymore."

Getting up

In the mid-2000s, things started turning around for Smith. He found a new girlfriend, Debbie, and in 2005 she did something he is grateful for. She bought him a "raggedy old" 1979 Sunline camper trailer, which would soon become his full-time restoration project.

"I was driving her nuts," he said. "Before I had that camper to work on, I just sat around the house all day playing computer games."

Working every day as long as his body would stand the stress, Smith tore out the camper's old rotting floor and wall panels. He replaced them and built new cabinets, occasionally working with assistance from Debbie. It took about four months to restore the camper, a project that also restored Smith's confidence in himself.

"That was my therapy," he said. "It took a long time but I was able to do it. That project saved me from being six feet under."

Once the camper was finished, Smith knew he wanted more projects to keep busy with. He decided to try woodworking, and slowly began accumulating tools from flea markets and pawnshops. He learned the new skill by reading articles and watching instructional videos on the internet.

Around the same time a friend gave him Drago, a previously trained rottweiler service dog. He became a beloved and helpful companion, although his training was not specific to all of Smith's special needs. In the fall of 2008, Drago suffered kidney failure and had to be euthanized. He was 10.

"That was like losing a kid. We bawled and we bawled," Smith said. "I spent about two and a half weeks in bed after he died. I was devastated."

But soon he was looking forward again, and began looking for a puppy that he could train for mobility assistance. A large dog was a necessity, so in late November he and Debbie were looking at a Saint Bernard puppy at a Chambersburg pet store. Everything seemed right, except for the $1,400 price tag.

They left the store and went to Franklin Feed and Supply Company to check the bulletin board for puppy advertisements. Sure enough there was a sign offering a 4-month-old Saint Bernard for $400. He called the number and spoke to a man who said his family just didn't have the time to raise it. It was a done deal.

"It all felt like it was meant to be," Smith said.

Driving home on U.S. 11, they passed a cluster of roaring Harley-Davidson motorcycles headed in the other direction. The new puppy stuck his head out the window in their direction and he suddenly had his name.

Harlee's training began almost immediately. Although Smith had trained dogs in basic obedience when he was younger, he had never attempted the rigorous type of training necessary for a specialized service dog. As with woodworking, he turned to the Internet and instructional programs. He also sought out advice from Pat Sutton at the Blue Ridge K-9 Training Center in Blue Ridge Summit.

"We still train a little just about every day," he said. "You never stop training."

The time and energy invested in Harlee's training is almost immediately apparent. He responds to Smith's commands so effortlessly that it appears he understands English. Smith is proud to show off what his canine companion is capable of.

Sitting at his dining room table, Smith tells Harlee to get his dog treats. The dog trots into the adjacent living room, noses around behind a chair and comes back with a plastic, gallon-size canister of Beggin' Strips in his wide-open mouth. Smith pulls a treat out and gives Harlee one after the dog sits and shakes, but the trick isn't over.

"Now give it back," Smith says, holding out his hand. Harlee obediently drops the treat back into his master's hand without taking a bite. Finally, he is rewarded with the treat and allowed to eat.

Such a fine-tuned level of discipline is crucial, because service dogs go everywhere with their masters. Harlee and Smith are regulars at Waynesboro stores like Wal-Mart and Food Lion. Smith is accustomed to the sense of awe caused by such a unique dog in public and the attention it brings. "The best way to explain it is the look on a kid's face at Christmas time. But adults get it too," he said. "You don't normally see a Saint Bernard out, and you definitely don't see a Saint Bernard service dog. Ever."

More often than not, Smith is welcoming to people who want to pet Harlee, but there are a few simple rules to follow with any service dog. Smith said you should always ask politely to pet the dog, and refrain from whistling at the dog or calling it to you. This kind of thing could startle or confuse the animal, possibly resulting in injury for its handler.

Like Harlee's training, Smith's woodworking is the obvious product of lots of time and practice. He has made various pieces of furniture throughout his house, including a blanket chest and a sewing center for Debbie. He recently got a lathe and is currently concentrated on turning bowls, candleholders and other items.

Smith's slowly expanding collection of woodworking equipment is mostly purchased with money he earns by mowing his neighbors' lawns on his riding mower. He hopes to eventually turn his hobby into a side business to supplement his income. In the meantime, he hones his craft while remaining humble.

"I'm not an artist," he said. "I'm just a guy trying to keep his head together without drugs."

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