Success Story

My name is Chris Hyatt. I am a 42 year old quadriplegic from Austin. At 14, I was injured in a diving accident. I have lived 28 years confined to a wheelchair. I have tried to not let my injury define me as a person, nor let it detract me from living an active life. In 1990, I became a fourth generation Hyatt to graduate from the University of Texas. I am an accomplished scuba diver and the original President and a founding member of Eels on Wheels, an adaptive scuba club that promotes diving to the physically challenged. 

Jay-Jay, my 4 year old Service Dog was rescued from the San Antonio shelter by Texas Hearing and Service Dogs (THSD). He was a sick puppy, emaciated and heartworm positive. Miracles do happen and Jay-Jay became my Service Dog on January 22, 2008 -- a day I will never forget. He was specially trained to assist me with my specific physical deficits. He retrieves anything that drops and turns light switches on and off. He knows to close the apartment door by tugging it with a cord and at the elevator, he can push the elevator call button. I don't remember life without Jay-Jay. He's touched my life in every way conceivable. Our relationship has exceptional value -- a synergism that is greater than its component parts. I'm a better person because of Jay-Jay -- and that's really the best way to describe how Jay-Jay demonstrates excellence.