SERVICE DOG “GRADUATES” ALONG WITH OWNER
A service dog named Hero recently participated in a graduation ceremony with his owner at the University of Illinois. Hero knows over 40 commands to assist his owner. Click here for the full story at Yahoo.com
SERVICE DOG “CHOOSES” BOY - “At the training session, the dog chooses the owner. A trainer brings out a group of dogs and watches how they interact with the potential owners, seeing which ones bond best.”
A Black Lab-Retriever mix named Colonel recently chose his new owner during a training session. Colonel will now be assisting an 11-year-old boy in New Mexico who suffers from congenital muscular dystrophy. Colonel was assigned through an organization called Canine Assistants, which has a nation-wide waiting list for service dogs. Colonel knows about 90 commands! Here’s more from the Las Cruces Sun-News:
Father and son spent April 7-19 at a training camp in Georgia before officially receiving Colonel at the end of the two weeks.
The dogs begin training and wearing service vests soon after they are born. Trainers and foster families ensure they are exposed to everything, from elevators to pots and pans.
Colonel already knows about 90 commands, some of which simply require a look and he sits or lays down. He can also pee on command.
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Colonel chose John-Dylan. The black lab and retriever mix turns 2 in May.
“These two were the stars of their class,” John said. “The trainers said they did really well together.”
Now home, the duo work on bonding the first two weeks.
“The only person’ who’s supposed to be treating him or doing anything fun with him is John-Dylan,” mom Jamie Cully said. “They want him to know the good things come from him.”
She and John fill Colonel’s bowl with food, but place it on John-Dylan’s lap for feeding. Colonel licks the bowl clean in a matter of seconds.
Sounds like the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Click here for the full story and here to learn more about Canine Assistants. (Photo by Robin Zielinski)
PIT BULL AMBASSADOR “TUTORS” KIDS - “[T]he Meyers take Kyra on visits to schools, hospitals, nursing homes and libraries, where they give programs on bullying and stereotypes, kindness and compassion, and how to safely greet a dog.”
A three-year-old Pit Bull in Iowa named Kyra has been helping kids by listening to them read at school. In addition, Kyra serves as an “ambassador” for Pit Bulls by making appearances at schools, retirement homes, hospitals and other places. She is certified for good behavior and makes appearances as part of the “Ambass-A-Bulls” program of the American Rescue League of Iowa’s Pit Crew Club. Here’s more from app.com:
When Kyra is at Stowe or any other school, she is always leashed by her owners. In addition, parents must sign permission slips to allow Kyra near their children.
Ashley Meyer describes Kyra as anything but vicious. Kyra has never been aggressive around children or adults, Ashley Meyer said. Proponents of pit bulls say they are not predisposed to behavior problems.
“She’s very submissive and she loves kids,” Ashley said. “She lights up whenever kids are around.”
Stephanie Filer, manager of special gifts and partnerships with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa and a pit bull owner, said the 27 people and 12 dog members of the Ambass-A-Bulls have visited seven Des Moines elementary schools and schools in Newton, Orient-Macksburg and Dallas Center-Grimes in the past year since the Pit Crew was formed.
“We began the group in Des Moines because Des Moines has chosen to discriminate against dogs that look a certain way,” she said. “Our position is that every dog is an individual and should be treated as such.”
Kyra is a great example of how valuable dogs are to the community. Click here of the full story and here to learn more about the ARL Pit Crew.
DOG WHO HELPED SPREAD AWARENESS OF SERVICE DOGS IN CUBA RECOVERING FROM CANCER SURGERY - “Hawn and Booster traveled to Cuba, visiting schools for the blind and the disabled. As a result, Cubans will travel to Bergin University this summer so they can establish a service and therapy dog center…”
A dog named Booster is recovering after having surgery to remove a tumor beneath his skull. Booster was found in a truck at the age of 10 weeks by his owner and was adopted. Booster enrolled in the Bergin University of Canine Studies and went on to become a service dog who traveled with his owner to Cuba to demonstrate his abilities and to raise awareness about service dogs. Thanks to Booster, a service dog training center is also being planned in Cuba. Read more from Ocala.com:
Hawn enrolled in the Bergin University of Canine Studies, an Assistance Dog Institute in California, and Booster became a service dog. Hawn’s master’s thesis project, dubbed “Project Fidelity,” was on how dogs can be a “social bridge” — and be used to warm relations between the U.S. and Cuba.
Hawn and Booster traveled to Cuba, visiting schools for the blind and the disabled. As a result, Cubans will travel to Bergin University this summer so they can establish a service and therapy dog center there to be called “The Booster Center,” Hawn said.
Hawn added that his message to students he has lectured to — here in the U.S. and in Cuba — is: “Even a dog can do great things in the world with an education. Go out and get your education.”
Hawn also said that dogs, even symbolically, are a good proxy for promoting peace because “they don’t hold grudges,” he said.
Booster is very sick but hopefully his surgery provides him with more time to spend with his owner. Click here for the full story and here to learn more about Booster’s travels to Cuba. (Photo by Doug Finger)
FROM THE ARCHIVES: DOG SAVES OWNER BY DIALING 911 - “Faith…phoned 911 when Beasley fell out of her wheelchair and barked urgently into the receiver until a dispatcher sent help. Then the service dog unlocked the front door for the police officer.”
In 2004, a Rottweiler named Faith dialed 911 (the emergency telephone number in the U.S.) when her owner fell out of her wheelchair at her home in Washington. Not only did Faith call for help, she barked into the receiver and then unlocked the door so rescuers could come in. Here’s more from NBC News:
“I sensed there was a problem on the other end of the 911 call,” said dispatcher Jenny Buchanan. “The dog was too persistent in barking directly into the phone receiver. I knew she was trying to tell me something.”
Faith is trained to summon help by pushing a speed-dial button on the phone with her nose after taking the receiver off the hook, said her owner, Beasley, 45, who suffers grand mal seizures.
Guided by experts at the Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound, Beasley helped train Faith herself.
The day of the fall, Faith “had been acting very clingy, wanting to be touching me all day long,” Beasley said Thursday.
Amazing story about an amazing service dog. Click here for the full story. (Photo by Paul T. Erickson)
ACTOR CHARLIE SHEEN PAYS FOR INJURED TEEN’S SERVICE DOG - “Charlie Sheen is gifting the $10,000 to pay for a therapy dog to help Teagan who almost died after plummeting 100-feet from a Wisconsin amusement park ride in 2010.”
In 2010, Teagan Marti was injured after falling 100-feet on the Terminal Velocity ride at Extreme World in Wisconsin. As a result of the accident, Marti suffered multiple injuries of a very serious nature. Now, she will be getting a new service dog thanks to a $10,000 donation by actor Charlie Sheen. Here’s more from the New York Daily News:
Marti suffered brain, spine, pelvis and internal injuries in July 2010 when nets and air bags that were supposed to catch riders on a free-fall ride were not raised.
Friends of the family reached out to Sheen’s godfather, who is a Benedictine brother in Benet Lake, Wis. He contacted his godson.
“People come into your orbit for a reason,” Sheen said. “You don’t always know what that is ahead of time, but if I ignore these requests then I don’t have any opportunity to see where these things lead us, or lead me.”
“I like to pay it forward,” he said.
Marti gets the dog, a golden retriever puppy, on her birthday in September after it is trained, but hasn’t made up her mind on a name. Sheen suggested “Charlie.”
The service dog will be an English Golden Retriever puppy. Click here for the full story. (Photo by Carrie Antlfinger)
VETERANS TRAIN HOMELESS PUPPIES TO BECOME SERVICE DOGS FOR OTHER VETERANS - “As the veterans help raise the dogs for other veterans, they relearn delayed gratification, anger management, frustration tolerance, patience and collaboration to help them overcome life’s challenges…”
Military veterans at the Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics facility in White City, Oregon are training shelter puppies to eventually become service dogs for other veterans. The dogs will help veterans who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric afflictions. Read more from the Mail Tribune:
Bowman and his furry charge have just completed the first phase of the innovative Heeling for Heroes Project at SORCC, which began in mid-July.
With five months of training completed, Bowman — along with two fellow veterans who have been serving as dog trainers in the program — on Friday passed their leashes to other veterans who have been waiting in the wings as dog sitters. In the second phase of the program, the sitters become the primary handlers as Bowman and the others are discharged from the center.
In the program, residential veterans at SORCC are helping train homeless puppies from shelters to eventually become psychiatric service dogs. The dogs’ mission will then be to help outpatient veterans battling post-traumatic stress disorder.
The three dogs who completed the first phase with their handlers on Friday were handpicked by Dahna Dow Osmus, a lead case manager and psychiatric nurse at SORCC who came up with the idea for the local program.
This program sounds like a win-win for both canines and humans. Click here for the full story. (Photos by Bob Pennell)
SIXTH-GRADER PREPARES PUPPY TO BECOME A SERVICE DOG - “When Sadie is about 18 months old, she will be trained to be a seeing eye dog, a police dog or a pet for people with autism.”
A girl in Connecticut named Cailey Martin and a six-month-old puppy named Sadie are working together so Sadie can move on to the next level and become a service dog. In addition, Cailey has gathered donations to help with Sadie’s initial training. After Cailey finishes teaching Sadie the basics, Sadie will receive further training with Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Read more from the Daily Voice:
It’s a great, short-time commitment to an outstanding organization,” he said. The family is not training Sadie specific skills to be a guide dog, he said, but teaching her how to listen, make eye contact, stay off the furniture and be a respectful pet. When Sadie is about 18 months old, she will be trained to be a seeing eye dog, a police dog or a pet for people with autism.
“We’re going to miss her, of course,” Cailey said. Her dog, Chester, who had been with her for her entire life, died at age 15. “You always have to say goodbye to dogs, but I didn’t want to say goodbye like that again.”
Click here for the full story and click here to learn more about Guiding Eyes for the Blind. (Photo by Casey Donahue)
LITTLE TERRIER BECOMES CERTIFIED AS A HEARING DOG - “Vial said she takes Caleb with her everywhere she goes, and he sits with her on her lap or beside her computer at work.”
A 4-year-old dog in West Virginia named Caleb has been certified as a hearing service dog through an organization called Service Dogs of America. Caleb helps his owner, who has issues with her hearing, by alerting her to her surroundings. Read more from theintermountain.com:
“He was a 10-week old foster puppy and was part of a litter I was training before they were placed in homes. I truly did intend to find him a home, but he curled up on (her husband) Peter’s shoulder, and, well, the rest is history.
“Terriers have very acute hearing skills as a result of being bred to hunt vermin underground,” Vial said. “Their ears are like two radar dishes, each one honing in on different sounds. As I began to automatically look the direction his ears pointed to see what he was listening to, I realized how helpful that was to me, and how I was more aware of my surroundings and more engaged when I watched him.”
Vial said she used her dog training skills to shape and reward Caleb’s behaviors.
“If there is a sound nearby that he thinks is important that I am not picking up on, he will get my eye, look at the thing, and look back at me for the confirmation signal,” Vial said. “Once he gets that he usually lays his head back down.”
Despite his small size, Caleb provides a great service for his owner. Click here for the full story.
SERVICE DOG HELPS OWNER TEACH CLASS - “Our classrooms are full of desks and computers and furniture and chairs; it’s sometimes even hard for me to get around. Having Kazu there for her is such a big help.”
A fourth-grade teacher in Ohio suffers from a medical condition which affects her lower body. Fortunately, her service dog named Kazu is there to assist her. Kazu was trained through an organization called Canine Companions for Independence. Here’s more from thisweeknews.com:
Siegel, 53, has transverse myelitis, a rare neurological disorder caused by inflammation of the spinal cord. Eighteen years ago, the disease took most of her mobility below the waist.
The Powell resident is now able to walk with the help of canes, but she spends most of her time in a wheelchair.
“I’m a fourth-grade teacher, and fortunately, I was able to continue teaching, but it was exhausting,” she said. “My legs aren’t strong, so for me to walk across the room is an event, and it’s incredibly difficult for me to get down to pick something up that I dropped.
“But now, any step Kazu takes for me is one that I don’t have to take.”
Kazu accompanies Siegel every day to her classroom at Worthington Estates Elementary School, where she continues to teach.
With more than 50 basic commands mastered, Kazu’s bag of tricks is deep. When Siegel drops her cellphone or pen, Kazu eagerly picks it up and returns it to her lap. He fetches her shoes, flips light switches, opens and closes doors, and even pulls off his owner’s socks at the end of the day.
HOMELESS DOG IS RESCUED, BECOMES SERVICE DOG FOR GIRL - “A few months ago, Jake was living on the streets, scrounging for food and finding shelter wherever he could. Now the dog brings smiles and happiness each day to a disabled 3-year-old girl living in Temecula.”
Jake the dog was living alone on the streets. Fortunately, he was rescued and brought to the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center. Due to his nice disposition, he received training at Big Paws Canine Academy and became a service dog. Jake was paired up with the Kaitlin Abner, who suffers from Metachromatic Leukodystrophy. Jake now helps the girl with a variety of needs. Read more from The Press-Enterprise:
Kaitlin’s disease doesn’t allow her to regulate her body temperature. Jake will act as her electric blanket in the winter and during the warmer months, he can block anyone from getting too close to her so she stays cool.
Jake’s story epitomizes the value of the work that both Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center and Big Paws Canine Academy do with homeless dogs in the community. What society thought of as a “throw away” has now become a beautiful gift.
Jake’s life was changed when he was rescued, and now he is helping improve the life of a little girl. Click here for the full story and here for more about the Big Paws Canine Academy.
DOG GETS WEEKEND PASSES FROM PRISON -“But every Friday, Steve gets a weekend pass and goes to live with the Caylors, a Bridgewater family that volunteers to share joint-custody of the lovable golden retriever.”
A Golden Retriever named Steve is part of a program at the Old Colony Correctional Center which has inmates train dogs to become guide/service dogs. Steve will be trained to guide his owner and perform such tasks as pressing crosswalk buttons. On weekends, Steve is taken in by a local family in Massachusetts to broaden his socialization in the community. Here’s more from the Taunton Daily Gazette:
Monday through Friday he’s all business living at Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater with his inmate puppy handler, in training to become a service dog for a disabled veteran.
But every Friday, Steve gets a weekend pass and goes to live with the Caylors, a Bridgewater family that volunteers to share joint-custody of the lovable golden retriever.
The Caylors’ assignment is to provide Steve with the socialization experiences not available in prison. He goes everywhere they go, to the supermarket, to church, to the library, just as he will when he’s on the job as a service dog.
Good luck to Steve as he trains to become someone’s guide dog. He certainly will make a difference in someone’s life. Click here for the full story. (Photo by Charlene A. McNeil)
SERVICE DOG NAMED IN HONOR OF FALLEN SOLDIER - Nathan, a Golden Retriever puppy, is being trained by an organization called Veterans Moving Forward to become a service dog. Nathan is named in honor of Nathan Bruckenthal, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard who was killed in the Persian Gulf. Once his training is completed, Nathan the dog will be paired up with a veteran. (Photo and story from CBS New York).
COSTA RICA’S FIRST SERVICE DOG FOR AUTISM -“The project is very much a novelty in Costa Rica because up to now no assistance dog of this kind has been trained for that country or delivered there.”
Xena, a Labrador Retriever puppy, is the first service dog in Costa Rica to be trained to help patients with autism. An organization called the Association of Dog-Assisted Therapies based in Spain is facilitating the training. She will be paired up with a 7-year-old autistic boy and will provide emotional assistance as well as guide him around. Here’s more from latino.foxnews.com:
Aaron is suffering an autistic disorder and thanks to Xena will be able to lower his stress and anxiety levels, since “the simple act of hugging, brushing or walking the dog is enough to reduce both symptoms,” Signes said.
“The dog will also teach him to walk down the street correctly and will direct his steps in the right areas, as far away from the edge of the sidewalk as possible,” Signes said.
The animals are used in such cases as motivational agents to reduce attention disorder, boost self-esteem, memory, concentration and even improve emotional relationships.
Not only is Xena a groundbreaking service dog in Costa Rica, she will also forever change the life of this boy. Click here for the full story.
GREAT DANES TRAIN TO BECOME SERVICE DOGS - “In addition to their size advantage, Great Danes also are intelligent, train well, and like people…You can’t stay in a bad mood around a Dane for too long, so they’re great for this post-traumatic stress bit…”
A non-profit organization based out of Massachusetts called Service Dog Project, Inc. specializes in the training of Great Danes to become service dogs. The dogs help people with multiple sclerosis and other disabilities who need a sturdy dog for support. Apparently, Great Danes are well-suited for these tasks because of their calming presence and physical strength. Here’s more from boston.com:
Most people are familiar with guide dogs for the visually impaired and other types of helper animals for those with sensory or mobility challenges. But the Great Danes raised and trained by White on her Ipswich farm have a mission specific to their size. They help people with balance issues stay upright.
It’s literally a “lean on me” situation for people with Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis, a stroke, or traumatic brain injury. Half of the 42 dogs donated by the organization since 2003 have gone to injured military combat veterans, who get preference.
Great Danes are lovable dogs, but it appears that these dogs in particular are making a difference in people’s lives by virtue of their big bodies and their big hearts. Click here for the full story and here to learn more about Service Dog Project, Inc. (Photos from the official Facebook page).
