Assistance Dog

Feb 16, 2010

Schriever Air Force Base Takes Note Of Its Namesake Assistance Dog In Training

Al , , , Service Dogs

Nice official Air Force follow-up story today about one of the dogs in the KSDS military litter I mentioned last month (“KSDS Names Future Assistance Dog Litter After Military Installations “).

Schriever Air Force Base here in Colorado Springs has a new article both online and in the printed edition of their base newspaper this week about – who else? – their namesake dog, Schriever:

KSDS assistance dog in training, Schriever.

(Click on the image for a nice giant high-resolution version.)

“Assistance-dog training school honors Schriever with namesake“

You can also download the PDF version of the paper here – article is on page 6: 

http://csmng.com/wp-files/schriever-sentinel-weekly-pdfs/sentinel_2010-02-18.pdf

I still think this was a great idea, and the local angle for those of us in a big military city like Colorado Springs is an added bonus.

Jan 17, 2010

KSDS Names Future Assistance Dog Litter After Military Installations

Al , , , Service Dogs

On a happier note than my last two posts…

KSDS, a great small ADI-accredited assistance dog organization in Kansas founded 20 years ago, has a tradition of naming its puppy litters for specific themes.  Most recent one was a military theme – they named all the dogs for military bases – what a fantastic idea!

That’s Miramar pictured above – here are all nine names:

  • Barstow  —  Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, CA
  • Beale  —  Beale Air Force Base, CA
  • Hood  —  Fort Hood, TX
  • Meade  —  Fort Meade, MD
  • Miramar  —  Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA
  • Oceana  —  Naval Air Station Oceana, VA
  • Riley  —  Fort Riley, KS
  • Schriever  —  Schriever Air Force Base, CO
  • Whidbey  —  Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, WA

You can see pictures of all the dogs in the litter here (BTW, the bandanas look way too close to an actual US flag for me, a common problem with lots of well-meaning stuff and a pet peeve of mine, but that doesn’t really detract from an otherwise tremendous idea.):

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=143581&id=59272557571

NAS Whidbey Island has already written about their namesake dog Whidbey in Thursday’s base newspaper:



“Future service dog named ‘Whidbey’“

Big points to KSDS for having this wonderful idea.

Dec 20, 2009

“A Pup’s Journey to Greatness”

Al , Service Dogs

Today I’m gonna give you a chance to see something most people never get to see.

When they’re 8 weeks old, Canine Companions for Independence puppies are brought to the national headquarters campus in Santa Rosa by the breeder caretaker of the mama dog who gave birth to them. They are checked out thoroughly by the veterinary staff, given an identifying tattoo in their right ear, washed, and then sent on their way to puppy raisers across the U.S., who will raise and train them for the next 15-18 months. (You can read more about breeder caretakers and CCI’s very carefully controlled breeding program here.)

This new short documentary video shot just last month by Alex Lowry, an Academy of Art San Francisco student, gives you a rare inside look at that process. It’s not secret or anything, just something that even the vast majority of CCI volunteers and staff never get to see simply because you’d have to be in Santa Rosa and on days when this was happening (not to mention those puppies leave at the proverbial oh-dark-30 for early morning flights at SFO).  For example, I’ve spent time at the campus, know the places and most of the faces in the video, and I’ve never gotten to actually witness this.

Here you go – enjoy this great inside look at something very special (thanks to Brenda Voght from the CCI Puget Sound Chapter for posting this).

View on ExposureRoom

Dec 1, 2009

Every Service Dog Placement With A Veteran Should Be As Great As This One

Al , , , , , , Service Dogs

I said I was gonna stay positive and show you examples of how things should be rather than ones where I know they are not, and this story is a great start.

When you see someone talking about service dogs for veterans, I want the image of this team to immediately pop into your head, because this is the model, on both ends of the leash.  Beyond just being a great story on its face, as you read it, compare what you see here – and, just as importantly, don’t see – with some of the other very visible “service dogs for veterans” stories of late.

Andrew Pike is a young Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran from Idaho who was paralyzed below the waist by a sniper in Palaji, Iraq on March 26, 2007.  He graduated with Service Dog Yazmin from Team Training at the Canine Companions for Independence Northwest Regional Center in Santa Rosa, CA on November 21st.

You can read all about them here:

“A wounded vet and black lab become partners”

Please watch the following two videos which will tell you even more. (Guess it’s not my day for embedding videos since I couldn’t get either one to do it, which is very odd.)  First one was taken during Team Training; second one was filmed after they returned home to Idaho.

“Iraq War Vet gets service dog from CCI”

“Andrew Pike: New life after the war“

You can make your own list, of course, but here’s just a few things I’m hoping you noted and will file away for comparison:

  • Very calm dog under all circumstances – no evidence of stress, such as panting or pawing at her human partner.
  • Dog under control by the human at all times, and that means a leash – shoot, Andrew even held onto the leash when Yazmin was at home – now THAT’s control.
  • Dog actually performing physical tasks for the veteran, e.g., opening doors.
  • Calm, stable, grounded veteran discussing his future in very positive terms.

I know there are more, but you get the idea.

Not really much I can add other than to say Andrew is a wonderful example to me of someone being positive under far tougher circumstances than I hope I ever have to deal with, and a great reminder of why those of us involved with CCI do what we do.

You can read lots more below:

Oct 25, 2009

Canine Companions for Independence Assistance Dogs On-Duty For Veterans

Al , , , , , Service Dogs

Great picture of two Canine Companions for Independence assistance dogs and their humans taken during the recent US Paralympics Military Sports Camp that was held at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) Oct 14-17:

Buddy Hayes, Canine Companions for Independence service dog Ellie, Kristin Valent, CCI facility dog Tommy.


Left to right – Buddy Hayes, her Service Dog Ellie, Kristin Valent, physical therapist at NMCSD Comprehensive Combat and Complex Casualty Care (C5), and Facility Dog Tommy who is assigned with her there. (Click the image for a larger version.)

I wrote about Tommy right after his graduation back in May (“CCI Places First Facility Dog At A Major Wounded Warrior Medical Care Center”), and you can read lots about Buddy and Ellie if you look around – they’ve been on Montel, among other things.

Not only a great picture, but a perfect example of something I mentioned just the other day about not confusing how much you hear about a service dog organization’s program (particularly where veterans are concerned) with how good that program is.

There are many cases of highly trained service dogs (CCI dogs being the prime example) helping veterans like this that happen every day without a lotta fanfare, hype, or drama. No big publicity push from the organization that placed the dog, no big screaming headline about how a veteran and his dog are being unfairly treated by (fill in the blank), no big pronouncement from a celebrity or legislator about yet another new dog program that will help veterans – all stuff that I see daily and, frankly, am worn out on.

No, none of that – just someone’s personal picture in a group of pictures linked on Facebook that caught my eye because I know everyone in it and that I asked if I could use.

And a coupla working dogs working.

Aug 26, 2009

Resistance Is Futile (No, Not From The Borg – From Yellow Labs Like These)

Al , Service Dogs

L to R - Zephan (our dog who was released last May and made the round trip with me to get the other three), Aubrey (raised by Kelly Gorman), Alexander (raised by Sara Igo), and Bannon (co-raised by Darine Cole and my wife Jo and I). (Click for larger).
L to R – Zephan, Aubrey, Alexander, and Bannon. (Click to enlarge).

I’ve mentioned being at the Canine Companions for Independence graduation at the Southwest Regional Center in Oceanside, CA on Saturday. The primary reason for the trip was actually to pick up three dogs that were just released from advanced training and bring them home to Colorado.

The four dogs who were on the trip with me are pictured above.  Left to right: Zephan (our dog who was released last May and made the round trip with me to get the other three), Aubrey (raised by Kelly Gorman), Alexander (raised by Sara Igo), and Bannon (co-raised by Darine Cole and my wife Jo and I). (You can click on the picture for a lot bigger version.)

Much longer discussion, but for those of you not aware, dogs can be released from advanced training for many things, the vast majority of it stuff that would not be a problem for a “regular” dog.  Living in a kennel environment and learning new commands for six months is a huge change from what they’ve known before, and it will often either bring out old undesirable behaviors that had been seen by the puppy raisers during the 15 to 18 months they have the dog, or, in many cases, new ones that had not.

Dogs are never released lightly – trainers will work with them…work with them…and work with them some more.  They give the dogs every opportunity to make it, until it’s clear that they aren’t getting anywhere and things can go no farther. Most of us who raise them will tell you we think it’s just a case of the dog deciding they’ve had enough and want to go home, and that will then manifest itself in any number of ways.

Because the standard for completing advanced training is so very high, the result is that the dogs released from the program are still at the very top end of the spectrum for behavior, obedience, you name it.  They are all wonderful, as anyone fortunate enough to spend the rest of their lives together with one knows.

While I will continue to be around two of the dogs, this was really a one-time thing to have all four of them together like that with three of them making their return trip home. I feel very, very blessed to have been around them as a group for the coupla days it took to drive back.

Jun 29, 2009

“CCI Salutes Independence” – Open House for Veterans, Families, And Friends

Al , , , Service Dogs

Put this one on your calendar if you’re gonna be anywhere in Southern California on Saturday, July 11th. In fact, this event is so great, you might want to plan on making a special trip to SoCal for it, especially if you’re a veteran considering getting an assistance dog.

The Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) Southwest Regional Center in Oceanside, CA is hosting their second annual “CCI Salutes Independence” event, an open house for active duty military members, veterans, their families, and friends, from 11AM to 3PM on that date:

More details are available here: www.cci.org/salutes

Last year’s inaugural event was a HUGE success – around 400 people turned out for a day full of training demos, presentations from graduate teams, campus tours, and just plain old fun.  Beyond that, there were a number of applications from veterans and subsequent assistance dog placements that were a direct result of the event.

I’ll tell ya, my hat’s off to the Southwest Region staff, because they have really led the way within CCI in working the veterans initiative.  In the last year alone, for example, they’ve placed facility dogs at the Wounded Warrior Battalion – West at Camp Pendleton, the Oklahoma City VA hospital, and Naval Medical Center San Diego, Comprehensive Combat and Complex Casualty Care (C5) I know there are more individual veteran service dog placements on the way as well and I look forward to hearing and writing about those.

While the open house is targeted at military veterans, everyone is welcome, and it’s a tremendous opportunity to see the wonderful work that CCI does in a way you normally don’t get to see.

Don’t miss it!

Jun 19, 2009

Places You Should Know: NEADS “Canines for Combat Veterans”

Al , , , Service Dogs

I explained the logic behind the Places You Should Know series a while ago in this introductory post (“Places You Should Know: Assistance Dogs International (ADI) Accredited Service Dog Organizations”) – please review it, but here’s the short version.

There’s a lotta confusion or just plain lack of knowledge about service dog organizations, what they offer, and which are the best ones, especially those that focus on serving returning OEF/OIF veterans. To top it off, there’s also a seemingly ever-increasing number of service dog places out there vying for your attention and help, some with some big name celebrity endorsements.

Before you dive in with your time, effort, and maybe even money, you need to know where your contributions will do the most good and what organizations you can be very comfortable in supporting. And if you’re someone who’s actually considering getting an assistance dog – a life-changing and lifelong relationship – that knowledge is absolutely critical.

It’s not so much that I’m down on some of the places I see getting so much press lately; I just think you can do better.

Now, the reality is that a little guy like me can’t do much about those places that aren’t so great or that I have questions about, especially when they have mega-celebrity endorsements. What I CAN do, though, is talk about the places that I’m comfortable recommending, and try to aim as many people as possible at those organizations.  Maybe they can’t serve you, but why wouldn’t you want to start with the very best first?

As I always say, you need to check things out for yourself, and I’ve given you the tools to do that (see Key Posts in the sidebar to the right), but I’m gonna start “naming names” and tell you places that I would look at if it were me.

No secret that I’m a big CCI supporter, but I think it’s only appropriate to lead off with NEADS because they can rightfully claim to have placed the first service dog with a returning OEF/OIF veteran back in Oct 2006, when Roland Paquette and Rainbow, the first team from the Canines for Combat Veterans program, graduated:

You can read tons about NEADS if you look around, but here’s the key points. NEADS is in Princeton, MA, has been around since 1976, and they’ve graduated over 1300 assistance dog teams. Sheila O’Brien is the Executive Director and the person behind NEADS – she’s been with them since 1978, has been very involved with ADI for many years to include occupying key leadership positions and performing accreditations, and has been responsible for starting many initiatives like the Prison Pup program. You name it, Sheila’s pretty much done it.

Sheila started Canines for Combat Veterans because, as she said, “The Iraq war is going to change the whole demographics of the disabled population in this country.” I don’t know if she was the first person to say that, but I do know she was saying it long before most seemed to have pegged it, and I give her big points for that. The program was also involved at Walter Reed very early on, and that involvement continues to this day – see this outstanding article for details: “Veterans Helped by Healing Paws”

NEADS just held their most recent graduation on Jun 14th at the Officers Club on Hanscom Air Force Base (which, of course, I thought was very cool) – you can read about it here on the blog of the wife of a NEADS graduate, and there are over 100 pictures at the NEADS site as well:

http://homeschoolgardener.blogspot.com/2009/06/hanscom-airforce-base-graduation.html

http://www.neads.org/graduation/photos/index.php?folder=/977-2009-Summer-Graduation/

Bottom line – NEADS is one of the “real deal” places, and someplace you should definitely check out if you’re looking for a service dog, especially if you’re an OEF/OIF vet.

Veterans Helped by Healing Paws

Jun 8, 2009

Canine Companions For Independence Benefactor Dean Koontz Interviewed

Al , Service Dogs

I think most people know that Dean Koontz is one of Canine Companions for Independence’s biggest supporters – if not the biggest.  He’s donated millions to CCI (last number I saw was $5.5 million); the Southwest Region campus in Oceanside, CA, is named after him, his wife Gerda, and their now-departed former CCI dog, Trixie; and the Koontzes have made CCI the primary beneficiary of their estate.

Dean Koontz, at home in Newport Beach, Calif., with his dog, Anna.
Dean Koontz, at home with his CCI release dog, Anna.

Brand new interview in today’s USA Today that’s definitely worth the read and will give you insights into his thinking and the kind of person he is.  I’ve never met him, but what I read in the article tracks with what those I know who have met him have said – a low-key, reserved, no-fanfare kinda guy

“Author Dean Koontz builds a dream home, dream career”

You can read more about him in the Winter 2009 issue of the Southwest Companion at CCI’s site, including the surprise million dollar check he wrote at their Nov 2008 graduation:

CCI Southwest Companion Winter 2009 Issue

Maybe I shouldn’t admit that I don’t read the books – just not my style – BUT I am very, very glad that so many people do, and that he’s been so willing to donate the millions of dollars he has to CCI.

Jun 3, 2009

Inspiring Story of How One Service Dog Family Deals With Muscular Dystrophy

Al , , , Service Dogs

This is a very tough story to read – at least it was for me – but it will give you an idea of some of the really difficult things that people with service dogs and their families deal with every day.

In this case, it happens to be a Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) graduate team – Heidi Miller, her son Mitch Ball, and their Skilled Companion Dog, Lynelle – who live in Citrus Heights, CA near Sacramento. Mitch is 24, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) with almost no ability to move his body, and, as such, requires constant care.

Tough as this story is, it’s also very inspirational in that it shows the lengths to which some will go to try and make life better for another person.

I also have to be honest and say that, if I seem pretty touchy about the term “service dog” and how loosely I see that term tossed around nowadays, these kind of stories are why I’m that way.  I realize that assistance dogs come in all shapes and sizes and perform many different types of valuable functions for all kinds of people, but when I see those with severe needs like this family has…well, read the article for yourself and I think you’ll understand:

“Mom’s home care of son confronts a harsh illness”

UPDATE:  Thanks to a fellow graduate from Mitch’s Team Training class, here’s the link to Mitch’s blog:

http://mitchballsworld.blogspot.com/

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