Eyes that see the good in things- June 4, 2018

Many years ago, I was shopping in the Jamestown Mall, which at that time, held some of my favorite stores. Do you remember On the Countryside, a shop with lots of dishes, pottery, and home décor in little themed rooms? They also had a cute little coffee shop that served coffee drinks, teas, Italian sodas, soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts.

Directly across the hall from On the Countryside was Warehouse Fabrics, a place that I could easily spend hours. The front of the store had bolts of fabric, but the back of the store is the part that I really loved. They seemed to carry a little of everything that I might need for my projects as my interests changed over the years.

On this particular day, I was perusing the section of shiny, bright nylon fabrics that were used in making windsocks. It was going to be a 4-H project, so as much as my kids hated going there, I know that at least one of them was with me.

Our selection took longer this time than it normally would, because we became more interested in the dog training that was taking place there that day. It was my first experience with the Great Plains Assistance Dogs Foundation, Inc., now known as Service Dogs for America.

Established in 1989, this non-profit organization’s mission is to enhance and empower the lives of individuals with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs, and to provide the ongoing support that is necessary to ensure that the individual receives the most successful outcome. Located in Jud, North Dakota, a small town 43 miles south of Jamestown, they are the only non-profit provider of assistance service dogs in North Dakota.

There were four dogs that were being trained in socialization, people skills and other behaviors that are necessary in a public setting. Each of the dogs had its own handler, but one woman watched the dogs and offered suggestions. We observed as the handlers started out by walking the dogs in the hallway to help them become a little more comfortable in their surroundings.

Some of the dogs adapted more quickly than others. As the dogs got the feel of the mall, the handlers started introducing them to some of the stores. The woman working at Warehouse Fabric told me that they liked to start them in the fabric store because there was really nothing that could be broken.

Most of the dogs did very well in Warehouse Fabric. One was a little more rambunctious, and she went back to the hallway to walk off some of her excess energy. The other dogs graduated to other stores, but only one of them did well enough to try going into On the Countryside.

It was interesting to watch as the handler would stop to pick up an item. The dog was expected to automatically stop when the handler stopped, and the dog did very well as the handler moved from item to item, stopping frequently. The dog stopped and started each time the handler did, moving carefully down the center of the aisle of glassware and pottery.

This was my first introduction to assistance dogs and since that time, I’ve always thought that training a dog to be an assistance dog would be an extremely rewarding career. I just read an article that made me remember that experience. It was an excerpt from the book, "Every Dog Has a Gift: True Stories of Dogs who Bring Hope and Healing into our Lives," by Rachel McPherson, the founder and executive director of the Good Dog Foundation.

McPherson says “the Americans with Disabilities Act defines service dogs as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal who is trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. For example, some dogs are trained to pull wheelchairs, others are taught to alert to the sounds of the telephone, oven timers, alarm clocks, smoke alarms, and even a baby’s cry. Service dogs are not considered pets.”

Service dogs must be allowed access wherever their human companions go, including restaurants, libraries, supermarkets, churches, transportation systems and other public areas and services. Service dogs should also have certain characteristics, and certain breeds are chosen for specific types of service. McPherson says that 60 to 70 percent of all working guide dogs for the blind are Labrador Retrievers. Golden retrievers and German Shepherds are next in popularity.

The dogs are specifically chosen for their temperament, versatility, size, intelligence and availability. They must be willing to work, be large enough to guide people, yet small enough to be easily controlled and to fit comfortably on public transportation and under restaurant tables.

However, she says exceptions are made for each situation. For instance, a Rottweiler worked well for a veteran who needed assistance getting out of his chair every day. In this case, a larger dog was ideal as more strength was necessary to avoid injury to the dog. This particular Rottweiler was successful for the veteran because, even though the dog was huge and weighed at almost 150 pounds, he was flexible and able to wrap himself around the pedestal of a café table to be as unobtrusive as possible.

The volunteer programs on the Service Dogs for America website also interested me. Their puppies are “whelped” on-site and they start training them at 6-8 weeks old with five basic commands; heel, sit, stay, down and come. At five months old, they are introduced into the Inmate Carrier Assistance Program (IACP) where they stay and train for about three months with one team, consisting of three to four inmates.

By the time they reach a year old, the dogs will have learned over 30 commands. Their service dogs are fully trained by the time they reach two years old, at which point they are ready to be paired up with their human life partner.

Volunteers are crucial to the success of the training program, providing additional social interaction with the dogs and assistance around campus in countless other ways. Their website shows several ways that people can get involved. For anyone living close to Jud, volunteers are always needed on-site.

However, they are also in need of people as Puppy Partners and to do Adult Dog Fostering, when a dog can be placed within a 200-mile radius of their facility. This is usually a short-term foster arrangement lasting 1- 3 months. The dogs are fully trained/crossed-trained by this time, have passed Canine Good Citizenship, and have completed at least six months of specialized training. As dogs are nearing their placement dates, homes are needed that will prepare them for the day-to-day routine of living in the “real world”. Ideally, the dogs will go along with the foster family as they go about their daily life; to work or school, riding in the car, running errands or going shopping.

If you’re interested in the Service Dogs for America volunteer programs, please check out their website at www. servicedogsforamerica.org.