My Fire Hydrant

Recently, I was doing some work on the Eukanuba Facebook page (remember I work for Eukanuba) and came across a couple of wall posts that mentioned “pink bumpers.” Over some emails I learned that there’s a “Pink Bumper Club” on Facebook who’s members either own or want to own a Eukanuba Pink Hexabumper!

The Eukanuba Pink Hexabumper was a free gift that consumers received when they purchased a 40-pound bag of Eukanuba dry dog food. As with all of our promotions, not every retailer chose to participate, so the pink bumpers are sometimes hard to find. Because of this “exclusivity,” the members of The Pink Bumper Club have been collecting the bumpers so that they can be auctioned off to raise money for breast cancer research. The silent auction happens on July 30, and you can RSVP here.

For fun, I swiped a Pink Bumper from the office and gave it to Tyler for review. His response? Four paws up! He confided to me that it’s an excellent toy that is helping him to build muscle (it weighs nearly as much as he does!), and use up some of that puppy energy in retrieving it each time I toss it. The pink color makes it easy to find in the grass. And he especially enjoys chewing on the cord that’s attached to it.

 Don’t you wish you had a Pink Bumper to play with?

In the USA, July 4 means fireworks, picnics, and a celebration of Independence Day. It seems fitting that on July 4 Canine Companions for Independence will celebrate 35 years of helping people with disabilities achieve independence.

“Exceptional Dogs for Exceptional People”

Canine Companions provides assistance dogs to aid people with disabilities—absolutely free of charge. This is such a wonderful idea that I think it needs repeating: They provide assistance dogs for FREE! (Read more about how to apply for an assistance dog.)

Founded in 1975, Canine Companions is headquartered in Santa Rosa, California with regional training centers located in Delaware, Ohio; Medford, New York; Orlando, Florida; and Oceanside, California. In addition, there are satellite offices in Chicago and Colorado Springs. (Read more about their history.)

Funding

Did you know, it costs over $45,000 for each assistance dog? This covers:

• Birth
• Training (including the human partner)
• Customized follow-up with the graduates
• And the retirement of the dog.

All of this is free of charge to the person with disability thanks to funding provided by contributions, gifts, grants and ongoing fundraising. (Read more about donating.)

“Help is a Four-Legged Word”

Canine Companions trains 4-types of assistance dogs for people with disabilities:

• Service Dogs, for adults
• Skilled Companions, usually for children
• Hearing Dogs, for deaf and hard of hearing
• Facility Dogs, who work in hospitals and similar places

These dogs are Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers or crosses of the two. (Read more about the dogs.)

It’s All About the Dog

Not every dog is cut out to be an assistance dog. Regrettably, out of a thousand shelter dogs, you might find one or two who could be trained as effective assistance dogs. To insure the greatest possible success, Canine Companions maintains an extensive and detailed Breeding Program. Dogs chosen are intensively evaluated and carefully selected for:

• Temperament
• Trainability
• Health
• Physical attributes
• Littermate trends
• Dam/sire history

But It’s Also About the People

Partnering with the folks at Canine Companions on the journey to providing extraordinary assistance dogs are the volunteers who act as Breeder Caretakers and Puppy Raisers.

There are approximately 149 Breeder Caretakers, and they must live within 90 miles of the Santa Rosa HQ. These folks provide homes for Canine Companions’ breeder dogs. Breeder Caretakers must live close to Santa Rosa because Canine Companions has its own veterinary clinic, where all their dogs receive veterinary care. Close proximity is also important because of the Breeding Program. (Read more about Breeder Caretakers.)

There are approximately 1013 puppy raisers who live all over the United States. They socialize Canine Companions’ puppies and train them in obedience. (Read more about Puppy Raisers.)

At their Regional Training Centers, Canine Companions employs professional trainers who have completed a required 3-year apprentice trainer program.

Lastly, there are the applicants and graduates—the exceptional people for whom these exceptional dogs are being trained. These folks are all looking for ways to reach their next level of independence and excellence. A Canine Companions’ assistance dog is the partner who will help them to do just that!

Timeline for an Assistance Dog

• Birth to 8-weeks: Puppies live with mom and the Breeder Caretaker family where they are socialized to both canines and humans.
• 8-weeks to 15-months: Each puppy moves from mom to a new (and temporary) home with a Puppy Raiser where they are further socialized and learn basic obedience.
• 15-months to approximately 21/24 months: Puppies return to one of Canine Companions’ Regional Training Centers where they are examined for health and temperament then enter a 6- or 9-month training program with professional trainers.
• The last 2 weeks of training, the young adult dog is matched up with their human partner and both are trained together.
• 6-weeks after graduation: Graduates (human and canine) return to the Training Center for fine-tuning of their skills.
• Working life of the dog: A comprehensive follow-up system ensures the ongoing success of the canine/human team.

At any time, due to a variety of reasons, puppies and dogs might be released from the assistance dog program or retired from their work as assistance dogs. They are then adopted by Puppy Raisers, the person the dog was partnered with, or other people associated with Canine Companions. Some released puppies might also find a career with another service agency like Drug Enforcement or Border Patrol. (Read more about training).

The Wounded Veteran Initiative

I can’t celebrate Independence Day without also remembering and being grateful to the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces (I am an Air Force brat, after all) and whose job it is to protect our nation.

Canine Companions serves our Armed Forces through their Wounded Veteran Initiative, which provides assistance dogs to veterans who have been wounded in combat. (Read more about the Wounded Veteran Initiative)

My Visit to Canine Companions

During the first week of June, I was lucky to be a part of the Eukanuba photo and video shoot which took place at the headquarters of Canine Companions in Santa Rosa, California. I met some incredible people and got to play with some extraordinary (and adorable) puppies! But that’s another blog post……

Happy Birthday U.S.A.

and

Canine Companions for Independence!!

Last week, we traveled from Dayton Ohio to Madison Wisconsin because of some family business. Of course Mr. Tyler came with us! Tyler already has some experience traveling–he flew with me from Phoenix when I adopted him. But we had not yet taken him on a long trip by car.

TRAINING FOR CAR TRAVEL

We knew this trip was going to happen, but we didn’t know the timing. So for the past couple of weeks–since Tyler joined our family–we’ve taken him in the car with us on errands when the opportunity presented itself. Tyler is a puppy, with a puppy’s energy and curiosity, and we knew he would need to be somehow confined to ride safely. If we had more time, we might have tried training him to one of the many varieties of doggie seat belts. But we knew that for a long trip (8 hours) on short notice we would have better luck if we crated him.

Our training consisted of short trips with Tyler in Bailey’s old Sherpa bag–it’s the biggest size so he had lots of room. The bag has a strap along the side that can be hooked over the extended handle of a rolling suitcase or through which a car seat belt can pass to secure the bag to the seat of the car. The weather has been hot, so when we did our errands with Tyler one of us always remained in the car with him to make sure he didn’t get overheated. Tyler objected to being confined by treating us to a puppy song that sounded surprisingly like a kitty cat, but after the first few minutes he quieted down and accepted the fact that he was not in control of his destiny.

And he didn’t get car sick!

WHAT WE PACKED (FOR TYLER)

• Wet wash cloth and towel–to clean paws after going potty at germ-infested roadsides.
• Loaded (with kibble) Kongs®
• Tyler’s favorite  toys
• Leash + poop bags
• Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy and Iams Puppy Biscuits–enough for a week
• Food and water dishes
• A “loose” babygate
• Carpet cleaner (in case of accidents)
• Our Sherpa bag (for quick excursions)
• A couple of fabric pee pads
• Some photos of Tyler, in case he got lost
• Updated ID tag on Tyler’s collar that included my cell phone number and information on where we were staying.
• Tyler’s crate, bedding, and favorite pillow

TYLER IN THE CAR

Tyler would be riding on the back seat in his crate. The day we left, I wedged his crate as close as possible to the front seats so that we could easily keep an eye on him and so that he would not feel so isolated. I used our suitcases on the floor to give the crate stability. And I wedged several pillows between the crate and the seat back to keep the crate in place. I was lucky that the middle seat belt doesn’t have a shoulder strap–so it easily secured the crate to the seat. I was also lucky that the opening of the crate was on the passenger’s side, not the driver’s side.

In case I had to pull over on the Interstate to deal with a puppy emergency, I would be using the car door away from the traffic. And (ultimate horror!) if the stinker managed to slip past me and dart out of the car he would not be jumping directly into traffic.

TYLER AS A HOUSEGUEST

Before we hit the road, we double checked with our hostess that it was alright to bring Tyler along. We were very clear that Tyler was not completely housebroken yet. 

Our hostess has a Cocker Spaniel, and she was very happy to welcome Tyler as a guest–in spite of his being potty-challenged. And much as I tried to set Tyler up for success, he had some accidents–which we made sure got cleaned up. Before we left, we also made sure that all of Tyler’s poops were cleared from the yard.

As I moved our stuff into the bedroom that Tyler and I would share, I looked closely for things that Tyler might get into–anything chewable on the floor, electrical cables, etc.–and moved them out of reach. I didn’t notice that there was “crawl space” under some of the furniture until I missed Tyler one night at bedtime. I found him nearly asleep under a chest of drawers!

Mealtimes presented a challenge because each dog was on a different food for specific needs. During mealtimes, Tyler and I stayed in our room where I tried to convince Tyler his food was just as good as Buddy’s. Tyler and Buddy had a great time playing, and the babygate came in handy when we needed to control either dog’s access to the other.

Tyler felt right at home–surrounded by dear friends–with his crate handy for an easy escape when he got tired of all the noisy goings-on. Having the Sherpa bag with us allowed us to bring Tyler along if we went anywhere in the car.

Though it was a sad occasion, we had a wonderful visit with our family, and Tyler had a very positive experience.

What do you do when you travel with your pet?

On July 4, Canine Companions for Independence will celebrate 35 years of providing assistance dogs for people with disabilities free of charge. As part of the celebration, they’re hosting an essay contest asking people how their dog has changed their life. Submission deadline is July 4, and the winner will get a free year of Eukanuba Dog Food!

To enter, or for more details, visit the contest page on the Canine Companion’s site.

 And be sure to check back here on July 4 when I will be posting about my recent trip to Santa Rosa, CA—headquarters for Canine Companions!

It’s 2 weeks today since Tyler and I first met in Phoenix. and I realize that I have not told Tyler’s story. 

Tyler was found one morning in late April on busy street corner in Phoenix, Arizona. He was starving and nearly comatose. Some good Samaritans took him to the local shelter, where they discovered he had parvovirus. The folks at the shelter had very good intentions, but parvo meant that he would be euthanized. One of the shelter people called Small Paws Rescue–because Tyler was a Bichon, and they knew that Small Paws helped Bichons. The nice man who was the regional representative for Small Paws went right away to pick up Tyler and take him to a local veterinary clinic, where he was placed in isolation and given lots of meds and IV fluids to fight the parvo–all paid for by Small Paws. Tyler recovered.  

I had put myself on the Small Paws puppy waiting list back in March. I knew when I did it that my puppy would find me. Around the time that Tyler was recovering from his ordeal, I was preparing for a business trip that would take me to San Francisco. Ten days before I was scheduled to leave, I got an email from Small Paws–a puppy was just about ready to be adopted. Did I want him? 

DUH! OF COURSE!! 

It was karma. Instead of flying straight home from San Francisco to Dayton, I rearranged things to make a side trip to Phoenix.  

Tyler’s very wonderful foster mama brought him to me at the Crown Plaza near the airport (an excellent hotel for traveling pets!) He was so tiny, and had a very bad haircut (I think because parvo is so messy and contagious). But I could see his potential in his sweet face. 

I was almost afraid his foster mama would keep him herself cause he had wormed his way into her heart! But she left him with me, and we spent the rest of the day getting to know each other and getting Tyler used to the bag he would need to fly in. 

The next day we flew home to Dayton by way of Atlanta. 

That was two weeks ago. Tyler has settled into our routine with all of the energy and excitement you would expect from a puppy. His antics lift our spirits and make us laugh. I think the thing that touches me the most is that he has bonded so well with my mom (we share the house).  And I find great joy in watching him charm her with his silliness!