Craft Bazaar report

We saw some old friends and met some new friends. We talked to a lot of wonderful and generous people and raised a good bit money for 4 Paws. We gave away a lot of free dog treats and people treats as a "Thank You" to our school and our community. We got to say "thanks" in person to some of the people who have helped us so much already. We met Joy the wonder-dog, Alexa the wonder-kid, Ciarra the wonder-sister, and Kristen the wonder-mom. We learned that some wheelchairs have lights on the wheels. We had a couple unplanned wardrobe changes, some broken glasses, a couple naps, and some snacks. We bought some goodies, helped at least one other good cause (the Cure Tays-Sachs Foundation), and our own cause was helped by the awesome Girl Scouts at the table next to us. Amelia and Edson got to play in a big inflatable bouncy castle. Owen got to wow people with his cuteness. Mom and Dad got worn out. And everbody had a good time.



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Craft Fair SATURDAY

We'll be at the Craft Bazaar at Westfall Elementary from 9am to 3pm on Saturday, December 6th. We'll have dog treats, people treats, flyers, and an appearance by the amazing Joy - the mobility assitance dog trained by 4 Paws for Alexa, a ten-year-old girl with Spina Bifida.

Hope to see you there!

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Another service dog story

Parents of special needs kids sometimes have to cope with some major challenges. Autism and similar disorders can lead to agressive outbursts that are hard for parents to deal with, and hard for strangers to understand.

But what happens when you add a service dog trained in behavior disruption to the mix?

Here's a story from Samantha Putnam about her experience with her son Tristen and their new service dog Ajax:

Tristen had just finished with therapy and had a HUGE meltdown in the waiting room. He was down on the floor, kicking and smacking at me. He let out a loud scream and Ajax jumped up and ran around me and started nuzzling Tristen! I haven't had Ajax approach Tristen during a meltdown because I know he'd get smacked or kicked. And Tristen did smack him. Repeatedly. But every time I got between them, Ajax just went around me and right back to Tristen. Finally I just quit trying to stop him. He didn't stop until Tristen calmed down.

Now usually when Tristen has a severe meltdown his behavior is off for the rest of the day. But he hasn't had a meltdown since. We even stopped at the store on the way home. He and Ajax are now in the living room, lying in the dog bed, looking at a book. Day after day, it just keeps getting better.

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4 Paws service dog stories

Sometimes it's hard to describe all the benefits these service dogs can bring, so I thought I'd share an occasional story from an online 4 Paws support group. Many members of the group stay on even after they have their dogs, to lend support, encouragement, and ideas to the rest of us. And share success stories, like this one from Jen Hanselman (used with permission):

I had to take Kyle for a blood draw yesterday, which is usually a screaming meltdown that requires three people to hold him down while they try to find a vein in his flailing arm. Thanks to Teton the Wonder Dog, we tethered up, walked in nicely, sat nicely in the waiting area and I could sign the papers without having Kyle in a death grip between my knees. During the actual blood draw, Kyle sat very calmly and only whimpered a little, at which Teton got up and butted the nurse's leg like a goat as if to say, "Hey! What are you doing to my boy?!" When it was done, we walked out nicely and got right back in the car with no fuss. Total 180 from the last blood draw! Wa-hoo Teton!

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4 Paws dogs in training

If you're curious to see the dogs that are being trained right now for placement with families in the coming months and years, you can see them here.

On the same site, you can also learn more about how 4 Paws for Ability uses inmates to do the initial obedience training for their dogs. You'll find links to their work with the Warren Correctional Center and the Larkin Correctional Center. Each participating dog is placed with a pair of inmates. The dog will actually live in the cell with the inmates, who share responsibility for training and caring for the dog.

To me, this is a great setup, because it's a win-win-win. It helps the prisoners build self-esteem and experience the unconditional love that only a dog can give. The dogs get plenty of attention and spend all day and night with their own personal trainers. And 4 Paws for Ability gets to train many more dogs without having to hire many more trainers.

And finally, you can see dogs ready for adoption to the general public. These are dogs that weren't quite qualified for service dog duty, but that are fully obedience trained and ready for permanenet homes.

The more I learn about this organization, the more impressed I am.

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Mark your calendar

December 6th, from 9am to 3pm, we will be at the Westfall Elementary School in Williamsport, Ohio, for their craft bazaar. Organizers have generously provided us with a table. (Thanks Nicole, Julie, and Roberta!)

We hope to have at least two dogs trained by 4 Paws on hand, and hopefully we can have some baked goods, maybe a raffle of some sort... We've still got a couple of months to work out the specifics.

I know many of you reading this are nowhere near us, but if you are in the neighborhood, stop by, say "hello", and shake a few paws...

[... and if you want to bake some brownies and bring them by, well, I'm sure not gonna stop ya! ]

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Animal Planet Hero of the Year Award 2008

Karen Shirk, the founder of 4 Paws for Ability, has been named as one of ten finalists for the Animal Planet Hero of the Year Award.

From the looks of it, any of the finalists would be deserving of such an award. As for me, I've got to vote for Karen.

You can learn more about the nominees and cast your vote here.

The winner will be announced on December 4th. The winner's organization will receive a $10,000 donation.

Karen has also recieved a Volvo for Life Hero award and has been featured by CNN Heroes as well. Next up for Karen is Directv's Hometown Heroes.




I'm sensing a theme...

Below are some video clips from CNN, featuring Karen, along with a couple of parents of autistic kids who have received service dogs. The parents describe the impact the dogs have had on their lives and the lives of their children.

(The video is in three parts. It looks like it's ending, and if you wait a few seconds, the next segment will start.)



[ Link to video ]

- Edson

Another Assitance dog in the news: Hunter & Kicker

Here's a news report out of Colorado, about a boy named Hunter and his service dog Kicker. Actually, it appears to be a couple of related reports spliced together:



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Kids meeting dogs

This week in Xenia, Ohio, a bunch of wonderful, deserving kids are meeting their service dogs for the first time. The kids and the dogs are getting used to each other, learning each other's personality quirks and ways of doing things. I'm sure it will be a real life-changing experience for everyone involved.

So what happens when the kids meet their dogs for the first time? Well, some are scared, some are excited, some are uncertain, and some are oblivious. That's why you hear about the autism spectrum. And not all the kids who get dogs through 4 Paws are autistic - some have cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, deafness, or even a combination of challenges. 4 Paws tries to carefully pair each child to the right dog, taking into account the personailities and temperaments involved.

A lot of kids with autism and similar disorders are notoriously uncomfortable in new and unfamiliar situations, and sometimes it's all the parents can do to keep them from running away. If you know any kids like this, you know that something like this can be a bit stressful at first, and many would be especially leery of "the licking end" of the dog. And if you know dogs, you know they'll win these kids over in the end.

My prediction is that Amelia would pretend to be unimpressed, but her curiosity would show through. And she'd surely giggle if the dog licked her.

Here's a video that was shot at the beginning of the March 2008 training class:



- Edson

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Service Dog Calls 9-1-1 When Owner Has Seizure

A few select quotes from this story out of Phoenix, Arizona:

"Man's best friend" doesn't go far enough for Buddy, a German shepherd who remembered his Michigan training and saved his owner's life by calling 911 when the man had a seizure.

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"It's pretty incredible," Clark said. "Even the veteran dispatchers — they haven't heard of anything like this."

Clark said police are dispatched whenever 911 is called, but Stalnaker's address was flagged in Scottsdale's system with a notification that a trained assistance dog could call 911 when the owner was incapacitated.
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Clark said Buddy has made two other 911 calls when Stalnaker was having seizures.

Autism Assistance Dog in the News: Matthew & Ajax

A local news report from Atlanta:


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Autism Assistance Dog video from 4 Paws

Here's a family talking about their experience with 4 Paws for Ability and an autism assitance dog:


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Tracking, Search & Rescue dogs from 4 Paws

A video about the dogs being trained for tracking by 4 Paws for Ability:


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A Service Dog for Amelia

My name is Lori Freeman. Five-year-old Amelia Freeman, a Circleville resident and my only daughter, has a very special opportunity. We are seeking the support of our family, our friends, and our community, in order to achieve this potentially life-saving goal. You can help.

Amelia has developmental delays in all areas. She cannot speak, and seems to understand only a very few words. While she has not been diagnosed as autistic, she displays many of the characteristics of an autistic child — most significantly, she has no awareness of the danger of traffic, deep water, or the ill intentions of a stranger. She also has a fascination with water and a tendency to be an “escape artist,” and generally does not respond to her father’s or my calls. Combine these traits and you have a recipe for disaster!

4 Paws for Ability, a nonprofit organization located in Xenia, Ohio, has the answer. They have agreed to train and place a service dog, known as an autism assistance dog, in her home. This dog — which may well be a rescued dog that would otherwise be destroyed — will be trained specifically for Amelia. Besides being a loving and loyal companion to her, it will be a working dog. Unfortunately, it cannot be trained to clean up after our little agent of chaos. But its tasks will include, among others, tracking. On those occasions when Amelia defeats our latest safety measures and escapes the house, the dog will find her for us so that we can bring her home safely!

I mentioned before that you can help; allow me to explain. Training one of these dogs is a costly process. Amelia’s dog will cost $13,000 to train. Most service dog organizations would place Amelia on a waiting list, from 2 to 5 years, until they could raise the necessary funds. However, 4 Paws for Ability is special in that they allow parents to volunteer and raise the money in their own community. This will allow Amelia to have her dog much sooner, and in addition, it will help bring this wonderful opportunity for all persons with disabilities to the public awareness. As you may know, autism affects many thousands of people, not to mention other disabilities (for example, cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, epilepsy, or spina bifida) that afflict thousands more.

Please consider making a donation to support our efforts! Donations are tax-deductible. If you are unable to donate online, please contact me and I will provide you with a donation form. Please do not send money to us! Moneys are to go directly to 4 Paws, so please make checks payable to 4 Paws for Ability, and be sure to write “In Honor of Amelia Freeman” on the memo line so that we are given credit for our volunteer work. If you are unable to donate funds, you may wish to consider donating goods or services (to be used in a fundraising auction or raffle to benefit 4 Paws).

Thank you so much for your time, consideration, and support!