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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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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