Dog Bless You

An update from the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation:...

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:11:47 -0700

An update from the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation: There are now 9 SDF Search Teams as well as non-SDF Search Teams actively searching in OK. According to their handlers, these incredible dogs are showing amazing drive, determination and focus in their searching, making sure no one is left behind in the rubble of Moore, OK. Many would never guess that 7 of these pups are former shelter dogs.

Thanks for this great submission, Nikita: “This is Boone,...

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:01:43 -0700

Thanks for this great submission, Nikita:

“This is Boone, a golden from ECAD in Dobbs Ferry, NY.

We had him for a weekend as a home handler, and he’s still one of our favorites. He was sweet and goofy, and he liked to stretch in ridiculous ways. He’s already been paired with someone, so we wish him all the best as a service dog!”

We can’t get enough of your adorable nose photos. Submit...

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:01:23 -0700

We can’t get enough of your adorable nose photos. Submit more here, please.

Often times people wonder if we pick our pets or if they pick...

Sun, 19 May 2013 10:30:46 -0700

Often times people wonder if we pick our pets or if they pick us. In this case Yvette felt that Blondie chose her. “When I met her she walked pretty easy on a leash for me and she sat down and leaned into me as if to say she approved of me.” This simple action became the tie that turned a former shelter dog into a service dog in training.

Yvette served in the Army for 11 years. She was a mechanic for the first six years and then moved on to specializing in IT and logistics administration. She served in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Blondie is a yellow lab that was placed with Yvette in February. They starter training in March and already passed the Canine Good Citizen Test (CGC). She is taking to training very well and Yvette feels confident they will graduate in the fall.

For now when Yvette has to leave Blondie at home she waits by the door until she returns, at which time she immediately rolls over so Yvette can scratch her belly when she arrives. Soon they will pass the stage in training where Blondie will be able to accompany Yvette everywhere and she won’t be stuck waiting at the door for her to come home.

An Update From Luther, Guide Dog in Training It’s my last...

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:01:34 -0700

An Update From Luther, Guide Dog in Training

It’s my last week of class at the university! I’m just checking out the UGA newspaper, The Red & Black. Going to miss visiting campus.

If you have some fantastic doggy nose photos that you’d...

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:01:24 -0700

If you have some fantastic doggy nose photos that you’d like to share with the world, enter our “Who Nose” Photo Contest on our Dog Bless You Facebook page. You could win a customized Dog Bless You prize and a featured post on Dog Bless You.

This National Disaster Search Dog Foundation rescue team is...

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:01:00 -0700

This National Disaster Search Dog Foundation rescue team is ready for action.

The NDSF just deployed to Texas in the wake of the tornado. Wish them luck as they search for survivors.

Robin DeBates and Brigadoon Service Dog...

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:30:44 -0700

Robin DeBates and Brigadoon Service Dog “Nugget”

You know how when you live with a child or someone who is aging you don’t see the subtle changes because you’re with them every day? Living with a service dog feels kind of like that. The incremental changes add up slowly over time. There will be milestones. And eventually there will be a day when you look around and think, “Hey. I have a life. I feel good. This is really, really nice.”

One of the immediate things I noticed about living full-time with a service dog is that I was never alone. Humans, even with good intentions, have other tasks and needs to attend to. A service dog, however, has the primary function of paying attention to the human in the dog’s care.

Over time, that constant companionship turns into a form of reliability and trust. Learning how to read the dog’s body language has been instrumental in helping me retool my responses to the environment. For whatever reason, my brain thought it needed to stay on high alert almost if not all the time. I have learned how read my dog’s cues about whether or not a situation required me to be on alert, paying attention, or just present without needing to constantly scan for potential threats. Ratcheting down that adrenaline response allowed my brain to start focusing on other things, like getting better.

I also found that living with a service dog helped me to regulate my sleep-wake cycle, increase my physical activity, interact more with other people, and just plain leave the house more often. These things are all really key in regulating not just physical health, but emotional connection and social interaction, too.

Sometimes it can be really difficult, even still three and a half years later, to have a lot of people want to talk to, pet, and even, yes, feed the dog. Oh, and “access challenges” too… It requires a lot of patience and practice to feel skillful in being assertive yet calm in these situations, where someone is doing or saying something that is either out of your comfort zone or just plain wrong (i.e., refusing entry to their business because of the service dog). I think all this practice has helped me to get better at generally speaking up in situations that feel uncomfortable. The more I practice managing myself, even though my heart is pounding, the more reliable I know my responses will be… and having a wonderfully soft fluffy love dog to pet through all of it helps regulate and recover, as well.

Living with a service dog is definitely a full-time, life changing commitment. It makes me visible as a person with a disability in a way that I otherwise would not be visible. It generates comments, some positive and some negative. It changes, in some ways, the types of employment I will have because realistically, I am not willing to work anywhere that does not want the team of me and my service dog. And the fur… it’s a better side effect than the side effects I got from prescription medications, but the fur is ubiquitous. And totally worth it.

Any Woodland, CA residents looking for a sweet-faced Saint...

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:01:39 -0700

Any Woodland, CA residents looking for a sweet-faced Saint Bernard? You can inquire about this big boy through Petfinder.

This little guide dog puppy in training is going to have a very...

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:01:27 -0700

This little guide dog puppy in training is going to have a very big job someday.

Happy Mother’s Day! Have you paid a Mother’s Day...

Sun, 12 May 2013 10:30:56 -0700

Happy Mother’s Day! Have you paid a Mother’s Day visit to mama Gucci? Let her know what a great job she’s doing.

Max and his Daddy Soldier in Afghanistan. Max is now living the...

Sat, 11 May 2013 09:30:43 -0700

Max and his Daddy Soldier in Afghanistan. Max is now living the life a dog deserves with his human in Connecticut thanks to Puppy Rescue Mission.

Congrats to wittle Ray Charles the blind golden retriever for...

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:01:45 -0700

Congrats to wittle Ray Charles the blind golden retriever for getting his AKC star puppy medal yesterday! Dog Bless You, Ray, you are an inspiration to all of us.

Are Perry and the Nuppies training for the opera? We’re...

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:07:00 -0700

Are Perry and the Nuppies training for the opera? We’re hot on the case after receiving this revealing footage captured by puppy watcher Kathy Callahan not more than an hour ago. Stay tuned to find out whether this is an ongoing production or a one time show.

An Update from Luther the Guide Dog in Training Even though...

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:34:30 -0700

An Update from Luther the Guide Dog in Training

Even though I’m just a baby, I’m doing a great job learning to sit quietly in class at the University of Georgia with my puppy raiser!

Some more Gucclette Puppy Cam sounds for you to enjoy.

Wed, 08 May 2013 12:22:03 -0700

Some more Gucclette Puppy Cam sounds for you to enjoy.

Have you wondered why some of mama Gucci’s puppies are not...

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:30:56 -0700

Have you wondered why some of mama Gucci’s puppies are not goldens? That’s because Gucci’s stud Elton is a black lab! Daddy Elton is primarily used as a stud dog at Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind in Smithtown, NY, and ECAD bred Elton with Gucci to reduce the chance of disease or cancers in the Gucclettes. Watch Elton and Gucci’s newborn puppies here.

Have you been wishing you could hear the puppies’ newborn...

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:55:01 -0700

Have you been wishing you could hear the puppies’ newborn noises? ECAD captured the sounds of one very noisy Gucclette just for you. Watch the puppy cam here.

Have you heard the news from Warrior Canine Connection? Rogue...

Tue, 07 May 2013 09:30:27 -0700

Have you heard the news from Warrior Canine Connection? Rogue and Olive’s puppies will be making their debut around June 8th. WCC counted at least 7 puppies on the ultrasound!

Mama Gucci looks tired but relieved after giving birth to eight...

Mon, 06 May 2013 07:41:35 -0700

Mama Gucci looks tired but relieved after giving birth to eight beautiful puppies on puppy cam. Five black babies that take after their black lab daddy, and three beautiful blond pups that take after Gucci.