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Milk-Bone

Training prepares pups for service

This story is provided and presented by our sponsor

Suzanne Wright
Milk-Bone
A furry friend is a welcome distraction during hospital stays. Canine Assistants trains pups for this type of social service.

At the age of 16, Jennifer Arnold was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She spent two years in a wheelchair, struggling to do the simplest tasks — turning on or off lights, opening or closing doors, retrieving dropped objects.

"My experiences made me want to do something to make life easier for other people facing similar challenges," says Arnold, the founder and executive director of Canine Assistants.

Her non-profit organization trains and provides service dogs to children and adults with special needs. Since its founding in 1991, the group has placed more than 1,700 dogs in 48 states and five countries. Their youngest client was 5; the oldest 82.

"It isn't a first-come, first-served system," Arnold explains. "Each application is evaluated based on how much a dog can do to help the applicant physically, socially, emotionally and medically, and how appropriate the home is for a dog."

Positive training

Canine Assistants prefers training Labrador and golden retrievers — both purebreds and mixes — and Goldendoodles for service. The majority of their pups come from their breeding program, though the organization also adopts dogs from shelters and rescue programs.

Puppies begin their education at five weeks. By working with humans, they develop trust, as well as cognitive, socio-emotional and physical skills. After a year-and-a-half of hard work, they "graduate" from the program and can remain in service for more than a decade.

At any given time, more than 120 puppy pupils are enrolled at Canine Assistants' 18-acre farm north of Atlanta. While they live at the farm, the dogs frequently go home with volunteers to help acclimate to life in a home.

Pooches learn a wide variety of helpful behaviors. They can open and close doors, pick up dropped items, turn lights on and off and set off an emergency response.

"Because our dogs grow up with us, we can adapt their educational plan if necessary," says Arnold. "Our annual graduation percentage averages over 95%."

Canine Assistants does not use fear or force in training. Instead, the organization uses a method called Bond-Based Choice Teaching, which focuses on building trust and developing a dog's ability to process information, rather than respond to commands. Milk-Bone dog snacks are used as a way of showing affection rather than as rewards for obeying commands.

Arnold believes this approach results in a greater emotional bond between the dog and human.

"It is our belief that all dogs deserve to be treated with respect, and to do less devalues us all," she says. "Treats and kindness promote a relationship between person and dog that is nothing short of amazing."

A life-changing companion

Canine Assistants does not charge for any of its services.

Through the Share the Care program, Milk-Bone supports Canine Assistants, an organization that trains dogs for service.

The non-profit receives funding from individuals, foundations and corporations to train, feed and care for the dogs. When the pups are ready to be placed, the organization offers scholarships to families to help defray the cost of picking up the pet and going through a two-week training session.

In terms of matching a dog with a human, it's the dog that decides, Arnold says. Canine Assistants pre-selects a group of dogs that may have the skills and personality to work well with a particular person, and then the dog gets to make the final decision

"It's incredible," Arnold says. "A dog will politely greet five people and upon reaching the sixth will go crazy as if saying, 'Where have you been? I've been waiting for you!'".

Their new owners have the same reaction.

"My dog, Magic, made my wheelchair disappear," says Jeanine Freer, who was a 38-year-old quadriplegic when she was paired. The companions took care of each other for almost 12 years.

This story is provided and presented by our sponsor Milk-Bone brand, which has provided contributions to Canine Assistants for 17 years through the Share the Care program. For more information or to get involved, visit sharethecare.milkbone.com.