ICYMI Puppies prepare to become future service dogs

This article was previously published on CambridgeToday.

Twelve puppies in the region are about to begin the journey to become life-changing service dogs.

The Cambridge-based organization National Service Dogs was in Kitchener on Wednesday to educate the community on its programs and recruit puppy raisers for its latest litter.

Of the six-week old puppies, four are still in need of a foster home for the next year. The first group will be heading out on Dec. 6, with the remaining being placed Dec. 13.

"We have volunteer puppy raisers that take the dogs from eight weeks until about 15 months of age," Danielle Forbes, executive director and co-founder of National Service Dogs, said.

"They're responsible for doing all the basic obedience and the fun stuff, getting them house trained and helping them be good canine citizens."

Foster homes play an important role in developing service dogs, each of which costs roughly $50,000 from birth until they retire at the age of 10. It's an amount completely absorbed by NSD with no financial implications for the people who receive them.

As the dogs are socialized and learn everyday skills, staff are consistently monitoring them to assess what simple training can be done by raisers to help them acclimatize to the various situations they'll encounter with their owners.

From autism service, post traumatic stress disorder, mental health support and skilled companions capable of assisting children and youth with various disabilities, there are several paths the dogs can take to help enhance the lives of residents in the community.

As significant as the responsibility of fostering is, it's not meant to be intimidating says NSD volunteer coordinator, Meghan Kraehling.

In fact, no previous experience with dogs is necessary.

"It just takes a lot of patience and dedication," Kraehling said.

"All we ask for is people open their arms and their homes to take one of these furballs in. We do offer classes for all of our volunteers and puppies to attend. It's all free. We cover all the training, food and vet care."

The not-for-profit receives no government funding and has faced significant challenges over the years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The cost-of-living has made fundraising difficult and volunteering has also been down industry wide, forcing the organization to reduce the number of dogs it trains.

Once the foster period comes to an end, the dogs go through a training process, much of which takes place in Cambridge at a property on Cedar Creek Road, where they establish the program they'll enter into. A lot of the time the choice is easy based on the personality of the dog, Forbes said.

National Service Dogs is the first program in the world to create a model for autistic children, something it began doing 28 years ago. It was also the first accredited program to have taken on mental health and PTSD dogs for veterans and first responders in 2011.

Dogs who may not have the confidence to complete the training are often entered into the skill companion program or adopted out as Very Important Pets (VIP), with volunteers given the opportunity to take them in.

"The mental health and capacity of the dogs is at the forefront," Forbes said.

"We can't force them to do a job they mentally can't handle, that would be contrary to our belief. We try to meet the dogs where they're at."

When it comes to wait times, Forbes and her team have worked hard to reduce them in recent years. 

What was once a lengthy list has been significantly shortened, with people typically waiting less than 12 months to receive a dog.

As NSD continues its mission to change people's lives one dog at a time, Forbes hopes residents in the region consider opening their homes to be part of a rewarding experience.

"You just have to come with a good heart, kindness and a loving home," she said.