August 2022 Newsletter

Message from the Executive Director

Greetings!

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement these past few months as we prepared to launch our new set of classes. It is heartwarming to have students with their canine partners back.

Because there have been a number of requests, I’m happy to announce that we are also beginning 2 4-session series of Basic Obedience Classes. One group beginning August 23^rd from 11am-Noon and another beginning August 25^th from 4-5pm.

All breeds and sizes are welcome. The cost for the entire series of classes is $150. Classes will be held at our training facility located at 5060 W Olive Ave, Glendale 85302.

We will be adding additional levels of instruction to our schedule in the future.

If you are interested in participating in either of these classes, please contact Jessica Parker (623-200-9762) jessica.parker@servicedogsupport.org to request registration materials.

We look forward to seeing you.

Karen

Wellness Tip

August is an ideal time to remind all dog owners of the importance of providing monthly flea/tick and heartworm prevention meds. The need for your dog to receive this care is not seasonal – your dog requires protection from vector-borne illness year-round.

Fleas can cause troubling skin irritation for your dog. Multiple flea bites can lead to anemia. For Service Dogs, consider the consequences of fleas for businesses in our community. Businesses are required to grant access to Service Dogs. If you were to enter a business, especially one with a carpeted area, a flea infestation can ensue with unwelcome consequences for the business, and the public who may enter this space.

Ticks can cause severe illness in your dog, most notably Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Transmission of disease typically does not occur until after the tick has been attached to the dog for at least 36 hours, and it can take up to 5 months for symptoms to manifest. This can present as limping and enlargement of the lymph nodes. It can progress to renal failure and even death.

Heartworm disease is caused by a parasite from a mosquito bite. This often presents as cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing. In severe cases, death can occur.

These diseases are preventable, and prevention is easier than intervention. We urge all readers to institute a regular schedule of prevention treatments for your dog, and mark these on your calendar.

Classroom News

As you know classes have started on July 9! These are the things we have been working on this past month and everyone has been off to a great start.

We practiced in class for the first time on how to teach your Service Dog In Training (SDIT) to walk nicely next to a shopping cart as this builds confidence along with helping generalize commands. Most of the students have been slowly introducing their dogs to public outings such as pet friendly places, coffee shops, and some restaurants. All dogs have mastered their sit and down stays, sitting nicely for petting, coming when called, impulse control games, and walking at heel side with no pulling.

The dogs are currently thriving at their Place and Leave it commands and the handlers have been performing successfully at holding their dogs accountable and capturing good behaviors especially when we are adding distractions to the training exercise.

Some of the dogs have been improving with retrieving toys and bringing them back to their handler which will be great when it comes to retrieving other items such as medicine bottles, keys, leash, phone etc.

We have scheduled our first field trip at Sun City Rehabilitation and Health, and we will be working on generalizing the skills they have learned this month in a different environment.

We will be continuing to work teaching the Service Dog In Training (SDIT) teams this month on:

Touch
Give
Stand
Hold
Take

Along with the other obedience commands they have currently been working on.

Beginner class Highlights

Sharon/Tom & Ruby– This team has been progressing with public access training. Ruby has been to many restaurants and demonstrates “under” wonderfully.

Charlotte & Luna– Luna is a 6-month-old puppy and has been performing well with loose leash walking, sit stays and down stays.

Latrice & Chewy– Chewy is also 6 months old and demonstrates a real talent for walking nicely next to Latrice’s wheelchair. He is a very confident puppy!

Kerry/Jase & Sadie– Sadie has mastered her Place command and now just working on staying there until released.

Scott & Luna– This team had a breakthrough with having Luna perform her commands with her booties on and now will do her commands no problem!

Advanced Class Highlights

Lindsey/Shannon & Bailey– Bailey has been showing great progress with her medical alert tasks for her recipient Shannon. Lindsey has been practicing with Bailey on the tasks and commands that are on the certification test and Bailey has been performing great. This team took their first trip on the light rail to the airport and was a great exposure training and desensitization for Bailey.