Service Dogs Available!
by Laurie Carlson
A unique situation is making
a number of highly-trained Service Dogs available immediately for
Minnesota residents with serious disabilities. You, or someone you
know, might be a perfect match for one of these special helpers if
you can act quickly.
Service Dogs are custom trained
to help people with mobility challenges by retrieving dropped objects,
opening doors, pulling wheelchairs, fetching an emergency cordless
phone and providing countless other specially trained tasks. The
dogs are custom trained for each applicant and then carefully taught
to work with their new human partner.
These special dogs cost more than $20,000 to train, but they are
available free of charge to qualified applicants through a nonprofit
organization called Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota. The dogs
are free to those who need them because the cost of providing these
tireless workers is provided by donations from individuals, foundations
and service groups like the Lions.
This Minneapolis based organization usually has a long waiting list
for its highly valued dogs. However, the pool of puppies raised by
program volunteers this year has produced a larger-than-normal group
of dogs needing to be paired with just the right person in order
to be successful.
The ideal person would be a fairly strong leader who has a clear
voice and probably works outside the home. These dogs need to be
part of an active lifestyle that creates many opportunities for them
to do their work each day.
“This is the first time this has happened during our 18 years
of operation,” said Executive Director Alan Peters, “While
this group of dogs will not be a good fit for every single person
with a disability, they will change the lives of people who are a
good match.”
Peters went on to say, “If we do not make the proper placements
for these dogs, some may be “career changed” into pet
homes, as they cannot wait for a permanent home forever. That would
be a real loss.”
If you might be the right
person for one of these helpers, please call V-612-729-5986 or TTY-612-729-5914
to request an application or for more information.
Laurie Carlson is Volunteer
Coordinator for Hearing and Service Dogs of MN.
