As most of my friends know, I have Labradors. I got my first Yellow Lab, Casey Mae, 6 years ago as a companion for my Autistic son. She has been the most amazing dog anyone could ever ask for. When Casey was 3, my hubby got me my Chocolate Lab, Gus. Ugh Ohh... Ever see or read "Marley and Me". Gus was Marley. He ate my son's mattress...TWICE. He could escape from any room, cage, rope, you name it, he could get out of it. Nothing like Casey. But, as time passed, Gus as grown into an "almost" well behaved adult dog. In this process, we manged to have three wonderful healthy litters of pups. When our last litter was about 9 weeks old, Casey got sick and her belly bloated. We had to have emergency surgery to save her life. This was the end of breeding for her as well as for me. I still had the litter of puppies and I placed four of the six with forever homes when they were 14 weeks old. That left me with two black males. Week after week passed and no interested takers. Finally, I was about to give up hope and consider keeping "my two boys" When I received a call from a lady and her husband who owned a company called, Perfect Fit Canine. A program that places Labs with Autistic Children. Seriously? Could "my boys" be service dogs? We set up a time and The Wagners came out to see my pups. All went well and my two "unwanted" pups are now going to be trained to become service dogs for Autistic children. If that news wasn't pleasing enough, I was asked to be one of their puppy raisers. I've included some responsibilities that I will be taking on: www.perfectfitcanines.org
** Willing to make a 12-14 month commitment to the puppy?
** Will be able to take the puppy into public environments at least three(3) times per week, after the puppy is 12 weeks old and as you are socializing the puppy educate the public about service dogs and the Perfect Fit Canines program?
** Spend at least 30 minutes a day on obedience training?
** Attend formal obedience classes at Misty Pines Dog Park (or in special situations with a training program approved by Perfect Fit Canines and the Misty Pines Training staff) two (2) times per month throughout the time the puppy is in your home?
**Maintain a monthly general report and a socialization report to be turned in with the quarterly evaluation?
** Ensure the physical health of the puppy including shots, regular veterinary care, neutering and spaying are completed when required by veterinarians with whom Perfect Fit Canines has contracted to donate their services?
**By raising a Perfect Fit Canines puppy, you will have an invaluable role in improving the quality of life for an individual with autism and his or her family.
After a few days of weighing the pro's and con's, I gladly accepted. I will be keeping Blue, I'll add another blog about his name later, and we are working on a puppy raiser for Oscar. My boys have names!! My boy's have a very meaningful life and role ahead of them! Over the next 12-14 months I hope to share my story of being a puppy raiser with you all. I'm excited to be apart of this fabulous program. Thank you.
After a few days of weighing the pro's and con's, I gladly accepted. I will be keeping Blue, I'll add another blog about his name later, and we are working on a puppy raiser for Oscar. My boys have names!! My boy's have a very meaningful life and role ahead of them! Over the next 12-14 months I hope to share my story of being a puppy raiser with you all. I'm excited to be apart of this fabulous program. Thank you.
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