Thursday, December 9, 2010

Thoughtful Thursday - The Bark It Furward Edition




Dear Khyra and Phyll,

It’s Good to Give…This Season!” What better way to celebrate the holiday season then through Bark It Furward, a program created to raise awareness and funds for Canine Assistants, a non-profit organization that trains and provides service dogs for children and adults with physical disabilities and the Milk-Bone® brand’s long-time charitable partner since 1997. For nearly 20 years, Canine Assistants has provided 1,000 service dogs to people across the country, giving them the chance to have more independent lifestyles.


Many people in need of a service dog depend on Canine Assistants to pay for the lifelong care of the dog. Without the help of any government funding, Canine Assistants relies on the generosity and private donations made by philanthropic partners, like Milk-Bone®, to help pay for the training of these special needs dogs. In an effort to help care for and train more assistance dogs for recipients across the country, Milk-Bone® is asking you to rally around Canine Assistants.

Bark It Furward was created by Milk-Bone® brand to educate others about the inspiring work being conducted by Canine Assistants. By joining the Bark It Furward movement, you can help raise awareness and much needed funds to provide assistance dogs for people with disabilities.


What Do I Need To Do?

All you need to do is post about the work that Canine Assistants is doing to provide assistance dogs to children and adults with special needs. For every comment you receive on your blog, Milk-Bone® will donate $1 to Canine Assistants! The blogger with the most comments will be given the opportunity to interview Jennifer Arnold, The New York Times best-selling author and founder of Canine Assistants. The winning blogger will be able to speak to Jennifer about her book, her role in the PBS documentary, “Through a Dog’s Eyes,” the organization, how it was started, her training methods, the matching process, and, of course, the puppies!


Bark It Furward takes place between November 18, 2010 and January 4, 2011. We have enclosed information about Canine Assistants and the Milk-Bone® brand’s partnership with the organization that you may use in your blogs. You may also find additional information at CanineAssistants.org and MilkBone.com.


I posted…Now what?

After you post about the program, please send us a link. We will then ask you to provide us with your contact information so that we can notify you if you win the interview with Jennifer Arnold. At the end of Bark It Furward, we will reach out to you regarding the total donation and the interview opportunity.


Thank you for joining the Milk-Bone® Bark It Furward movement. Your efforts this holiday season will help raise awareness and money for the Canine Assistants organization, forever changing the lives of people with disabilities.


Please let us know if you have any questions.


Thank you!


About Canine Assistants


Canine Assistants® is a non-profit organization, founded in 1991, which trains and provides service dogs for children and adults with physical disabilities or other special needs. In addition to physically assisting those with disabilities, Canine Assistants service dogs are instrumental in removing many of the barriers faced by the disabled in today's society.


Service Dogs:

Canine Assistants service dogs assist children and adults with physical disabilities or other special needs in a variety of ways. Some of the tasks the dogs perform include turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, pulling wheelchairs, retrieving dropped objects, summoning help and providing secure companionship. While all of these functions are vitally important in helping a person obtain greater freedom, perhaps the most impressive gift the dogs provide is social, rather than physical, in nature. The dogs eliminate feelings of fear, isolation and loneliness felt by their companions. One Canine Assistants recipient made the value of this gift quite clear when asked by a reporter what she liked most about her service dog. Immediately, she responded, "My dog makes my wheelchair disappear."


Most Canine Assistants service dogs are born, raised and trained at the Milton, Georgia facility, while some are occasionally adopted from local organizations or breeders. The majority of the service dogs are retrievers, including both Golden Retrievers and Labradors.


Companion Dogs:

Like service dogs, companion dogs also serve to assist children and adults with physical disabilities or other special needs. Companion dogs work primarily in a recipient's home, assisting with tasks around the house and more importantly, contributing to the emotional well being of the person.


Seizure Response Dogs:

In addition to service dogs and companion dogs, Canine Assistants also trains and provides seizure response dogs for certain recipients. As with some of the service dogs, these dogs are adopted from various organizations and selectively screened for personality, temperament and general health. Following general training, seizure response dogs are trained to perform one of the following behaviors, depending on the recipient's need: remain next to the person during the course of a seizure, summon help in a controlled environment or retrieve a phone prior to the seizure when indicated by the recipient. Certain dogs may even develop the ability to predict and react in advance to an oncoming seizure once they are placed with their recipient.



Canine Assistants Q&A


General Information


What is Canine Assistants?

Canine Assistants is a non-profit organization that trains and provides service dogs to enhance and improve the lives of children and adults who have physical disabilities, seizure conditions or other special needs.


When was Canine Assistants founded?

1991


Who founded Canine Assistants?

Jennifer Arnold


How many dogs are placed each year?

Canine Assistants currently places between 80-100 dogs annually.


How many dogs are on the farm?

Around 120 at any given time.


How many dogs have been placed since 1991?

Approximately 1,000.


About Our Dogs


What is a service dog?

A service dog is one type of assistance dog that primarily provides physical or mobility assistance.


What types of assistance dogs exist?

Guide, hearing, service, seizure response and emotional support are all types of assistance dogs.


What types of assistance dogs does Canine Assistants train?

The organization primarily provides assistance dogs for people who have mobility difficulties, seizure response dogs for those who have epilepsy and diabetic response dogs.


What is a seizure response dog?

A seizure response dog is another type of assistance dog that assists by responding in a specific way AFTER a person has a seizure to provide help. For instance, the dog may lay by the person during the seizure, retrieve a cordless phone for the person, alert another person (if available) or press a medic alert button.


Can dogs predict or react in advance of seizures?

Yes, but it is a natural ability of the dog that scientists still do not understand and one that cannot be trained or selected. Anecdotal research shows that the dogs are likely responding to an olfactory cue or a certain type of smell. Canine Assistants cannot train our dogs to alert to oncoming seizures. Yet, once a recipient and their dog develop a strong bond, many Canine Assistants seizure response dogs (about 87%) do go on to PREDICT or react in ADVANCE of a seizure, usually with an unusual behavior, such as whining, pawing, pacing, jumping, barking, etc. This may happen a few to several minutes before a seizure, which can be quite helpful for individuals who do not experience an aura or feeling that the seizure is coming on.


What breeds of dogs are trained at Canine Assistants?

Goldens and Labs primarily, although Canine Assistants does have Golden and Lab mixes, as well as other Golden mixes.


Where does Canine Assistants get their dogs?

Canine Assistants has their own breeding program. On-site veterinarian, Dr. Kent Bruno oversees the entire program to ensure the dogs are healthy, in good disposition and are capable of caring for a recipient. Only dogs that are breed at Canine Assistants become service dogs. Because training starts at an early age, just two days old, Canine Assistants has to ensure that the dogs have not been predisposed to any outside behaviors or experiences.


At what age do the dogs start training?

Puppies begin their training at two days old.


How long does it take to train a service dog?

A year and a half.


What commands do they learn?

The dogs learn a wide variety of commands, including opening and closing doors, picking up dropped items and turning on and off lights.


Why do you let people pat your dogs in public?

Canine Assistants allows each recipient to make decisions regarding any potential interactions between his/her dog and people in public. If recipients feel that allowing someone, who politely asks to pat his/her dog, will not cause any negative consequences for any of the parties involved, including the dog, then Canine Assistants feels such interaction is perfectly acceptable. Some programs do not allow their dogs to be touched by people in public fearing that the dogs will become distracted in the present time which may cause them difficulties in the future. Canine Assistants believes that each recipient is capable of determining for him or herself whether or not distraction is a concern. Part of the benefit of having an assistance dog is the increased social interaction of the recipient.


Applying for a Service Dog


What is the application process?

Applications can be downloaded via the website, http://www.canineassistants.org/, on the Applying for a Canine Assistants dog page. Once received, the Recipient Coordinator will contact the applicant within 4 to 6 weeks to conduct an interview and discuss the application. If it is determined that a service dog or seizure response dog will be of benefit to the applicant, they are then placed on the waiting list.


How many people are currently on the waiting list?

Over 2,000


How long is the waiting list?

Unfortunately, the waiting list to receive an assistance dog can span 1 to 5 years and can sometimes take even longer. Without the support and donations of individuals, foundations and corporations, Canine Assistants would not be able to train and care for the 80+ dogs they place throughout the year.


How are applicants placed on the waiting list?

The waiting is need-based; those with the greatest need go to the top of the list. Each applicant is evaluated based on how much a dog could do to help physically, emotionally and socially. Canine Assistants encourages those who need dogs to apply in spite of the long waiting list. We recommend that applicants apply to a number of organization


Are there age restrictions?

Canine Assistants will place dogs with children usually starting around 5 to 7 years of age. Yet, families with younger children are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, as their child will usually be eligible for a dog after time spent on the waiting list.


Who is eligible to apply?

Anyone who has a physical disability, seizure condition or other special need (i.e. diabetes, autism.)


Can dogs be placed with applicants that have other pets at home?

Yes.


How long is a dog in service?

Average age of retirement is about 10, give or take a year or two.


What happens after a dog retires?

Canine Assistants discusses the situation with the recipient and/or family to determine what is best for them. Most dogs remain with the recipient or family as they have become an important part of the family after many years. If the recipient or family is interested in applying for another dog, they are placed on the waiting list and placed with a dog as soon as possible.



Is the Canine Assistants vet clinic open to the public?

No. It is specifically for Canine Assistants animals. Any recipient who is able to easily travel to the Canine Assistants vet clinic can receive veterinary care free of charge. For those who cannot visit the vet clinic, arrangements are made to cover any veterinary expenses if needed with the recipient's local veterinarian.


Information About Our Facilities


How large is the Canine Assistants farm?

18 acres


What other animals are on the farm?

Two miniature donkeys (Lucy and Brooks), two goats (Oreo and Nubbin), eight horses, one cat in the main office (Marabel), one cat on the farm (Stud), two cats in the puppy building (Fishflake – brown tabby; Muchacho – black) and 1 rabbit.


What is the purpose of the animals on the farm?

Many of the animals on the farm have been rescued (i.e. most, if not all, of the horses) and serve as a wonderful opportunity to provide Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) opportunities for special needs groups that come to visit.


Volunteer Opportunities


How can I become a volunteer?

Canine Assistants has both a local volunteer and a national volunteer program. To learn more about volunteer training and opportunities, visit the Canine Assistants website, http://www.canineassistants.org/. Children under the age of 18 are permitted to accompany their parents to training classes and volunteer activities, providing the parent is the primary volunteer.


Financial Questions


If a person cannot afford a dog can they still receive one from Canine Assistants?

Yes! Canine Assistants operates on a needs basis and many of the people who need a service dog cannot afford one. Through donations made by individuals and corporations such as Milk-Bone, Canine Assistants is able to cover the training of each service dog. In addition, food and medical costs for the life of a placed service dog may be provided if such financial assistance is needed.


How much do your dogs cost?

Nothing! Canine Assistants does not charge for any services. Canine Assistants creates sponsorships with companies like Milk-Bone to provide training for the service dogs and to cover aftercare costs, including vet care and food, for those who need the financial assistance. Canine Assistants uses the support of individuals, foundations and corporations to fund the sponsorships and programs.



If I make a donation how will my money be used?

Canine Assistants has a very low overhead, about 5%, which means that when you donate to the organization 95% of your money goes directly to help train, feed, and care for the dogs. It is also used to cover the travel, lodging, and food costs for an individual to come to the Canine Assistants facilities, in Milton, GA, to train with and receive their service dog. It is very important to Canine Assistants that all funding is directed to where it is needed most and that the wishes of our donors are met with honesty, confidence and transparency.


Do you receive government funding?

No, Canine Assistants only accepts private donations. While the organization never wants to turn donations away that would help an individual in need receive a dog more quickly, Canine Assistants does not feel it is right to take tax dollars from individuals who do not know they are giving to our organization. Therefore, Canine Assistants solely relies on the generosity of individuals, foundations and corporations, such as Milk-Bone, to fulfill their mission.


What is a service dog sponsorship?

Service dog and training camp sponsorships are setup to insure no monetary costs are passed on to the recipients. Since Canine Assistants does not charge anything for the services provided, they must raise all funds necessary to support the placement of the service dogs. Service dog sponsorships are instrumental in covering the costs associated with training, boarding, lifetime medical care and placement of a service dog with an individual who has a physical disability or other special need.


What is a training camp sponsorship?

Training camp sponsorships assist in covering food, lodging and transportation expenses during each two-week camp. When an applicant reaches the top of the waiting list, Canine Assistants assigns them to a two-week training camp where the individual will meet and be trained to work with his or her new best friend. Canine Assistants currently conducts six training camps per year, with an average of twelve to fourteen recipients per camp. During these two weeks, the recipients attend lectures on dog management, participate in training sessions at the facility and go on numerous outings to venues of public accommodation such as restaurants, malls and schools to practice handling skills in public.


Do you accept dog donations?

No. If you are interested in donating your dog to an assistance dog organization, please contact the Delta Society to navigate their comprehensive directory of service dog organizations throughout the country. If you need to find a home for your dog in the Atlanta area, you can visit the SPOT Atlanta Area Animal Rescue List. This website provides a listing of various rescue groups for pure breeds and mixed breeds alike. If outside of the Atlanta area, please search for rescue groups in your area using a search engine like Yahoo or Google.


Other Questions


Do you ever have dogs that don’t make it through the program that I can adopt?

In rare instances, Canine Assistants will have a dog that will not graduate from the training program and will need to be placed in a private home. However, this happens few and far between and when it does happen, the dogs are usually adopted rather quickly by Canine Assistants staff members or volunteers. Canine Assistants does maintain a list of interested individuals and is happy to place your name on the list if you wish; however, there are currently over 100 people on the list and if you would like to adopt a dog in the near future, it may be best to contact a rescue group. Please visit the SPOT Atlanta Area Animal Rescue List. This website provides a listing of various rescue groups for pure breeds and mixed breeds alike. If outside of the Atlanta area, please search for rescue groups in your area using a search engine like Yahoo or Google.


Where can I get trained to be an assistance dog trainer?

If you are interested in becoming an assistance dog trainer, there are a few organizations throughout the country that can assist you:


  • Bergin University in Santa Rosa, CA

    • Web site: www.berginu.org

    • Email: info@berginu.org

    • Phone: (707) 554-DOGS (3647)

  • East Coast Assistance Dogs in Dobbs Ferry, NY and Torrington, CT

    • Web site: www.ecad1.org

    • Email: ecad1@aol.com

    • Phone: 914-693-0600, ext. 1952 or 1953

  • NEADS (National Education of Assistance Dog Services, Inc.) in Princeton, MA

    • Web site: www.neads.org

    • Phone: (978) 422-9064


Canine Assistants is also in the process of creating a train-the-trainer program. Check with us in the near future for further details.




So, there woo have it!!!

Please paw a khomment so we khan have a GREEN PAPER pawed along fur this pawesome projekht!

When we were furst khontakhted about this worthy event, we were on my Trek to The Tundra - and didn't get a chance to reply - well, the nice lady wrote me us again - I'm SO furry glad she did fur this is so worth it!We shared with her where we had been and such - and also told her that part of my stuffs taken on the trip were my morning Milk-Bones!

If any of woo would like to host this on your blog, please let me know so I khan furward your inFURmation to her - I've already had some paw their interest!We told her it would be a Thursday fur it fit the theme perfekhtly! She SO agreed!

Please furgive the spacing and such - translating a Word dokhument to Open Office and then khopying and pasting to Blogger - well - say no more, eh! PLUS, fur some reason, IE won't let us paste into Blogger but Firefox will!
GO FIGURE!!!

They had provided all this khool literature fur us to use fur the post and we surely appreciated it - it gives a great RUNdown of what all goes in to this most wonderful programme!



Please feel free to share this post with others so we khan show 'em how BLOGGERS ROKHK and get lots of GREEN PAPERS sent from all of us!!!

Thanks in advance fur your help with this! I know many of us have Blogger pals that are members of the noble khanine helper group! We know the wonderful work they do fur their person and fur the awareness they bring out in the real world to what they are khapable of doing!
Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra
PeeEssWoo: I know it is a longer than usual post, but I really felt all of was worth sharing!

69 comments:

BeadedTail said...

That is a lot of info but it's a great organization! We hope you raise lots of Green Papers!

Lacy said...

w00fs, we always need furkids that help...good job..

b safe,
rocky

houndstooth said...

What a cool post! We learned a lot and we hope you get tons of green papers for them!

Bunny

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Dear Khyra
We always get happy tears when we read about these canine doggys that leave the homes of the humans who have loved them so,,,, so that they can go into the world and do their part in making a difference in someones life. These doggys are chosen,, but they are also loyal.
We have met some of these canine assistance doggys,,, and they are amazing.
How hard it is to let go of them.
We have also seen donkeys and horses that were used in the same way to help children,,,
What a wonderful post...
Bless these beautiful animals
love
tweedles

JacksDad said...

Well I hope you get a gazillion comments so that you win the contest!!!

Jack & Moo said...

What a great cause! We got the info from the nice lady today, thanks fur your help MFT!
Paws crossed woo get lots & lots of green papers donated for your blog posts. (A ga-zillion blog posts would be a good start!)

jack & moo

Wyatt said...

Thanks for sharing this information! What a great cause.
You are the most thoughtful floof tail we know!!

Wyatt and Stanzie

TwoSpecialWires said...

You know just the right words, Khyra. We might need to hire you. Seems the closer we get to the holidays, the less we can apparently depend on Moma to say the right things at the right time. Maybe if she sticks to the simple stuff like, "Do you want to eat?" or "Do you want to go for a walk?" we can depend on her. Anything more complex ... we may be knocking at your door. You did a great job explaining this ... and we hope our comment adds to the green papers.

xxoo
Jake and Fergi

Anonymous said...

Thanks for barking it furward. Hope it's a huge success. Btw, can we leave more than one comment??

Teddy Bear said...

We hope you get lots of green papers.:)

Love,
Teddy Bear

Yas said...

Great post Khyra!
Thanks for sharing all that info, we'll keep our fingers and paws crossed for tons of green papers for those special friends!
We're doing our part too over here! :)

Cheers,
Maxx

Dexter said...

What an outstanding organization. Go with the green papers!

Slobbers,
Mango

P.S. Something weird happened with my internets browser and your photos did not show up. Sheesh.

Rocky Creek Scotties and Rocky Creek Ramblings said...

This is a great project. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.

XOXO
Lilly, Piper, Carrleigh and Ruairi

Angel Ginger Jasper said...

This is a great post and what a great cause. I hope there are lots of takers for this.. Hugs GJ x

Those Elgin Pugs said...

What a great posty Khyra!!

Woo do great tings!!

Tanks for 'da info~

Hugs,
IzZY, Josie, TriXie and Anakin Man

Frankie Furter and Ernie said...

Grrrrreat info. about some dawgs that do a LOT fur two leggers. My mom knows a lady that has a helper dawg and he is sooooo helpful to the lady. I hope tons of GREEN PAPERS are raised fur this.

Chris and Ricky said...

Great idea and I sure hope you get tons of comments that add up to piles and piles of green papers!

Tama-Chan, Benny, Vidock, Violette, Ollie, Heloise, Momo, Ryu said...

What a great cause! We offer our full support!

Woofs,
Tommy

Cyndi and Stumpy said...

This is so awesome in so many ways! So aren't you!

KB said...

What a wonderful organization. Thanks for making us aware of it!

The Taylor CatSSSSS said...

Great info today!!! We love you Khyra!

Anonymous said...

Excellent! Khyra the Khompassionate!

Cheryl, Indiana, Shingo and Molly said...

This is GRRRREAT Khyra!! We'll be happy to help!

Woofs and Kisses!
The Fiesty Three

Ms. ~K said...

Jennifer lives about 45 minutes from me! Wonderful job she does!
I had a student teacher who was in a wheelchair, and she had one of Jennifer's dogs...
I think my students learned as much from that relationship than any lesson I taught all year!!!
Excellent post P!
xoxo
~K

Remington said...

Great information! Thanks for sharing!

Amrita said...

Thankee Khyra, Sheeba wags her tail, twitche she r ears and extends her paw for paw shake

♥I am Holly♥ said...

What a great cause to support! We hope you get lots of green papers! Lots of love, Holly and mom

Sally said...

Thanks for sharing this information!
This is a great project.

Nice woooh
Sally

The Meezers or Billy said...

ok, when we looked at this really fast ferst, we thought it said Cainine ASSASINS.

we will steal some green papers from the mom for them.

Autumn and Jasmine the Maltese said...

Kyra, thanks for the information!!
Mom has always love the canine assistant and she even wanted to help on the training, unfortunately our country doesnt seems to have these kind of canine assistant thing. I've learn a lot bout their wonderful job from mommy and I hope I can learn some basic to help mom as well!


XOXO
Autumn & Jasmine

Sychoberians said...

Its all about the green benjamins when it is for a good cause.

Good luck Khyra

Remy and Flash

Tucker said...

Green is good!!!! We totally support Assistant Dogs and Training. Please check out my post called, "Someone's Been Sleeping On My Carpet". No greens, but a special dog named Cookie who is an Autism Support Dog. Tucker

Unknown said...

Wonderful post, Khyra.
Hope u get heaps of comments and collect hooge numbers of green papers.

How wonderful these service dogs are!What a fruitful life..

wags,
bud, gin, shadow

Angel Junior, Orion and Sammy said...

That is tons of info on a very important organization!!!!

Amy & the house of cats said...

Wow Khyra that is so cool! We think it is great that they are doing this to help raise green papers - we are sure that you will help raise a lot!!

Brian's Home Blog said...

That is such important work, thanks for bringing it to everyones attention!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the educational post. We didn't know about this organization intil today.

wags and woofs,

Violet

Kea said...

Wow, that's fabulous organization! We're wishing you luck with the green papers!

Danielle said...

Canine Assistants is PAWSOME!

The Luke said...

A furry worfy cause! Now bring on the green papers!!!

wif love from the Luke

meowmeowmans said...

PAWSOME! Thanks for sharing with us about Canione Assistants, Khyra. And thank you for Barking it Forward. :)

Zona said...

What a GREAT post, Khyra!! What a fantastic organization.

Wags,
Zona

Anonymous said...

Yippee! What a Most Wonderful cause! Isn't it just Most Amazing? We'll make sure to talk abouts this on our bloggie tomorrow to help get them MORE green papers!

Wiggles & Wags,
mayzie

Gus, Louie and Callie said...

That sure is an awesome post.. Yepper a bit wordy but well worth the read..

Big Sloppy Kisses
Gus, Louie and Callie

pibble said...

Great work, Khyra! I hope you raise lots of money today!

Golden Samantha said...

Wow, Khyra - wordy Thursday, but so worf it!!! 5 years would be a long time for someone who had seizures to wait. I hope you get a huge wad of green to go with that amazing post!
xoxoxo

Ruby's Raiser said...

Interesting post and thank you for your help in raising awareness for service dogs!

Clive said...

Khyra

That is such an interesting post! Thank you so much for letting us know about it - we try to get around to all our friends every day but sometimes we just don't manage it. We would have hated to have missed this ....

We were really interested in every single bit of it - in fact we are going to email our trainers in Irish Guide Dogs tomorrow morning and tell them to check out their website.

1,000 dogs trained since 1991 - this is some number of dogs! Very impressive.

We hope they manage to raise lots of money, as you say, you have friends out there in the blogging world who really know and appreciate the benefit of having a service dog!

thanks again
Murray's Mom

The Airechicks said...

Very interesting post - it's always amazing to read what wonderful work can be done to help folks - Thank you so much for sharing.

Hope they can raise bunches...

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

Here's to more green papers and more dog bones for all. Great project, thanks for helping others again.

Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara

Memories of Eric and Flynn said...

That is a great cause. We hope you get lots of comments.

GreatGranny said...

My son has seizures and he said one of his dogs knows when a seizure is coming on. This dog wasn't trained. He has several dogs and cats. The dogs lay beside him until he recovers from a seizure. I have to wonder what the cats do. This certainly is a good work.

Rachel said...

Such a great deed they and you are doing. God's blessings and good luck to you Khyra!

♥ Sallie said...

Yay! You are awesome!

Hugs,

White Dog Blog said...

Canine Assistance Dogs are awesome! They train hard and are so focused on helping...their dedication is simply heroic. They give lives back to so many humans who could not function without them! I hope LOTS of green papers head their way! Thanks for sponsoring this post...you are always there to make the world a little better.

Cory said...

Canine Assistant dogs make the world a better place to live!

Cheyenne -Millie said...

Furry interesting! Mom works in a class room where they have had guide dogs visit.


PS: Monty says Hi Khyra! Kitty snacks are always best served with pie!!

Hank said...

Now that's a nice post, honey.

Donna said...

That is super win and awesone!! Yay for the nice hooman and all the critters and hoomans she helps! Yay!! :) Extra yay!!

Quill and Greyson said...

Hope you make lots of green papers!

Jans Funny Farm said...

Oh, dear, we don't want to miss this. Bark it forward is a good program and we want to participate. So this is our comment -- thank you, Khyra, for raising awareness among your friends.

Unknown said...

We came from Sagira. Your pictures are really cool and there is a lot of information for my mom to digest too. Hope you get loads of green papers for the organization!

Chester & Mickey said...

What a worthy cause. We're more than happy to help.

Maggie Mae and Max said...

Khyra,

Dis is a wunderful post, I learned lots too!

Woofs and Licks,
Maggie Mae

Unknown said...

Khyra,
I almost missed out. Totally cool program. glad woo let us help out.
norwood

the booker man said...

miss khyra,

i hope it's not too late to leave a woof! me and asa and mama want canine assistants to get 50 gazillion green papers for the wonderific thingies that they do!!

*woof*
the booker man

Anonymous said...

All those service dogs adding people in need,It's all so beautiful it's hard to describe in words,And good luck on getting a ton of green papers,Plus one with this comment.

Dog By Nature said...

Thanks for the heads up on this Khyra, we'll think of something to fit in in our next post..maybe a link back to you would work.

best,

Kona

Kari in Alaska said...

I HOPE IM NOT TOO LATE. This is such an important group that always needs more green papers!

Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com/