Thursday, March 13, 2014

There are reasons

Chippewa
January 30, 2014

Tammy sits in a corner with the lead raisers of the new pups; even inmate raisers have contracts to sign and paperwork to initial.

Meanwhile, everyone else visits and fawns over FLDs Ashely and Chewy and the other puppies.

Three men dressed in white t-shirts fawn over a small german shepherd puppy. The puppy is being held by the man on the right, who is just barely in the frame, you can only see his left shoulder and arm and his chin. The man in the middle is behind the puppy and looking down at it. The man on the left ihas his two hands near the puppy's snout like he is holding a treat in his fingers. He is bending toward the puppy.
Fawning over FLD Chewy.

An almost adult black lab wearing a baby blue leader dogs for the blind working jacket is standing and facing to the right, nosing a small black lab puppy that is being held by a young man who is squatting down. The man is wearing the pirson blue shirt and pants with the orange stripes on the shoulders and legs. The man is looking at the puppies. Another man is sitting on a table stool behind the larger puppy. He is wearing a white t-shirt and blue pants. He is bald with a short beard. His elbow are on his knees and he is looking at the littler pup. A lunch table is in the background with a bag on it.
FLD Nell meets FLD Ashely.

One of the men questions me about a scene in the Mutual of America video, "Inside to Outside Initiative - Prison Puppy Raising Program." ARUS Rob had shown them the video that premiered at a special luncheon in Rochester Hills earlier in January.
Leader Dogs for the Blind received Mutual of America's national 2013 Community Partnership Award. Part of the prize was a professionally produced video about the program. You can view the video HERE.
The scene in question shows an Iowa inmate tossing a ball for one of the puppies in the prison yard. We often tell our raisers that fetch is not the best game to play with our retriever breeds, as the game can get a puppy too "ball obsessed" and interfere with working.

"But in the puppy manual it states that fetch is okay if it is 'low key.' Just what is 'low key?'" the inmate asks.

We chat about how low key means no over-hand throwing, that if you play fetch it is important to use a variety of toys and not just a ball (in fact, we discourage balls altogether), how the puppy should not get so excited that it cannot be redirected to do something else.

"Teaching your puppy that bringing things to you is a game could be a good thing, especially if your puppy has something it shouldn't," I say. "But if your puppy gets too focused, I would stop playing fetch." A ball-obsessed dog who forgets it is working and lunges after a rolling ball dragging its handler will not be a safe guide dog.

I suggest other games, like putting the puppy on a sit/stay and hiding a favorite toy for it to find. "Use a word such as 'search' instead of 'find,'" I warn. "Find" is a cue the pup will learn later when it becomes a working guide dog. (Find the chair, find the door, find the counter...) Leader Dogs asks that puppy raisers avoid words that are used when the dog is actually working.

It seems like too many rules sometimes, but keeping in mind how things might later impact a blind or visually impaired handler makes it easier to comply.

And now, just because FLDs Ashely and Chewy are so darn cute, here they are again!

A young inmate wearing the prison uniform is sitting down with the small black lab on his lap. His right hand is petting the head of the puppy while his left hand is supporting her body. Her brown leash is drapped over the knee of another inmate who is sitting on the right side in the photo - this man is african american and is wearing a white t-shirt and blue pants. His head is just out of the frame, his right elbow is resting on his thigh.
FLD Ashly with her new raisers.

A man is standing, facing hte camera and holding a small german shepherd puppy. The upper part of his face is out of the frame, but he is smiling, he has a light beard. He is holding the puppy with his arms and they are filled with tattoos. The puppy is wearing a blue bandana with a white triangle patch with red words that say Future Leader Dog and a black paw print. Embroidered on one side of the bandana is the word "Chewy" in white letters. Opposite is a picture embroidered of Chewbaca, from the movie Star Wars. There is another man in the background on the left against the far wall looking toward the right. Also in the background on the right side at the bottom of the photo is a golden retriever lying on the floor looking at the camera like it is bored.
FLD Chewy and his happy raiser.

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Sometimes...a photo opp

Chippewa
January 30, 2014

ARUS Rob directs Tammy to park the Leader Dogs for the Blind van close to the Pike Unit gate so the inmate raisers can carry in the 50-pound dog food bags. We hand FLDs Harper, Tara and Copo's leashes off to the men, who are more than happy to take the pups. Harper leaps with joy to see his buddies.

Tammy wants to hand FLDs Ashley and Chewy over the shoulders of their new raisers while everyone else sees the pups first, so she carries them into the administration building with us to check in.

Check in is always a process. We sign our names and entry time into the logbook. We give our driver's licenses to Rob, who disappears and returns with our prison IDs. We declare anything that we are bringing in, like my camera and flash, or Tammy's training bag of distractions. The CO (corrections officer) on duty gives Tammy a key to one of the lockers lining the opposite wall so she can leave the van keys, and anything else we forgot to take out of our pockets that can't go inside the fence. The CO swipes the back of our right hands with some kind of invisible marker.

This time we are asked to walk through a metal detector that is off to the side. A female CO is apologetic as she pats us down and checks the inside of our mouths. Frankly, we are surprised that this doesn't happen every time.

The Pike Unit lunchroom is buzzing with anticipation when we finally get inside. Chewy and Ashley's raisers stand in the middle of the room with their backs to the door. The place is packed with puppies and inmates, prison employees, and a few outsiders. The Bardsleys are here, Paula is snuggling up FLD Copo. Kim, a puppy raiser from the Canadian Soo, is here; an inmate raiser is handling her puppy, FLD Kayla. Judy, a local U.P. resident, is here to learn and observe so she can take a puppy out on furlough.

Between smiles and greetings, I hustle through the crowd so I can position myself in front of the two new raisers.

Sometimes, I know a photo opportunity when I see one...

A close head shot of a young man dressed in a blue shirt with orange stripes on the shoulders facing the camera. He is looking toward his left shoulder, where a black lap puppy is being handed over to him. Another man is standing on the right side, half-way out of the picture, he is wearing a white tshirt.
Tammy hands FLD Ashley to his new raiser amidst a round of "awwwwws!" from the crowd.

A close shot of a man's head and shoulders facing the camera. He is wearing a white t-shrit and a woman with glasses is passing a small german shepherd puppy over his right shoulder. He is glancing at the puppy and smiling. He has a bald head and a short beard.
FLD Chewy meets his new raiser as Tammy passes him over the inmate's shoulder.

The two men are now holding thier respective puppies. The man on the left has the blue shirt and is holding a small black lab puppy and looking down at it; the man on the right in a white t-shirt is holding a german shepherd puppy, his arms are covered in tatoos. A short woman with short white hair and glasses is standing with her hand son her hips behind the two men. She is wearing a maroon fleece jacket with a blue hooded sweatshirt under it. On the floor behind her you can just see a goldern retriever lying on the floor looking at the camers. On the far right side in the background is a man sitting down, he is wearing a white t-shirt and blue pants.
Gentlemen, meet your puppies!

An african american man wearing a white t-shirt is on the left side looking at a black lab puppy being held by another man on the right side. Both men are smiling and looking at the puppy. The man on the left is holding the puppy's front paw with his right hand.
FLD Ashely's lead raiser introduces her to her assistant raiser.

A different african american man wearing a blue shirt with an orange stripe is on the left side looking at a german shepherd puppy that is being held by a man in a white t-shirt. Another man's arms are reaching in from the right side. The man on the left's two forearrms are covered in tattoos and he is petting the puppy's ears.
FLD Chewy's assistant raiser introduces the pup to FLD Sammy's raiser. Everyone wants to meet the new puppies.

A black and white close up shot of a small black Lab being held in a man's arms.
FLD Ashley gets the first of many snuggles.

A close up shot of a grerman shepherd puppy being held in the arms of a tattooed man. The man is wearing a white t-shirt and you can only see the bottom half of his face. His neck has tattoos also.
FLD Chewy in the arms of his inmate raiser.

A man dressed in a white t-shirt is holding a small black Lab puppy like a baby in his arms. The puppy is sleeping and the man is looking down at it with a smile.
FLD Copo snoozes in the arms of an inmate.

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Tuesday, March 11, 2014

A day in the life...

January 29-30, 2014

Transporting puppies north from Leader Dogs for the Blind to the U.P. prisons requires careful planning and some amount of juggling. At the end of January, puppy counselor Tammy was charged with picking up four puppies in Rochester Hills; three would be delivered to the Chippewa Correctional Facility and one to the Baraga Correctional Facility.

"This is my life," Tammy said, describing her saga. "I worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Every day my whole client load showed up and then I had to do the paperwork." She works at a medical center doing diabetic nutrition counseling.

While Tammy had full intentions of leaving work at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday to get an early start, she was delayed until 3:00. She went home and picked up her son so she would have some help, then drove about one hour to Leader Dogs. Here she swapped out her car for a Leader Dog van. From 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. they organized and hauled crates, 50 pound bags of dog and puppy food, and finally, four puppies - a German Shepherd (Chewy), brother and sister black Labs (Copo and Ashley) and a class-ready black Lab (Tara) who needed some extra help with stairs.

After an hour drive back home, they had to get all the puppies inside for the night. "I brought each dog in individually," Tammy said. Her three large and excited dogs met them at the door: retired Leader Dog "dad" Midas (a Golden Retriever), career-changed black Lab Ivan, and Leader Dog "dad" Ruckus (a black Lab). Tammy's Future Leader Dog Harper was on loan at my house for the week, but I'm not sure that his absence was noticed amongst all the mayhem.

"By the time I got them all in it was time to park them all!" Tammy said. And then it was feeding time, followed shortly by more parking.

"I got to bed about 1:00 and got up about 6:00," Tammy said. "All puppies slept all night." That was great, but now she had to park them all again, feed them, park them again, and get everything back into the van, this time without her son's help. "My goal was to leave at 7:30," she said. By 7:45 she had the puppies in the van and headed north.

Tammy stopped three times to park puppies before picking me and FLD Harper up at a park-n-ride along I-75. We stopped twice more along the way. At one rest stop, we took turns trying to get FLD Chewy to park (hey, we have to park too). "He peed!" I exclaimed as Tammy returned to the van from the rest rooms.

Road conditions were not as bad as we have driven other times this snowy winter of 2013/2014, but not 70 miles per hour good.

"After all that, we were only a half hour late," Tammy said.

A white-haired woman wearing glasses is carrying a puppy under each arm. She is wearing a maroon fleece jacket over a blue hooded sweatshirt. The puppy on the left is a german shepherd and the puppy on the right is a black lab. Both have brown leashes hanging down.
Tammy carries in FLDs Chewy and Ashley to present to their new raisers.



Coming up next...new puppies at Chippewa!

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Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Star puppies!

Chippewa
January 30, 2014

Future Leader Dog puppies being raised in the Chippewa Correctional Facility were tested by puppy counselor Tammy Bartz for the American Kennel Club's "S.T.A.R. Puppy Program." Tammy  is a "Canine Good Citizen" (CGC) evaluator for the American Kennel Club (AKC).

The AKC offers these programs for puppy/dog owners to recognize responsible ownership. The S.T.A.R. program is for puppies under one year of age. The CGC takes these skills to a higher level for older dogs.

From the AKC website, here are "20 steps to success: The AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Test."
S ocialization
T raining
A ctivity
R esponsibility

OWNER BEHAVIORS:
1. Maintains puppy’s health (vaccines, exams, appears healthy)
2. Owner receives Responsible Dog Owner’s Pledge
3. Owner describes adequate daily play and exercise plan
4. Owner and puppy attend at least 6 classes by an AKC Approved CGC Evaluator
5. Owner brings bags to classes for cleaning up after puppy
6. Owner has obtained some form of ID for puppy-collar tag, etc.

PUPPY BEHAVIORS:
7. Free of aggression toward people during at least 6 weeks of class
8. Free of aggression toward other puppies in class
9. Tolerates collar or body harness of owner’s choice
10. Owner can hug or hold puppy (depending on size)
11. Puppy allows owner to take away a treat or toy

PRE-CANINE GOOD CITIZEN® TEST BEHAVIORS:
12. Allows (in any position) petting by a person other than the owner
13. Grooming-Allows owner handling and brief exam (ears, feet)
14. Walks on a Leash-Follows owner on lead in a straight line (15 steps)
15. Walks by other people-Walks on leash past other people 5-ft away
16. Sits on command-Owner may use a food lure
17. Down on command-Owner may use a food lure
18. Comes to owner from 5-ft when name is called
19. Reaction to Distractions-distractions are presented 15-ft away
20. Stay on leash with another person (owner walks 10 steps and returns)

Having met all the criteria for the S.T.A.R. program, the inmate raisers (and their puppies) at Chippewa were awarded medals and certificates on January 30, 2014.

Here are the team photos:

Two men are standing with a golden retriever that is sitting between them. The dog is wearing a baby blue jacket and a black graduation cap and a metal around its neck. The man on the left is wearing a blue longsleeve shirt and green pants. The man on the righ is wearing a white t-shirt, green pants and a blue baseball cap.
FLD Drummond and his current raisers.
Two men are sqatting with the same golden retriever between them. The dog is sitting down and is wearing a black graduation cap and medal around its neck. The man on the left is wearing a maroon sweatshirt and blue pants. The man on the right is wearing a blue shirt and green pants. On the wall behind them is a white poster with blue letters that say Leader Dogs for the Blind, with the Leader Dogs logo above it of a person with a guide dog.
FLD Drummond and his raisers that took him through the S.T.A.R. puppy test.
Two men wearing white t-shirts and blue pants are kneeling on one knee with a golden retriver betweent hem. They are trying to put a black graduation had on the dog. The dog is wearing a blue bandana with a white triangle patch with red letters that say Future Leader Dog and a black paw print. There is a yellow and blue ribbon around the dog's neck with a medal on it. Behind them on the wall is a poster that says Leader Dogs for the Blind.
FLD Bravo and his raisers, trying to put the graduation hat on him.
The same two men are kneeling on either side of the golden retriever, who is now wearing the black graduation hat.
Success! FLD Bravo and his raisers.
Two men are kneeling on one knee with a golden retriever between them. The man on the left is wearing a white t-shirt and blue pants. The man on the right is wearing a green sweatshirt and blue pants. Behind them on the wall is a white poster with Leader Dogs for the Blind written on it. The dog is wearing a black graduation cap and a yellow and lbue ribbon with medal around its neck.
FLD August and his raisers.
Two african american men are squatting with a black lab who is sitting between them. The men are wearing white t-shirts and blue pants and orange stripes. The man on the left has glasses. The lab has a black graduation cap on his head and is wearting a blue bandana. The man on the right has his hands around the dog. Behind them on the wall is a white poster with Leader Dogs for the Blind on it.
FLD Sammy and his raisers.
Two men are kneeling on one knee with a yellow lab sitting down between them. The men are wearing blue shirts and blue pants with orange sripes on the shoulders and legs. The dog is wearing a black graduation cap and has a yellow and blue ribbon around its neck wth a medal. A white poster is on the wall behind them that says Leader Dogs for the Blind.
FLD Zella and her raisers.
Two men are kneeling on one leg with a black lab sitting in front of the man on the left. That man is holding the dog with his hands. The men are wearing white t-shirts and blue pants with orange strips. Both men have shaved heads. The lab is wearing a black graduation cap with a yellow and lube ribbon around its neck with a medal and a blue bandana. A white poster is on the wall behind them that says Leader Dogs for the Blind.
FLD Nell and her raisers.
Two men are squatting down with a golden retriever sitting betweent hem. The men are wearing white t-shirts and blue pants. The golden retriever is wearing a black graduation cap and a yellow and blue ribbon with a medal around its neck. Behind them on the wall is a white poster with Leader Dogs for the Blind on it.
FLD Harper and the raisers that took him through the S.T.A.R. puppy test.

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