The "Training A Service Dog" Story

It was a ordinary day.  Reading a story in my local newspaper about raising a "service dog."  Maisie Dorwart, a 2019 graduate of local Manheim Central High School is studying at Temple University for her master's degree in speech pathology.  She recently received Cyprus, a retriever mix, this past October as an 8-week-old-puppy.  She picked Cyprus up at the Philadelphia airport, and since then he's been with her almost constantly.  He even goes to class with her, after receiving the approval of her professors ahead of the arrival of Cyprus.  Seems that Service dogs go hand-in-hand with speech pathology.  As a volunteer puppy raiser for Canine Companions, she will have her puppy for 18 months and then the black Lab/golden retriever mix will go to Canine Companion's Northeast Regional training center in Medford, NY were Cyprus will work with a professional, learning more than 40 commands that are useful to a person with disabilities.  He will learn to open doors, turn lights on and off, and retrieve dropped items.  After six months of professional training, he will be ready to be matched with an adult, child or veteran with a disability.  As a puppy raiser, Maisie says that her goal for/with Cyprus is socialization with both people and other animals.  She said that she is teaching him some basic commands.  One such command is "excitable greeting" so that he doesn't jump on people that want to pet him; he must remain seated while being petted.  Maisie said that when she is in Philadelphia, Cyprus goes to campus events and the grocery store across the street from the campus.  She reported that they also have ridden on a mass-transit bus.  When she returns home for visits, she takes him out in the community.  He loves people and all the attention he gets when he's wearing his future-service dog vest.  Everyone wants to meet him which is a great opportunity to tell people about being a puppy raiser.  Maisie takes her puppy to a class hosted by Canine Companions to learn basic commands.  Canine Companions was founded in 1975 and is a national organization that provides service dogs to adults, children and vets.  Maisie works closely with physical and occupational therapists and some of their clients have service dogs.  "I've been able to see, first hand, the difference a service dog can make in someone's life.  I can see that I'll be working with service dogs in my profession," she says.  Miss Dorwart graduated this mast May from Eastern University and began her graduate studies at Temple in the fall.  She says that as an undergraduate student she was living in a dorm, but that's not the case at Temple.  She said that she felt the time was right to be a puppy raiser since she no longer is living in a dorm.  She would recommend being a puppy raiser to anyone who can get on board.  She knows that she will miss Cyprus when he leaves her, but her time with him has been great!  Thinking of being a Canine Companion trainer?  They set you up with everything and give you constant guidance.  They pay for all the food and vet care, but you don't receive any funds as a trainer.  After Cyprus completes his training he will be matched with a person with a disability.  Maisie will be invited to Cyprus' graduation to pass his leash to his new partner.  I'm sure there will be plenty of tears from everyone...including Cyprus!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - check out Maisie and Cyprus below...