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07/21/2008 07:48 AM

 

They Really Are Man's Best Friend ! July 3, 2008 ECO staff – Laure Cioffi, Senior Journalist WAYNE TWP. – Teaching dogs and their owners has always been a passion for Danielle Wilson. And for the last few years the Wayne Township woman has taken that passion to a new level training assistance dogs that go to people with disabilities. Wilson, a Hermitage, Pa., native, is a field instructor for Paws With A Cause, a national organization that trains and places service dogs with people who are deaf, confined to wheelchairs or have mobility issues such as those associated with muscular dystrophy or multiple sclerosis. The Michigan-based nonprofit group boasts placing dogs with people throughout the United States since 1979. Wilson first became involved as a volunteer foster caregiver for a service puppy-in-training program. She eventually raised four puppies for the group before becoming a field representative. As a contracted employee of the group, Wilson oversees the training of puppies placed in homes from Erie to north of Pittsburgh and then later trains the new owners how to utilize the dog’s service skills. Last Friday, six Labrador retriever puppies arrived at Wilson’s Wayne Township home from the Paws With A Cause breeding program in Michigan. The group breeds Labrador retrievers and golden retrievers for the program. Wilson delivered the puppies to their new foster families that night and will spend the next year helping those families socialize the puppies and teach them basic dog obedience. Maria McGrosky of Hanover Township, Beaver County, received one of the seven-week-old puppies, Opie. (pictured below) McGrosky, an English teacher at Moon Area High School and mother of three children, said she’s had contact with people in Paws With A Cause over the years through school and other places, but only recently decided to join the program to raise a foster puppy. McGrosky said she and her husband decided it would be a great way to teach their children about giving back to someone in need. “I see so many kids who get and get and get. We thought this would be something where they could give back, but when you have kids you need something that holds their interest,” she said. Opie and the other puppies will be given basic obedience training, at no cost by Wilson. She also operates Canine University, a dog training school at her Wayne Township home. Wilson started training dogs 22 years ago and started her own business 13 years ago when she was living in Durham, North Carolina. Wilson also meets the foster families twice a month at a public place where puppies are socialized. Wilson said she tries to pick places with lots of distractions like restaurants, movie theaters and bowling alleys to get the dogs used to being in public. The dogs wear capes that identify them as service-dogs-in-training. Wilson said foster families must apply to the organization to become foster parents. They receive the dogs and training at no charge, but are responsible for food and veterinary care. Vet care is provided at a reduced rate by veterinarians involved in the program. “You do have to give the puppies back, but the personal reward is wonderful,” Wilson said. “The dog literally changes someone’s life.” Wilson said the families involved switch puppies every once in a while for a few days so the dogs don’t become too attached to their foster families. “We want the puppies to be versatile,” she said. After about a year, the dogs are sent back to Michigan where they learn specific skills needed to assist the person with whom they’ve been matched. Some dogs are trained to alert deaf owners to crying babies, ringing telephones and other sounds. Others learn how to pick up objects such as credit cards and keys or support people who have balance issues. Some dogs are also trained to help people who are having seizures by alerting others. Wilson said it costs the organization $18,000 to $25,000 to train each dog, but they are given at no cost to the people with disabilities. All costs are picked up through private donations. The dogs work as service dogs until they are about seven or eight years old and then they retire. The retired dogs usually end up with a family member of the disable person, but if that’s not possible another family is found, she said. Once a dog is retired, the disabled person is automatically given a new dog, Wilson said. This continues through their lifetime. Wilson said once the dogs are trained in Michigan and placed with a disabled person she often has to train the new owner everything from basic dog care to the more specialized tasks. “Most of these people have never owned a dog, let alone a service dog,” she said. Wilson said the program is most rewarding for her when she sees someone gain independence because of their dog. She recently worked with a woman living near Pittsburgh who was homebound, but since getting her dog can go to the grocery store and to the pharmacy for her medicine. The dog has been trained to help the woman pay for purchases and pick up items she needs like keys, Wilson said. The dogs can be easily identified while they are working because they wear special vests. Wilson notes that others who see the dogs have to be respectful and not try to engage or pet the dogs while they are working. “It’s really an extension of that person,” she said. To learn more about Paws With A Cause go to www.pawswithacause.org and to learn more about Danielle Wilson visit her web site at www.pacanineu.com