Dear Friend,
April is a time of growth, and we're seeing it in our programs! Last month, we bid farewell to Autumn's puppies as they headed out to live with their volunteer Puppy Raisers all across the country. This marks the beginning of an exciting chapter in their lives, filled with boundless opportunities to develop the foundational skills needed to become exceptional Service Dogs. |
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| Another exciting area of growth is in our From Shelter to Service Dog Program. We have 8 shelter dogs in our training program in Texas, including Chilli, who is in the photo above. These resilient shelter dogs, once overlooked, are now working to become potential Service Dogs. They are channeling their love, intelligence, and drive into their training. Additionally, we have welcomed four dogs transferred from our partner organizations, some of which have already begun their training in our programs.
This influx of new recruits marks the most dogs we've had in our programs to date—an encouraging sign as we work tirelessly to grow the number of Service Dogs we place.
Each dog in our care has the potential to significantly change the life of someone with disabilities for the better. |
| | Autumn's puppies pose for a photoshoot before heading out to their Puppy Raisers or partner organizations in March. |
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| Your support makes our programmatic growth possible, and I extend my deepest gratitude to you for your ongoing commitment.
Sincerely,
Bryan Williams
CEO, Dogs for Better Lives |
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| 🎉 Welcome to our new Pack Members! 🎉
Annie, Betty, Janice, Jeane, Philip, Ted |
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| | | It's time for a pup-date from Rocky!
Rocky had a growth spurt! He's already 4 months old and working hard on his training with his Puppy Raiser, Jenna. Jenna says, "We've been working on stay, come, and leave it this month and he is doing really well! He absolutely loves to play 'come' between me and me daughter."
Fun story: "Rocky got to play in the snow recently and had a blast. It was the most zoomies I've ever seen him have! He's actually a pretty mellow guy most of the time. In fact sometimes it's hard to get him up in the morning. My husband is an early riser and takes Rocky with him. When he opens his kennel in the morning, however, Rocky isn't always ready. Most mornings he yawns and stretches and dawdles for a bit before finally coming out of his kennel. He then immediately flops on his belly on the carpet, legs sticking straight out behind him and drags himself out the door by his front paws. It must feel great to get those big stretches in the morning!"
Check back next month for more from Rocky! |
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| | NEXT WEEK! Training Shelter Dogs to Become Service Dogs
Mark Your Calendars! Our webinar is just a a week away and you won't want to miss it! We'll be sharing the journey the shelter dogs at Dogs for Better Lives take on their way to becoming life-changing Service Dogs. It's been nearly a year since we've launched this program in partnership with Operation Kindness near Dallas, Texas, and there is much to share! Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn how this program works and get involved. Can't make it live? The recording will be shared with all registrants after the event. RSVP today.
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| | Checking in with Certified Hearing Dog Ganache and Lauren
From Lauren," I flew solo across the country with Ganache this year! I had so much anxiety about the trip, traveling alone as a deaf person. Having Ganache gave me a sense of security in my environment knowing that if an alarm were to sound off, she would tell me about it. She did alert me of the seatbelt dings in the plane which impressed me, because we hadn’t practiced it. Everyone who saw her raved about how well trained she was and it gave me an opportunity to talk about the great things DBL is doing for those in need like myself. I had no idea how much of the world I was missing before I was matched with Ganache." |
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| | Second Annual Bone AppeTREAT
We're bringing back our fun online event this spring on May 18th. Bone AppeTREAT is a reality-show-style fundraiser featuring our contestants who will be vying for your votes in this unique dog treat competition. There will be opportunities to participate in the show, so RSVP now to join us on Saturday, May 18, 2024! It’s free and everyone’s invited. RSVP today! |
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