Dear Friend,
July marks a new fiscal year at DBL, and we're excited to celebrate the incredible milestones we've achieved together over the past year. Thanks to your support, FY23-24 has been a period of significant growth and success for Dogs for Better Lives.
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| A few of the big milestones we'll share more about in the coming months:
- We've expanded our From Shelter to Service Dog Program in Texas, placing our first graduates and bringing more shelter dogs into the program.
- Multiple litters of future Service Dogs embarked on their journey with DBL, including Simba, pictured at the right with his devoted Puppy Raiser, Grace.
- And, we have added new DBL breeder dogs to our program who will help bring the next generation of exceptional Service Dogs into the world.
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| All this, while maintaining an above-industry standard placement rate.
Your commitment as monthly donors has been instrumental in making these accomplishments possible. Each milestone not only represents a success for the past year but also lays the groundwork for the achievements to come. Together, we will continue to transform lives and make a lasting impact. Thank you for being an essential member of The Pack!
Sincerely,
Bryan Williams
CEO, Dogs for Better Lives |
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| 🎉 Welcome to our newest Pack Member! 🎉
Steffan |
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| | | It's time for a pup-date from Rocky!
Rocky has been busy this past month working on his skills with his Puppy Raiser Jenna and her family. He has been practicing his "place" and "under" commands for longer periods of time in more challenging environments. Rocky will be starting to train for his Canine Good Citizen Test and we're so excited for him!
A special bond
Jenna shared a recent story that shows Rocky's bond with children that warmed our hearts! "A few evenings ago, my three year old was having a rough evening. He was crying on the floor and I was sitting next to him. Rocky came and laid down next to us. My son put his feet on him and it was immediately soothing. After a few minutes, he sat up and said through his sniffles, "thanks for being my footrest." And then everything was better and we got on with our night. I think Rocky has a very bright future ahead of him as he intuitively seems to understand how to comfort people."
Fun story of the month
"Rocky is quickly leaving his puppyhood behind him. He started experimenting with lifting his leg when pottying. Unfortunately he seems to fall over about half the time. He's bound and determined to figure it out though and I'm sure he'll be lifting with the big dogs in no time," said Jenna.
Bonus cuteness
"We were outside playing with bubbles the other day. Rocky was pretty excited about them and definitely thought they might be edible. You can see my kids thought that was hilarious!"
Check back next month for more from Rocky! |
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| | Facility Dog Houston: Bringing Comfort and Healing to Children in Need
Houston, a lovable and smart black Labrador Retriever, was donated to Dogs for Better Lives (DBL) from Guide Dogs for the Blind in September of 2023. As our trainers got to know him, it was clear he would excel in the Facility Dog Program at DBL. He dove into the training curriculum, mastering tasks like lap, settle, squish, touch, and visit. In February of 2024, he was ready for his career to begin and was placed with Tami at Douglas C.A.R.E.S, a child advocacy center in Oregon. Read their story. |
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| | Adventures of our Dogs in Training
Our Service Dogs in Training work hard learning their tasks at our two training campuses, but public training outings are critical in their training program. Future Hearing, Autism and Facility Dogs head out into public on a regular basis, practicing their work in a variety of settings. Laika, a shelter dog in training in Texas, recently accompanied DBL Apprentice Trainer Mikayla to the grocery store to practice walking alongside a shopping cart - which is a lot harder than you think! Way to go team! |
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| | Checking in with Facility Dog Archie
Facility Dog Archie has been working alongside Mackenzie for the last year at Central Washington University. Mackenzie noted that Archie has allowed her to build relationships that she might not have typically been able to make, as being in law enforcement can be a deterrent sometimes. Mackenzie mentioned that one of her favorite moments from the past year was when the theatre group on campus invited Archie to visit specifically so they could all sing him happy birthday as a group! Mackenzie also said that she's loved getting to see Archie's goofy side come out and his bond grow with her other pet dogs. Archie is also Instagram famous! You can follow his adventures at @cwu_k9archie. |
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| | UW Fellows Katie Hanschen and Matt Brannon Join DBL’s National Board
We are honored to announce DBL's participation again this year in the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business Fellows Program. Fellows Katie Hanschen and Matt Brannon have joined DBL’s national board for the 2024-25 academic year and will focus on a few key projects to benefit DBL. Projects are still being finalized, but will be focused on helping DBL review, analyze, and improve current processes. Learn more about the Board Fellows program here. |
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