Amazing Animals

Dogs amaze me. I just read this article in the DeseretNews about a dog calling 911 when his owner had a seizure. My hope is to someday train assistance dogs like that, even though I really have no idea whether I’d be good at it or not.

I had hoped to get our lab (Chief) certified as a therapy dog so we could take him to visit people in rest homes and the like. However there’s one requirement he just can’t get past, showing only passive interest in other dogs.

When Chief is gone (hopefully not for awhile still) we will look into one of the puppy raising programs like this one at Canine Companions for Independence.

The war dog program is also very interesting though it has certainly had its ups and downs over the years. One thing is clear, the handlers always vouch for the life saving abilities of the dogs.

http://www.militaryworkingdogs.com/history.shtml

A couple more links:

http://www.pawswithacause.org (the assistance training center that trained the 911 calling dog)

http://www.bestfriends.org (the famous animal shelter and home to the victory dogs)