News
Breeding Program enhanced
November 16, 2011
Shadows for Life was recently blessed with the generous donation of three very high quality German Shepherd pups. There are two females and one male, and they are named Athena, Asia and Atlas. They just turned 9 weeks old and have already started their training. We now have five German Shepherd’s that we hope to use in our breeding program, including Sasha and Zeus, who we already had lined up for our first litter in the spring hopefully.
Once they mature, the two new females will give Zeus three potential mates (Sasha, Athena and Asia) and Atlas one (Sasha). These are all AKC registered pups/dogs from excellent blood-lines. Although the outcome is still a few years away, we feel that we are headed in the right direction.
Owner trained public access testing
August 10, 2011
With the cost of fully trained Service Dogs at an all time high, with some agencies quoting as high as $30,000 per dog in some cases, many individuals are training their SD themselves. Shadows for Life supports this activity, and has tested several owner trained dogs during the past several weeks. This results in the team either passing the test or identifying the areas that they must continue to work on prior to passing. The task specific testing is tailored to each teams needs, and has the same results.
There are many web-sites depicting owner trained dog initiatives, although it is advised to keep in mind that laws vary from state to state regarding the amount and level of involvement with a recognized agency, such as Shadows for Life. Also, most agencies have hands-on minimum training hours requirements as well as the maintenance of training logs.
Consistent puppy “Jump-Start” programs
April 05, 2011
With the arrival of four new puppies between 22 March and 28 March 2011, we are continuing to maintain a consistent flow of pups participating in our “Jump-Start” program. The four new pups include a German Shepherd (Austin’s Shadow), Golden Retriever (Walker), Mini-Labradoodle (Dauby) and a Goldendoodle (Buddy). These pups are all progressing on schedule, and will be here at Shadows for Life until the first week or so in May. At that time, they will be sent home with their respective “Going-Home” packets to continue their Phase 1 and 2 training. Check the gallery for updated photos of these and other teams in training.
