News
German Shepherd time
February 19, 2011
We now currently have six German Shepherds on site, one of which is an agency demo dog (Powder, 7 years old), and the other five are puppies in training, four for special needs! Two of the pups are 18 week old brothers from Vom Springer German Shepherds in Nebraska, and a third pup from them is coming this way around the middle of March for a new client in Temple, TX. These are very high quality pups with outstanding temperaments and a strong desire to learn. They should make excellent Service Dogs even though they both face highly complex training with their “team-mates”.
The youngest GSD pup here is a 12 week old named Kia for her team-mate in Waxahachie, TX, and she is also doing very well in her “jump-start” program. Of course, Sasha is still here and is already one year old! Her temperament remains extraordinary and her training is progressing nicely. She will potentially be used to breed puppies with similar desirable traits in about another year.
New pups in training - 2011
January 19, 2011
The number of inquiries to Shadows for Life has continued to grow, both for children and adults! We now have two of the three new pups that we were expecting to arrive in the December - January time-frame here with us, and the third will be here as soon as we can get him out of snowbound South Dakota. When the 15 week old German Shepherd ("Ryder") arrives he will coincidentally be re-united with his litter-mate, “Jonah” Both of these pups will be taught multiple tasks to assist their teammates with.
The third pup is a nine week old Standard Poodle named “Max”. All three of these pups are from excellent breeders and our expectations are very high for them! Not only did both breeders work with our clients on reducing the cost of the dogs, but Siena Standard Poodles (Woodway, TX) went as far as to donate their pup for a young boy in Hondo, Texas.
We are also planning on a new pup (Golden) in early February, and expect this level of activity to continue throughout 2011! We are constantly making minor improvements to our new property for the pups/dogs, but our number one priority far and away is to construct a building for the dogs. Having a separate environmentally controlled building will enhance their training significantly. The agency is actively seeking grants, donations and fund-raising opportunities to help achieve this goal. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Long term board & train
November 22, 2010
We are in the process of developing a new program for clients who can not actively perform the service dog training themselves due to their specific disability. This will entail keeping the pups with us and working with them here at our facility, as well as at the client’s residence, while they mature. We are also currently seeking out foster homes to cycle the puppies through during the training process. This is good news for the agency and is indicative of the growth process in this industry.
The need for a facility is very evident and we have obtained several estimates based on varying types of buildings dedicated to the dogs. The building must be environmentally controlled and somewhere along the 30’ x 40’ range. This would allow for indoor training during inclement weather and during the hotter months also.
There are currently three additional pups that will be coming here to stay for extended training. Two of them will be here by mid-January, and a third is actually being fostered in Oregon for the first year and will then come to Texas next Fall. Until we get a separate buidling to house and train the dogs in we will continue to keep them in the house out of the elements and close to a pack. Please share any comments or suggestions that you may have regarding the building.
