More than just "Man's Best Friend"
The dogs at Assistance
Dogs of America, Inc. come from a variety of sources, including animal shelters, humane societies,
pounds, pet owners and breeders. All of the dogs in our program are Labrador Retrievers, Golden
Retrievers or mixes thereof. They are between the ages of eight weeks and two years of age. We are
looking for happy, confident dogs that are eager to learn and friendly to people and all other
animals.
Shelter Dogs - New dogs acquired from the shelters, pounds and humane societies are initially screened for temperament behaviors and trainability at the local shelter or humane society. Our staff tests the dogs for friendliness, noise sensitivity, bonding ability, retrieving instincts and general trainability. These dogs must be confident and have the desire to please to become a candidate for our training program. If a dog passes this testing, it is taken out of the shelter and returned to our facility for further evaluations and screening.
Pet Home Donations - Pet home owners contact us when they are looking for a new home for their pet and feel that their dog possesses the qualities we are looking for in an assistance dog. Our staff evaluates and tests the dog at our facility to see how it does in an unfamiliar environment. This allows the staff to determine the dog’s adaptability to new situations and environments. If the dog passes this evaluation, the dog remains at the facility for two more weeks of evaluation. If the dog displays behaviors unacceptable during those two weeks, the owners are required to return and pick up their dog.
Breeder Donations – On occasion breeders will contact us and
inquire about donating a puppy. Ideally these breeders learned about program and want to donate
puppies from their litter to give back to their community. They call to inquire about our
temperament requirements and qualities that we are looking for, so they can select the “right”
puppies for a career as an assistance dogs. These breeders understand the importance of the
animal-human bond and know the wonderful life their dogs will have as life-long companions
fulfilling such an important service. We only accept pure-bred Labrador and Golden Retriever
puppies. The breeding parents must also have OFA hip clearances. Once a dog or puppy passes the
initial screening, they remain at our Education and Training Facility for two to four more weeks of
evaluations for potential behavior and health problems. Each dog goes through a complete physical
during this time by our program veterinarian at Perrysburg Animal Care, Ltd. Each dog is x-rayed
for hip and elbow dysplasia, spayed or neutered, and receives all necessary vaccinations. If the
dog passes the health screening, he enters the training evaluation program. During the training
evaluation, the dog is started on basic obedience and is exposed to many different situations. Our
training staff will test him at our local parks and busy streets to observe any fear related
behaviors. He will be introduced to other dogs and cats to evaluate his ability to get along with
other animals. General training will evaluate his desire to please and his ability to learn
quickly. After the dog passes this thorough screening, he will be placed in our volunteer Foster
Family Program for further training and socialization.
If the dog is not able to train as an assistance dogs, he is released from our program and placed in a pet home through our Pet Home Adoption Program. On occasion if our staff observes the qualities desired as a narcotic or corrections dog, we will contact the Department of Corrections. Many of our released dogs have gone onto careers in law enforcement. Rest assured that in all cases, we never return or take our dogs back to the shelters or pounds.
Happy Endings: Tyler and Tucker
Tyler’s first
service dog, Duke, who served Tyler faithfully for 7 years, passed away in December. Tyler was
diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 8 and lost his equilibrium. Tyler received Tucker, a Golden
Retriever as his new service dog. “ I think Tucker is going to help me be more social and
independent,” says Tyler, who works part time and enjoys going to Toledo Mudhens and Detroit
Tiger games. “He’ll help me balance as I walk and be my good friend and companion. Tucker was
donated by Roy Hayes and fostered by the Eagle family.