Saint Francis Service Dogs Spring Summer 2019

Graduation!

A t Graduation, we celebrate partners and their Saint Francis Service Dogs. Saint Francis Service Dogs can change the lives of a person, a family, and a community for the better. Our dogs are trained to empower both children and adults who face a wide range of disabilities including autism, arthritis, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and more. Every day, Saint Francis Service Dogs make amazing differences in the lives of those they love. They can retrieve dropped items – everything from a sweater to a dime. They can open heavy doors. They often help with daily activities such as dressing or cooking. They can provide assistance when their partner is injured or in distress. For the dogs, it starts in early puppyhood and lasts for two years or more. For them, it means learning to be brave no matter what the environment, steady no matter how stressful things are, and prepared to work at a moment’s notice. the bond between our newest

For the people, it starts with a hope and ends up with a dream come true. For them, it means undergoing a rigorous application and screening process, preparing for meeting the financial, physical and emotional requirements of partnership with a Saint Francis Service Dog, interviews with potential dogs, team training, follow up training, regular reporting and testing. These partnerships could not happen without a lot of hard work and commitment from many people. Volunteers, inmates, breeders and donors all put their shoulder to the wheel in order to help us produce the kind, gentle, smart and healthy dogs that are capable of changing people’s lives. All of these people help us – and they do it quietly and without fanfare. After all the hard work is done, we watch the new teams leave together to go out into the world and tackle it head on. It is an amazing privilege. We are proud to announce the Saint Francis Graduating Class of 2019.

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