b"reality sound bites.FORTLAUDERDALEA Therapy Dog & A Service Dog, All In One.by Cindy RiesgoI found Katie in a shopping cart outside of goneseveralhoursofobediencea SAMs Club. She was only about 10 weeks along with compatibility evaluationsold. Once home with her, I realized she was by a certified trainer and dog behav-a breed of dog that is misunderstood and ioristwhohasexperiencetrainingdiscriminated against. So I educated myself and certifying Police K9 and Serviceon the breed. I began training her, and we Dogs. There are lots of fake servicecontinuehertrainingeveryday. Thereis dogs out there so I wanted to makealwaysroomforimprovementandnew sure I followed protocol. Once I hadtechniques to learn.thetrainerevaluateher,IeducatedOnce she turned a year-old, I realized myself on the ADA (Americans withhow loving she was and wanted to share her DisabilitiesAct)andhowapersonwith others as a therapy dog. I have a Yorkie withaservicedogisprotected.mix who is also a therapy dog. Katie was Aservicedogteamalsohasrulesevaluated, and after several obedience class- to follow. es, she passed the American Temperament OnceconfirmedwebothstartedTestSocietystestandherCanineGood As an AmbassaDog for Fort Lauderdale Airport, the process of obtaining 200 hours ofCitizen test. We are now proud members of Katie befriends a young traveler. training. Though this may not alwaysAlliance of Therapy Dogs (formallyknown be required by the ADA, I wanted toas Therapy Dogs Inc.). Our therapy visits consist of visiting spe- be fully prepared in the event I was ever placed in a situation tocial needs children at a middle school in Broward County. As an challenge an establishment. I'm proud to say Katie travels withAmbassaDog for the Fort Lauderdale Airport, she greets weary me everywhere. Though I love all three of my dogs, Katie and Itravelerseveryweek. WedomonthlyvisitstotheRonald have a bond like no other. It may sound odd, but I always knowMcDonald House in Miami and weekend visits to a local nurs- whats she thinking and she always knows what I'm feeling. Iing home. could not get through some days without her. I may have savedI have PTSD and Katie is my Service Dog. She has under- her four years ago, but she saves me every single day. UPalmettoThe Successful Journey of Two Puppies.by Anna CookeBrothersJackie,ayellowLabradorRetriever, and Gibson, a black LabradorRetriever, were born on April 14, 2014 atthe Southeastern Guide Dogs facility inPalmetto. Atjusteightweeksold,theybecame the poster pups for the organiza-tion. The puppies appeared on brochures,print ads and television commercials tohelpbringawarenesstothedestinyofcaninesthatbecomeguideorservicedogs through the organization.Theylivedwiththeirvolunteerpuppy raisers for a little more than a year,learningbasicobedienceandsocializa-tion skills. They returned to the school inJune 2015 where certified trainers taught with their visually impaired handlers in Gibson is Vickis seventh guide dog. Shethem more than 40 commands as they the same guide dog class; Carol Messner came to class with a wish list of five traitsmatured into their careers as guide dogs. with Jackie and Vicki Smith with Gibson. she hoped for her dream dog. I had noEarlier this year, we met the dynam- During their training together, Carol idea if it was possible. I would have beenic duo during Southeastern Guide Dogs said it took her two weeks to fully trust happy with three out of the five traits.240th graduation ceremony, this one held in Jackie. Now, a peace comes over me, They didnt leave out anything. Gibson isat the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. Jackie just having her with me, she said. everything I asked for. Its a match madeandGibsonhadbeenperfectlypaired Asaseasonedguidedoghandler, in heaven, said Vicki. U20 THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com"