News

Family Gets Reunited With Service Dog

December 15, 2020

A Michigan couple was reunited with their rescue service dog after spending three years looking for the dog in an emotional reunion made possible just in time for Christmas. The black Labrador retriever mix named Lola, or as Steve and Debra Mejeur affectionally refer to her, Lola Pup or Poo Butt, is home and the timing […]

Hero Pups Program

December 14, 2020

It’s been four joyful and sometimes chaotic years for Laura Barker, training service dogs that will go on to assist veterans and first responders recovering from physical and emotional damage sustained while on the job or serving in the armed forces. Barker founded the entirely volunteer-run nonprofit Hero Pups in 2016, and this week, she […]

Enzo’s Purpose

December 14, 2020

Alexandra Padilla’s cardiologist recommended that she have a service dog so that she could have a little more independence, and make it easier for her to do things on her own. Padilla was matched with Enzo, a Golden Retriever medical alert service dog, in late March. Since then, she has come to visit him at […]

Service Animals On Planes

December 14, 2020

The days of pets flying with their owners in airplane cabins for free are coming to an end. The Department of Transportation issued a final rule Dec. 2 covering animals on airlines. It decided that only dogs can fly as service animals, and companions that passengers use for emotional support don’t count. The rule aims […]

Police Gets Service Dog

December 11, 2020

More than 10 years after losing his leg in the line of duty, police dispatcher Don Schultz is getting the service dog he needs thanks to a Utah-based nonprofit. In 2019, Schultz paid a Tampa area business nearly $10,000 to train and provide him with a service dog with the hope of regaining his independence. […]

Warrior Canine Connection

December 11, 2020

A Warrior Canine Connection dog has been honored with the AKC’s 2020 Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence in the service dog category. Beavercreek Ohio residents Ryan Garrison and Luke, a six-year-old Labrador Retriever and mobility service dog, were paired up by WCC in 2016. Garrison, who enlisted in the Air Force after the 9/11 […]

Little Boy Needs Alert Dog

December 11, 2020

A few months ago, we brought you the story of a Springfield boy who suffered a life-threatening seizure. His parents are now raising thousands of dollars to get him a sidekick that could be lifesaving, but they’re still a bit short on funds. “It’s feeling more real that we’re gonna make it,” said Carmen Cumba.Cumba […]

Family Gets Boy His Service Dog

December 10, 2020

A local family is looking to raise money for a service dog to help fill a critical need for their ten-year-old son. “It would just make him a little more comfortable in the world that he lives in. The world that he lives in– none of us understand,” admits mom Starla Stevenson. Her son Christian […]

A Service Dog’s Career

December 10, 2020

yellow Labrador retriever named Paul was born to be a Southeastern Guide Dogs superhero, but as fate would have it, that wasn’t to be. Barely out of puppyhood, the 30-month-old dog spent his formative months like every future guide dog, living for his first year or so with puppy raisers, and then heading back to […]

Veterans With Service Dogs

December 10, 2020

Veterans with service dogs in Chino Hills will no longer pay license fees for their animals after the city develops a program with the Inland Valley Humane Society. Assistant city manager Rod Hill told the council Nov. 10 that he has received numerous requests over the years to waive license fees for service dogs owned […]

Companions For Independence

December 10, 2020

Canine Companions for Independence (CCI.org) is a national non-profit that breeds, raises, trains and then gives service dogs, free of charge, to those that need them. I spoke with Aleeta Lehtinen, the president of the Old Dominion Chapter of CCI along with Bruce Hamon, a Vietnam War veteran who recently received Swain, an assistance dog, […]

Firefighters Response Canines

December 9, 2020

Three newly activated teams of chaplains certified as handlers of specially trained service dogs will offer added emotional support services to the employees of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, the agency announced Tuesday. “We are excited to introduce our three canines,” San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell said. “They are highly trained and available to […]

PTSD Service Dog

December 9, 2020

Six years after Warrior Freedom Service Dogs was established, the organization is expanding their one of a kind program that connects veterans to trained service dogs rescued from local animal shelters. Executive Director Adam Keith says the organization’s main goal is to help veterans reconnect with society, while providing service dogs with a loving home. […]

Service Dog For Christmas

December 9, 2020

We have all heard the phrase “man’s best friend” when referring to a dog. But when a dog is a special partner for a special needs child, the bond goes beyond friendship. “Blade” is an English Crème Golden Retriever, adopted at the age of 6 weeks by the Bovaird family last March. The family’s 16-year-old […]

Service Dog Canines

December 9, 2020

San Diego Fire-Rescue welcomed three furry new team members to its department Tuesday. The four-legged family members will serve as part of the SDFD Crisis Response Canine Program. The new program pairs canines with chaplains to provide emotional support to firefighters during and after traumatic calls. Bodie, a 2-year-old Labrador retriever, is one of the […]

Family Needs Service Dog

December 8, 2020

Five-year-old Deklan Gerred’s mom Brianna describes her son as compassionate and daring. “He’s excitable, crazy, funny, loving, curious,” she said. “The list goes on and on.” Deklan was diagnosed with autism when he was two. “He is nonverbal he does have sensory issues,” said Brianna. “Certain noises, bright lights, food textures, clothes textures, things like […]

Service Training Group

December 8, 2020

The U.S. Department of Transportation has put an end to the growing number of travelers claiming mini horses, monkeys and other non-traditional “emotional support” animals should be allowed to travel on airplanes with their owners. The trend began several years ago and was pushed to the fore in 2018 when a woman attempted to board a flight out of Newark […]

Reunited With Service Dog

December 8, 2020

Three years after escaping from a fenced in yard in an unfamiliar city, Lola the black Labrador is back laying on the couch with her mom Debra Mejeur in Kalamazoo. Mejeur has been waiting for this day since Lola ran away in October 2017. After spending years navigating outside on her own and relying on the […]

China Guide Dogs

December 7, 2020

As the Chinese economy has grown into the second largest in the world, the country lags far behind in another marker – the availability of guide dogs for the blind. There are less than 300 guide dogs in China for 17,300,000 visually-impaired people, leaving less than 0.001% of people with access to a guide dog, […]

Service Animals On Planes

December 7, 2020

Federal regulators are firming up a slate of new rules limiting service animals traveling on airplanes in a bid to ensure that the animals are truly assisting people with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Transportation said this week that it is finalizing a rule specifying that only dogs trained to aid those with disabilities will […]