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| Mandy Mueller raises puppies that enrich people's lives |
Quiche is a 7-month old Golden Retriever
who will, someday soon, make a big difference in someone’s life. She is being
trained by Sandusky County resident Mandy Mueller, a volunteer “Puppy Raiser”
for Canine Companions. Founded in 1975, Canine Companions is a non-profit
organization that provides highly trained assistance dogs for the ongoing
support to people with disabilities.
Canine Companions also recognizes the
brave men and women returning home from combat with disabling injuries who experience
a litany of new challenges when trying to transition back to civilian life. Their
exciting new pilot program in California places service dogs with veterans suffering
from PTSD. Maybe, when Quiche is fully trained, she may help a veteran who is dealing
with difficult emotions that are bottled up inside.
These new PTSD
assistance dogs are being trained in nightmare interruption,
turning on lights, retrieving items, and comforting PTSD-stricken veterans in
crowded public situations that might provoke their anxiety. They hope to expand this project to include
paramedics, police officers, firemen and other first responders who also suffer
from PTSD.
Mandy Mueller explained the details as to
how these amazing canines are trained. She teaches Quiche social skills,
manners and 30 vital commands. For example, “Under!” instructs her to crawl
under a chair, table or pew in a restaurant, church or at any public meeting so
people don’t trip over her. “Up!” tells her to hold her front paws up
vertically, like on a wall, for she will be further trained to use her nose to flip
on a light switch or activate an automated door opener for a disabled person.
Canine Companions is the oldest and
largest provider of assistance dogs in the world, currently raising and
training 1,316 puppies with over 3,000 active volunteers nationwide. Mandy
Mueller will keep Quiche until she is 18 months of age. During that time, Quiche
enjoys a safe home, healthy diet, and much socialization and love. Their time
together is vital to the development of a future assistance dog and she submits
monthly reports on Quiche’s progress to Canine Companions.
Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and
a cross of the two are bred to be assistance dogs. Volunteers nurture the
newborn puppies for eight weeks, then volunteer “Puppy Raisers” spend the next
14-18 months providing basic obedience training, socialization and special
care.
For example, Mandy attends Canine
Companions approved obedience classes, pays for Quiche’s puppy food, medical
and transportation expenses, provides a kennel or crate for sleeping indoors,
and exposes her to everyday life experiences and socialization opportunities
such as public events and medical appointments. She always keeps her on a leash
unless she’s in a securely fenced area and generally supervises the young Golden
Retriever throughout the day.
It’s all worth it! These remarkable dogs
make life easier for so many in need. They may retrieve a dropped phone, pull a
wheelchair along, open doors, alert a deaf person to important sounds, wake someone
up on time, comfort a child in a medical setting or prisoner in the criminal
justice system, or enable children with disabilities to do something they never
had the courage to do.
If you’d like to donate to or learn more
about Canine Companions, contact Mandy Mueller at (smmueller22@gmail.com) or
Staicey Scholtz, President of the Northern Ohio Chapter at (ylwlabs2@gmail.com).
Robert
Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. has retired from his positions of school psychologist for
Fremont City Schools and adjunct professor in the School of Leadership and
Policy Studies at Bowling Green State University. He authored two books:
“Finding Happiness in America” and the spy thriller “Penumbra Database.”
