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Friday, April 08, 2011
Helping Paws
By Charles D. Brunt
Journal Staff Writer
• Story by Charles D. Brunt • Photographs by Greg Sorber • Of the Journal
One glance at Karen Molony's license plate leaves no doubt about one of her life's passions. It reads "PUPYRZR."
Molony, a bookkeeper at La Cueva High School, is among seven New Mexicans who are volunteer puppy-raisers for Canine Companions for Independence, a nationwide nonprofit that breeds, raises and trains assistance dogs, and cares for them from birth to retirement.
A vital step in that process are people like Karen and her husband, Mike, who have raised four puppies for the organization, and are about midway through training their fifth puppy, Narha.
Lying contentedly between the couple at their Northeast Heights home, Narha — whose name is an acronym for North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, for which Karen is a certified therapeutic riding instructor — is the polar opposite of most 11-month-old puppies.
She's not the barking, rambunctious blur of energy tearing through the house at the appearance of a stranger-at-the-door kind of puppy. She's politely curious — even studious — as she's given permission to stand and accept a nice ear scratch from the visitor. Having satisfied her curiosity, she obediently returns to her original spot, patiently waiting for her next command.
Narha, like all of Canine Companions' puppies, is a golden retriever and yellow Labrador cross. The organization also raises purebred Labs and goldens, Karen explains, because of the breeds' sunny disposition and adaptability.
Because puppy-raisers have their dogs from age 2 months until they're just over a year old, the million-dollar question comes up quickly: How do you give them up when the time comes?
"It's not easy," Molony confesses, and the trick is to remind yourself how important these dogs will be to the people they will assist.
Canine Companions for Independence trains four types of assistance dogs:
• Service dogs that assist adults with disabilities by performing daily tasks;
• Hearing dogs that alert the deaf and hearing-impaired to important sounds;
• Skilled companion dogs that enhance independence for children and adults with physical, cognitive and developmental disabilities;
• Facility dogs that work with a professional in visitation, education or health care settings.
As a nonprofit with an extensive network of volunteer puppy-raisers and certified trainers, Canine Companions provides assistance dogs to qualified applicants at no charge, according to the organization's website, www.cci.org.
Molony said the puppy-raisers' goal is to raise well-socialized dogs that are used to all types of environments and display "a good learning attitude." By the time they're ready to advance to professional training, the puppies are adept at basic obedience and about 40 specific commands, she said.
Puppy-raisers have a wealth of resources at their fingertips, Molony said, ranging from a puppy-raiser's manual and DVD lessons to semi-monthly training sessions with other puppy-raisers and a professional trainer. In Albuquerque, that's Mary Aynn Shoemate, a longtime trainer and unabashed dog lover.
Puppy-raisers file monthly reports to keep Canine Companions up to speed on their wards' progress.
They also follow a prescribed diet for their dogs and cover all vet bills.
Mike Molony said the expense is inconsequential to the family because, "If we didn't have Narha, we'd have a dog or two of our own, so we'd have those expenses anyway."
Dogs that succeed as puppies then undergo six to nine months of professional training at one of Canine Companions' five regional training centers in New York, Ohio, Florida and California.
Molony said only about 35 percent of the organization's puppies make it all the way through the specialized training. The puppy-raisers who trained them get first dibs on adopting dogs that don't quite measure up, she said, and loving homes are found for the rest. About 10 percent of the puppy-raisers' dogs are selected for Canine Companions' breeding program.
The Molonys still have their first CCI puppy, Laurie, who is a facility dog working in La Cueva's special education program.
Their second dog, Hilani, is in CCI's breeding program. Narha is one of her pups.
The Molonys' third dog, Jess, preferred playtime to training, and was adopted by their son Jess, who lives in Kansas City.
Dog No. 4, Cadence, is in professional training to become a service dog for a deaf person, and is slated to "graduate" today.
Graduation has all the pomp of a high school commencement.
Toward the end of their professional training , the dogs and their new partners spend two weeks at a training center learning to work together, and a graduation follows. At the ceremony, the puppy-raisers formally turn their dogs over to their dog's new companion — literally handing them the leash. It's cathartic, Molony said.
"When I woke up the morning of that first graduation, I felt like it was the day of my execution. It was awful," she said. "But when we went to the ceremony and saw the puppy-raisers handing over the leashes, you realize that these dogs transform someone's life."
"My heart was breaking to have to turn this dog in, but my only regret is that I didn't learn about Canine Companions earlier because I won't live long enough to raise enough puppies for them."
CCI assistance dogs typically are retired after about eight years, and live out their lives in loving homes approved by the organization.
The organization, Molony said, "really values puppy-raisers."
"They know how hard we work and how attached we get to these dogs — and they know how hard it is for us to give them up," she said.
The graduation eases that transition, Molony said.
And no, turning your fifth puppy over to its new companion isn't any easier than it was with your second, third or fourth. "But it helps to get your next puppy," she said, adding that she prefers a few weeks' break between puppies to adjust to the absence of the previous puppy.
In the meantime, Narha is learning new commands every week — though she's having trouble learning to "speak."
"It's funny because when we got her, she was pretty vocal," Molony said. "Now, when I tell her to speak, she just looks at me like she doesn't have any idea what you're talking about. We're still working on that one."
Mike Molony, the director of the Family Life Center at Sandia Presbyterian Church, said Narha quickly became part of the family.
"She goes to church with us every Sunday, and has on occasion snored during the sermon," he said. "But then, who hasn't?"
For more information about Canine Companions for Independence or becoming a puppy-raiser, visit www.cci.org or call them toll free at 800-572-BARK (2275).
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