Why does Putnam Service Dogs do what we do?

The painstakingly thorough search we do for a dog capable of being a Service Dog; all the hours the Volunteer Puppy Raiser spends raising, loving, socializing, exercising, and training the pup; all the hours of our Head Trainer guiding and training the Raiser and pup. The odds are so stacked against a dog making it as a Service Dog. Even with our barebones organization, we’ve spent over $20,000 on average on a dog by the time they’re placed, and they’re Free for the recipient.

Why do we passionately persevere? We totally believe a Service Dog is life changing.  Our applicants agree.

Here’s what they say on their Applications…..

Here’s How a Service Dog Will Change Their Life

I basically have to have someone with me 24/7. I don’t have much independence because of this.

I’ve never been out by myself, so it would be nice to have a Service Dog beside me.

My life has changed from someone who worked full time to someone who stays at home. Simply being able to go out to lunch with a friend (my Service Dog) who can open the door for me, or go shopping by myself and have a little help getting the things I need would open the world back up to me.

My husband worries about me getting hurt when I am home, or out by myself.

It’s hard for me to get out, and I avoid crowds.

When I’m in a crowded situation I’m fearful I will be pushed down by the crowd.

I live alone, and my disabilities make life sustaining tasks – shopping, events, and socializing, challenging activities. I need a Service Dog to provide a “safe space” for me in public crowded situations – to help me live a full, productive life.

What Tasks Do They Want a Service Dog to Do For Them?

Having a dog being able to pick things up from the ground would greatly improve my life with just this alone.

It hurts to pick things up.

I am unable to bend at the waist so I can’t pick things up when I drop them. I use a grabber for some things. I constantly drop my grabber.

I am a 60 year old paraplegic with arthritic hands.

I need a dog to retrieve my walker. I sometimes will wander away from my walker when feeling alright, and then will begin to get too sick to stand on my own.

If I drop my car keys, I have to use the car, or a wall to try and pick them up.

I often get in too much pain or am too dizzy to get up and get things. In addition, leaning down to pick up things I drop triggers my symptoms,

Having a service dog walk beside me, be there for me when I lose my balance, would help me walk without fear of falling and breaking a bone.

Since I am confined to my wheelchair or bed, it would be nice if the dog could fetch items for me.

I can’t hear anything when I’m walking in a public area. Having a service dog nudge me if the dog hears a car or horn would reassure me.

I have serious difficulty hearing in large crowds, stores, malls, cars, buses, outside. I have a baby on the way and fear I won’t hear her.

If I have to sit down in a random spot, I always wonder what people think of me. With a Service Dog beside me, they’ll understand.

I’ve passed out in a dark, public bathroom. I need a Service Dog to turn on the lights for me, bark to alert people I need help.

Applicants are Eager to Receive a Service Dog From Us

I can’t even contain myself just thinking of it!

I started a GoFundMe page to help me raise the money I’ll need to care for my dog. I have just under $4K raised right now.

I look forward to having the mental support; knowing help is there is important. Also, I want to care for a dog to keep active and motivated.

Please let me know what we need to do to better prepare ourselves for a Service Dog. We’ll do whatever it takes.

Please keep me in mind. I really want to make this happen.

Putnam Service Dogs’ Mission Statement: Our service dogs change the lives of our recipients and their families, adding love, joy, independence, and ease. We honor and promote the nurturing bond between humans and dogs.

We provide free Service Dogs and follow-up support services to people with physical disabilities other than blindness. We adopt mixed breed pups from Rescue Organizations to raise and train as Service Dogs.

Dog lovers have no hesitation is saying dogs love their people. Dogs’ obvious attachment to their owners is shown in their following them around, their approaching them for attention and
affection, and the ecstatic greeting they give their person when they return home. Without an emotional bond, there would be few dogs joining a household.

Until recently, we had to deduce their emotions only from their behavior. Gregory Berns of Emory University, a physician who had conducted MRI studies for 25 years of humans, conducted groundbreaking MRI studies of two dogs’ brains. He, and his staff are huge dog people, and they were curious how dog brains worked. Dr. Berns trained his dog, a shelter dog, and an acquaintance trained her border collie, to lie perfectly still in the MRI machine. This was the first time MRI studies had been done on conscious and unrestrained dogs. He wanted to humanely capture their brain functions, and capture their brains functioning as closely to their natural state as possible. Continue reading “Does Your Dog Love You?” →