Bits 'n Bites

Often, we'll have news we'd like to share with you immediately, to let you know what's happening around the Training Centre. Kind of like our own blog. We update this page regularly, so make sure you check back from time to time!

April, 2010

What better way to celebrate spring than with the arrival of PUPPIES! We now have a breeding partnership with Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California and the first two pups arrived a week ago. Meet Nala and Minnie:

Females from different litters, these two tykes are already rippin' it up in our revamped Puppy Room on the second floor. They'll soon be joined by 2 more females from another two litters; all intended to boost our own breeding program. If you're in the area, stop by and meet these two junior pilots. All four of these puppies will join the Early Education Program.

Its Poker Tournament time and this year's event begins at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 24th at River Cree Resort & Casino. There are still some places open for this No Limit, Texas Hold 'em event, so give Marilyn a call at 944.8011 and register for this fun event.

Update: We now have two more pups, courtesy of Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California. Daisy and Lilo arrived last week, along with Brooklyn and Macy who were down there for breeding to one of their males. So, here are our latest recruits:

We got a call last summer from Jo Ann Creore who told us of her plan to climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro to honour the memory of her dear friend, Jackie Beaudry (Chloe) who had passed away in the spring. Jo Ann also wanted to raise some money for an organization that had given Jackie such a wonderful guide dog and companion in Chloe. Well she's back, and here are the pictures to prove that DWW made it to the top as well!

Welcome to our updated website! Our friends at 4Web.ca have put together an updated look for us and we've added some new areas to explore. This page will be updated when there is news to share, so check back soon.

We've had good news today: Eddy is now an approved Therapy Dog at a junior high school in the city. In his new role, Eddy will be a regular part of daily class at Rosslyn Junior High where he will be in a class of special needs students. It's a first for us, and a first for Edmonton Public Schools, as Eddy will be a resource for the class, instead of one client. Eddy has been sponsored for all 3 years of his training by our friends at Stahl Peterbilt. Congratulations to handler/teacher Charles Gachnang, Stahl Peterbilt, and "good job" Eddy!

The Training Centre is bustling these days with the "F" litter now in Adult training and Puppy Cuddlers arriving to take their shift with the lucky 3 from our "I" litter, Brooks, Izzy and Irma. This is proving to be a great program, and the pups are already showing the benefits. If you know anyone who would like a chance to cuddle a puppy for an hour a week, have them call Lindsey at the office, and she'll arrange a time for you to come in to the Training Centre to see how this great new program works.

For those needing access to the Class Schedule, your username and password has been sent to you by email. You will need to log in to get access to this area. If you have any difficulties, please call the office.

We spent a pleasant hour at the Edmonton International Airport this week, meeting with the Edmonton WestJetters Team. This wonderful group of community-minded people raised $2,400 for us at a recent Christmas Auction. We are proud to have Westjet helping us to fly!

We are so appreciative of the support offered by our client families, and the groups that they are involved with. Thanks to the Matthews family, Dogs with Wings will receive the net proceeds of the annual RAN-CEL Golf Tournament in southern Ontario for the next five years. This photo is from the 2009 tournament which raised $5000 for us. Pictured, l to r, are Donny Cameron, Brian McGougan, Mackenzie Milligan, Jayne Matthews, Bryan Macauley, Peter Milligan, Tony Matthews, Alex Morrison, Martin Guthrie, Alistair McFarlane, Colin Philips.

Happy New Year to everyone. If you haven't had a chance yet to drop in and visit us, please do so. There's probably a pot of coffee on!

Part of the work we do at DWW involves outreach in the community. We probably do 40 presentations a year to various groups. Most recently, Maria and the training staff were invited back to speak to the Companion Animals & Society class, taught by Assoc. Professor Gaylene Fasenko, University of Alberta. This time, Maria wanted to show the effects of distraction in the training process. Who better to illustrate this than our mascot, Clive. Here's a shot of him in his DWW 'doo rag at Marilyn's desk.

And of course, here he is doing his "distraction thing" in the classroom. Eventually, the class got down to business; here's Maria delivering part of her lecture with Finn.

Irma and Forrester were also there with Shannon Northcott. Pictures courtesy of Moira Wegner.

We received good news today from the International Guide Dog Federation, advising us that our accreditation is complete, and that we are now a full member of this organization. This completes an initiative begun a number of years ago to have our school recognized in both of its main program areas - Service and Guide Dogs. We began with our admission to Assistance Dogs International in the late summer of 2008, and followed this up with IGDF in the fall of 2009. It means that our Assistance Dogs are protected by the Service Dogs Act, RSA c. S-7.5 and the Blind Persons' Rights Act, RSA c. B-3, in the Province of Alberta. "Good Job" team!

DWW is pleased to announce that the 3rd Annual Dogs with Wings Charity Poker Tournament will be held on Saturday, April 24th at River Cree Resort & Casino. This event has been a huge success in past years, and we are looking to provide an even better experience this year. We have also booked Blatchford Hanger, Fort Edmonton Park for our annual Dogs with a Cause Charity Dinner and Auction on Saturday, October 16, 2010. More details to follow, but mark your calendars now!

As they have in the past, the Royal Alexandra Hospital Employee's Charitable Donations Fund has honoured DWW with another donation to help us in our work. The cheque presentation took place in the Atrium of the Royal Alex Hosipital. John, Flash and Lindsey attended this event.