Bits 'n Bites

 January, 2010

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!

 February, 2010

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 Finnegan.

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!

March, 2010

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. More details to follow, but mark your calendars now!