4PawPrints - 4 Paws for Ability

Transcription

Feb/March 2013
4PAWPRINTS
1st Annual 4 Paws 5K!
www.4PawsForAbility.org
700 placements in 15 years...
Here’s to our next 700!
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XENIA, OHIO
*All proceeds go toward the 4 Paws for Ability Building Fund.
Register to run or walk your dog at: Atomic Racing
Artwork by Amanda Wood
6.29.13
4PAWPRINTS Feb/March.2013
Photos by Jessica Noll-Korczyk/4 Paws
INSIDE 4PAWPRINTS | FEB-MARCH.2013
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Cover ................... 5K for 4 Paws’ 15th Anniversary!
Page 3-5 .............. Ben’s Corner: Remembering a partner in life
Page 6-8 ............. Piper hits The Big Apple
Page 9-12 .......... January Pupsicles
Page 13-14 ........ Paw of the Class: Anna & Dalma
Page 15 ............... Make a Dream Come True: Meet Grant
Page 16 .............. March Class Preview
Page 17-18 ......... STAR Foster, Jaki Waggamon
Page 19 .............. Welcome our newest paws!
Page 20 .............. Thank you note: Paw of Approval
Page 21 ................ P.E.A.C.H. students play with puppies
Page 22 ................ Growing up fast @4 Paws
Page 23 ................ We <3 our visitors!
Page 24 ............... Doggone Good News from development
Page 25 ............... Scentsy Building Fund $$-maker
Page 26 ............... 4 Paws partners with Pay It Forward
Page 27-28 ......... Max, Dog in Blue
Page 29-30 ......... Happy Birthdays!
Page 31 ............... In the News
Page 32 ............... Funny Paws
Page 33 ............... Upcoming Promos
Page 34 ................ ReelAbilities Film Festival
Page 34 ................ Remembering Jack Harter
Page 35 ................ Round of Appaws
BEN’SCORNER
FROM THE DESK OF 4PAWS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KAREN SHIRK
REMEMBERING A PARTNER IN LIFE
B
y now most people have seen the
Turning Point video from BYU-TV.
What an amazing piece. I would dare
The Heavens looked down and saw my
suffering
The spirits in all their wisdom could not end
them
For it was not within their power.
As I prayed for death, the heaven opened up,
And into my life came –
Love, courage, protection, a friend, a
confidante,
A partner in life,
He is the most beautiful spirit I have ever
seen,
And I call him Ben.
to say the best video ever made to
date. I had forgotten about the show
airing on the 13th and the next morning
I was sitting in my car waiting for the
boys to be allowed in the school and I
took out my phone to catch up on
Facebook. The first thing I saw was a
link to the film. AWESOME.
From the first minute I was engrossed
in the video. Time came for the boys to
go in and I did not even hear them
leave the car. I just kept watching. I
have to say that when the scene cut to
Ben running down the stairs at
Stepping Stones, the tears flowed. Oh
how I miss that big lug of a dog.
It goes without saying he was one of
the most influential beings in my
lifetime. 4 Paws exists today because
of all that Ben gave to me. Like the
dogs 4 Paws places today, Ben
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changed my life and I will never be the same. I thought for this
month’s column I would share a story I wrote for a magazine
some 12 years ago or so when Ben was still alive.
Every morning when I wake up, Ben is there
looking into my eyes, eager to begin our
busy day. It seems so long ago that I had no
reason to get up. The debilitations of a cruel
neuromuscular disease had stopped life and left me begging to
die.
When I was 25, I was a graduate student in social work. I
had a job, a social life, and even plans for the future. I began to
fatigue – but then so did my peers who were also juggling the
hectic college/work day. Then I began to stumble. It became
increasingly harder to blame my physical changes on lifestyle.
Finally, when even breathing became difficult, I went for
medical help. Life as I had previously known it, ceased to
exist. Myasthenia Gravis had claimed my body, and within 6
months I could not even breathe without the help of a
ventilator. As my body failed so miserably, and treatment after
treatment failed, I gave up. I lived every day hoping that it
would be my last day. I lived these “days of death” as I now
refer to them, for six years. I knew that if I could somehow just
find some small glimmer of hope, then maybe I could find a
way to go on. But the hope I was looking for was a medical
cure. I had no idea that the hope I would be given would come,
not in the form of a medical treatment, but as a 30-pound
bundle of black fur.
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In 1992 a good friend suggested that looked at several litters, and my reply
living every day just the way I want to
perhaps a service dog would decrease my was always the same. “Cute,” I’d tell her, and wouldn’t change a thing.
dependence on home care and give me
“but I can’t even care for myself. How
Two years after I got Ben, we went
back a little privacy. I desperately missed can I raise a puppy?” We went to look at to National K9 in Columbus, Ohio and
being alone, which the
“LOVE, COURAGE, PROTECTION, A FRIEND, A they helped Ben learn to do some
limitations of my disease had
special things he had not been able
CONFIDANTE, A PARTNER IN LIFE...”
made impossible. I applied for a
to figure out on his own. He had
-Karen Shirk
service dog and began the long
already begun to help me get out of
a litter of German Shepherd puppies. I
wait. Finally, after a year of paper trails
clothes, get things I dropped, and sit at
watched them play – set in my resolve to
and phone calls, I secured a spot on a list
the elevator door so it wouldn’t close on
die. There he was – this giant ball of fur,
with an agency in a nearby state.
me, but he wanted to learn more. We
all feet and ears, watching me. I’m not
When the phone call came that they
were fond of our time together without
totally sure what happened that day, but
had a possible match and that a staff
those somewhat pesky people who were
our eyes met, and he came home with
member would be coming down for the
really only trying to help. At National
me. Within hours, death was forced to
final interview, I was elated. For the first
K9, Ben learned to retrieve consistently,
release its grip on my heart, and my spirit
time I felt that small glimmer of hope.
to answer the phone, to pull a chair, to
began the long journey back to life.
The interviewer explained there had been
pull me out of a chair, and to retrieve my
“Ben, My Courage and My Friend,”
a change in management and that she
special medical bag by command. This
is his given name. Being Ben, my spirit
was there to clarify information for the
bag contains medications needed for
guide and soul mate became his job. As
match. Two weeks later I received a
emergency life-threatening situations. It
my spirit grew, my body began to heal. I
letter. “How “very sorry” they were, it
took us 4 months to graduate and Ben
started to respond to a new treatment and
said, but they didn’t place dogs with
was awarded his Ohio Assistance Dog
slowly gained back a small part of what I
persons who utilized vents. On that day, I
license (a much coveted around the dog
had lost. Today I use a vent at night and
began to plan for my death. I would not
club friends of his).
have home care services a few hours a
sit and wait for death to come – I would
In 1996, with Ben at my side I
day. After all, Ben doesn’t do windows.
go to it willingly.
returned to work. I got a job at an agency
But with Ben at my side, a power
In desperation, my friend
serving disabled children and mentally
wheelchair, and a modified van, I am
encouraged me to look at puppies. We
challenged adults. At Stepping Stones
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Ben and I worked together as program
Often, just when they are about to die
managers in the adult day rehabilitation
from the sheer exhaustion of a three-hour
program. Ben loves the severely disabled lecture, Ben will sigh really loud and the
adults we work with and can often be
professor will get the picture and let us
found protecting them from physical
go home. Needless to say my peers love
therapists with warnings they should not Ben. One night, I stayed late to work on a
make his people feel so uncomfortable.
paper. When I went to leave I realized
He feels that his approach to physical
there was no one around to push the door
therapy is much more
effective. Ben patiently
stands just far enough away
from the person that they
are forced to stretch those
muscles themselves if they
want to pet him.
He especially likes to
accompany me around the
grounds of Stepping Stones
so he can make sure his
children in the other areas
are being well cared for. He
also takes his supervisory
responsibilities very
seriously. When the pool
staff can’t leave the area, he
will show off his carrying
skills by delivering coffee
to them in a thermos with a
strap so they won’t fall
asleep at their job guarding
his children.
In January, after an eight-year
button for the handicapped that had been
absence and with special permission
placed strategically where no person in a
from the college, I returned to graduate
wheelchair could possibly reach it. After
school to complete my Masters in Social a brief moment of fear that I would still
Work. Classes are at night, so I work
be sitting there the next morning, I
during the day, attend school at night,
looked at Ben, pointed to the button and
said, “I guess we should have learned
and sleep when I can. It would seem I
have come full
circle and am back
where I was before I
Watch BYU-TV’s Turning
knew that
Myasthenia Gravis
Point documentary on 4
existed.
Paws for Ability.
Ben attends
classes with me and
finds social work
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lectures just as
boring as some of
the students do.
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how to get those pushed, huh?” Ben
followed my gesture, walked over, and
promptly hit the button with his nose. We
exited the building with one remaining
obstacle, how I could drive home with
tears pouring down my face.
I have to tell you about the bag.
Remember Ben is trained to retrieve my
medical bag by the command
“blue bag”. The day
eventually came – the medical
emergency. I had to get that
medication into my blood
stream, and fast! The only
problem was that it hadn’t
occurred to me that not being
able to breathe, I was also
unable to speak. Fortunately I
never travel far from “the
bag”. I turned my chair to
look and see exactly where it
was. What a surprise to see it
right in front of me, hanging
from Ben’s mouth. He knew
me so well our hearts were as
one; my needs were his needs
and his needs were my needs.
I would never be afraid of
living with this progressive
disease again.
Time and time again, Ben is
the driving force in my life. When I fall
into pity over the difficulties in life or the
new ability the disease decides to take
from me, Ben knows. He refuses to allow
me to wallow. He gets into my bag, and
brings me the van keys. “OK,” he says,
“That’s enough. Let’s get on with life.”
There is nothing that this disease
can throw at me that Ben and I
will not find a way to overcome.
-Karen Shirk
1999 Winner of the Dog Writers Association of
America’s MAXWELL MEDALLION
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PIPER HITS UP NYC
By Piper the Papillon
O
h the life of a socialite. It
seems I am very popular and everyone
wants me to attend their events. So this
past month I was invited to attend the
Dog Writers Association of America’s
annual awards banquet. It was being
held in New York City across from
Madison Square Gardens. Okay, I
know where that is because a few years
back when I was on the Mike and
Juliet Show we stayed in Times
Square. If I remember right, NYC is
not very dog friendly, I mean finding a
piece of grass for a girl to do her
business is quite the feat. Really do
NYC dogs just go right there on the
the New York Times magazine. Of
course you know I am in that story so
I was invited to attend and accept the
award on behalf of Melissa. She did
an excellent job of describing
Papillons in the article.
“We waded into a crowd of
ecstatic Papillons – toy dogs whose
wide, silky ears inspired the breed’s
name, the French word for butterfly.
Though she stepped away only a
moment earlier, the dozen little dogs
rejoiced as if they feared never seeing
her again: some spun in excitement,
other leapt onto her desk and one tapdanced along the
computer keyboard. They
raised their pointed little
faces and emitted highpitched yips of hallelujah.
When Shirk, who is 49,
reached her chair, they
settled on the floor by her
feet, folded up their ears
like kites and watched her.
When she laughed, they
took out their ears and
waved them around.”
-M.F. Greene
sidewalk or street? How undignified is
that? Really you would think in a city
as big as NYC they could afford a
small patch of grass on every block for
us dogs!
OK, so the Dog Writer’s
Association is a group of writers, who
write about yours truly, dogs! I can see
now why we would make an
interesting topic for humans... I mean
they gather together to celebrate dog
writing! Well, last year in February,
Melissa Fay Greene wrote an article
called “Wonder Dog”, that appeared in
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Melissa was nominated for the
main category, Best article in a leading
publication. I guess one might say the
Dog Writer’s awards are like the
Oscars for dog writers. OK, so of
course I accepted even though it meant
a ride in a plane. If you have been
following my posts then you know I
HATE to fly. Oh, that is really an
understatement. I hate it with a
passion. I even like cats more than
flying. Okay, for Melissa, I would fly
and fly I did. We will just skip that part
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of the story, as it is just like that part of
the story in all my adventures, sheer
misery. So I will continue with
touchdown, which is the only part of
flying I like.
We were supposed to arrive in
NYC on Saturday but there was a huge
snowstorm out east and Phoebe
decided to give birth as well. So
instead of lounging in a hotel room
Saturday night I was instead watching
from the sidelines as Phoebe pushed
out three new Papillon beauties. The
ALL THAT litter of Bling, Blazin’ and
Ritz, entered the world quickly in just
90 minutes of labor. Okay why was
Mother
Nature
never that
kind to me?
I swear it
took me
days and
days of
labor to get
my rascal
children to
leave my
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PIPERS HITS THE BIG APPLE
body! OK so maybe
not days but it sure
felt like it. Because
we had to change
flights we had to get
up at 5 a.m. which is
fine with me I wake
up ready to go but
poor Karen, wow
was she dragging.
When we
arrived in NYC,
there was really not
much snow so they
must clear snow
away lickity split out
that way. We set out in a Taxi for the
Affinia Hotel. On arrival I was
surprised. This must be THE hotel to
stay at for dogs! Everywhere I looked
there was another dog. Not just dogs,
but quite good-looking ones to boot.
In jest I said to a Pekinese, is this
Westminster weekend? “Well of
course Darling,” she said to me, “can’t
you tell by how beautiful all of us are?
But it pains me to see the hopeful
faces all around me, for I know I will
win this year.” Well, I was quite
happy to know we were there for
Westminster but the only thing that
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would make any
of them sad
would have been
if I were in the
show because
they had all
better just pack
up and go home
because we all
know I would
win that show
hands down. I
thought about
saying so to the
snooty
Pekingese, but
thought it better left unsaid. I can tell
you this though, I was sure a Papillon
would win because people kept asking
me if I was the little Red and White
Papillon they saw in the ring so I
know the Papillon ring must have
been incredible if they all looked
like me! I think these people really
wanted to ask for my paw print.
Sunday we didn’t do much but
walk around NYC a bit and then
got ready for the dinner. We sat at
a rather nice table of people. There
was an elderly lady of I think 86
who won an award for the best dog
cartoon. I thought it quite amazing
she could draw like that. Dinner
was a very strange looking
chicken. I believe someone at the
table called it a hen. Karen was not
impressed which was fine with me
as I got loads of chicken to eat. All
the women at the table fell for my
pitiful, I’m starving look and saved
pieces of their chicken for me as well!
Then the awards started and of
course, Melissa won. I am sure it was
that paragraph on Papillons that
cinched it for her!
We stayed in NYC through
Tuesday because we had to meet our
publisher’s editor for lunch. When
she heard I was coming to NYC she
just had to meet me. She set us up at a
very fancy restaurant named Ai Fiori.
When they brought the menu, we all
looked at it like, “What is this food?”
Maybe it is written in Greek? I, of
course, being a socialite, knew all of
the supper-class lingo for food, but
Karen was not listening to me, and
asked the waitress what each thing
was. WOW, did they have good food.
However, I do wonder if all rich
people are thin? Throughout the
weekend we ate at many fancy
restaurants and each time the servings
looked Papillon-size. Now, that would
have been fine, except I share my
meals with Karen. I bet those rich
people leave and then stop at Chipotle
and grab a burrito bowl. Yes, that must
be the answer, because there was a
Chipotle and a Starbucks on every
block! Now, I know the reason why!
Hilary Redmon, is quite a nice
person. I believe she will do a great
job as editor for the book. She works
for Harper Collins who will be
publishing the book. If you are not
sure the book I refer to let me explain.
Melissa was so taken by 4 Paws that
she asked to tell the 4 Paws story.
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After the NY Times piece we received
hundreds of calls from writers,
publishers, agents, and producers
wanting the story! Melissa picked Harper
Collins and their sub-branch ECCO to
publish the book she will write at 4 Paws.
We chose Turning Point to do a
documentary and they did a fine job. If
you haven’t seen it you just must. They
portrayed me quite nicely, though I swear
the camera puts pounds on a girl. We
have a couple agents, one in film and one
in books, working with us so when the
book comes out all the hubbub that
occurs can be easily handled!
So after an enchanting lunch with
Hilary we headed for the 9/11, Ground
Zero site. I have heard about 9/11 many
times though it happened before I was
born. I know it must have been very bad
because whenever anyone talks about it
Karen gets this very sad feeling to her. I
am not sure what it was supposed to be
but it was mostly a whole lot of concrete
and two huge fountains. Karen took a lot
of pictures and introduced me to one of
the names around the edges of it:
“Timothy M. Stackpole,” she read. She
said to me that this is the name of a true
hero. Apparently there used to be huge
buildings where these two fountains sit
and bad people flew their
planes into them. When
it happened many first
responders entered the
building and when it
collapsed they were
never to come out.
Timothy M. Stackpole
was one of them. He
gave his life as a first
responder trying to save
the lives of the people
trapped in that big
building. It was very sad
and somber. Though
there were lots of people
there the place was quite
silent. The people just
read the names around
the fountains, silently to
reflected
themselves,
and
on the courage of the people who lost
their lives that day.
There was in the middle of all of this
a little tree. The tree is called the
Survivor Tree. Everyone seems to love
this little tree. When the buildings used
to be there, they were surrounded by
many Callery Pear Trees, and this little
tree was one of them. When the building
fell all the trees were buried in the
rubble, including the survivor tree. As
they cleared the rubble they found the
little tree. Her limbs were severely burnt,
many limbs were reduced to stumps, and
all her bark was charred from the heat.
As there were no human survivors, the
tired workers grasped onto this little tree.
Finally, something they could save and
many people poured their hearts into
saving her. Today, she is held in the
ground by many wires as her roots are
disabled and can’t grow deep into the
ground to ground her anymore. She is
clearly disfigured and yet she grows
leaves and BLOOMS in the spring. I
think many people relate to her. How she
was brought back from the brink of death
to survive and grow and bloom again. I
think she signifies and embodies the
human spirit and the spirit of America.
This one small, frail tree standing there
where once only rubble and despair stood
showing the world that you can
overcome anything!
I think visiting the 9/11 site was one
of the highlights of the trip. We headed
home but it took twice as long as it took
to get there. It seems NYC is not
handicap friendly either. Do you know
that their subway is not wheelchair
accessible? There are only a few stops in
the whole city with elevators! We tried to
catch the bus but it was faster than us and
after trying to catch up to it for many
blocks we finally sat and waited in the
rain for the next bus.
We ate a late meal and headed to
bed. The final day was another one of
those airplane days so I will just skip that
misery. I do love to travel and I get to go
so many places. It is cool to be me!
This month I have been invited to
the Cincinnati Reel-abilities Film
Festival’s opening night “Dinner With
The Stars,” so I will tell you all about
that when we meet again. In case you
didn’t know of course I am one of the
stars.
Later!
XOXO,
Piper Papillon
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JANUARYPUPSICLES
9
JANUARY 2013 CLASS: THE PUPSICLES
By Jessica Noll-Korczyk
XENIA, Ohio – Eager footwork was
split between tap-dancing paws and
pitter-pattering little toes from one
side of the 4 Paws for Ability training
floor to the other. It was graduation
day for 11 dogs and their kids.
It was a long and chilly 11 days
for the group who called themselves
the “Pupsicles.”
“I don’t think we were ready at
all. It’s been a hard, wonderful
experience,” said Kim, Cole and
Chip’s mom.
From the moment that Cole set
eyes on Chip during first-day
introductions at 4 Paws for Ability, he
wanted nothing more than to touch
him, pet him, love him. His arms
stretched outward to the max, as he
saw his black Labrador Retriever
being led to him. His eyes filled with
excitement and utter joy as Chip
trotted right up to him. Sitting atop his
mom’s lap, Chip gave Cole a quick
lick on his hand, as if to say, “Hello
buddy!”
Anna, who wasn’t so sure of her
new dog, Dalma, the day they met,
was wearing matching red, jeweled
bows, with Dalma on graduation day.
Calm and relaxed the young Asian girl
with shiny black hair will be returning
back to Australia in July with her
parents and Dalma. (Read about Anna
and Dalma, in March’s Paw of the
Class feature.)
“We think she’s the most
gorgeous girl,” said Doris of Dalma,
her family’s newest, white and fluffy
addition.
Another beauty, Calypso, aka
Maxie, was a beautiful white-furred
cottony Goldendoodle who welcomed
William, his new boy to 4 Paws for
Ability, with what can only be
described as a smile, and a tremendous
tail-wagging. As William sat on his
mom’s lap, he held his hands up and
10
away from the large dog sitting
patiently at his feet. As Karen,
William’s mom, hand-fed the eager
assistance dog treats, William too,
slowly put his hand into the baggie
full of Calypso’s favorite food, and
doled out one piece at a time for his
new partner—letting out small, quiet
giggles as her tongue lapped his
fingers while feeding her.
“’Thank you’ just doesn’t cut it.
It’s been wonderful… you’re a whole
new family to us,” said William’s
mom.
Beautiful Golden Retriever and
Miami University
“student” Champagne,
was well-loved from the
beginning by her tiny,
blonde boy Jacob. As
they greeted each other,
Jacob stood next to his
new girl, who stood at
face level to him. His
tiny hands reached out
and touched her soft,
golden fur, as she looked
over her shoulder at him,
her brown eyes seemed
to sparkle.
Not all first meetings were so
quick to bond.
Sam was a bit leery of this
bubbly, black Labrador Retriever,
Chili. He reached down to pet his new
dog, only to be licked and slobbered
on, which resulted in a
disgusted, puckered-up
face. But that disgust
soon turned to a special
bond by graduation, and
apparently a new
fondness for all black
dogs.
“Every black dog is
‘Chili’ to Sam,” said
mom Nancy, to a room
full of graduates, who
immediately began to chuckle.
There was absolutely no
hesitation for Joseph when meeting his
black Labrador Retriever, Parfait. As
soon as the spunky, sleek dog was led
to his boy, the petting, licking and
treat nibbling commenced. Joseph
wrapped his arms around Parfait’s
neck, who, in turn, leaned in to lick his
nose, mouth, cheek, ear, or whatever
he could reach to reciprocate the love
he was getting from his new human
BFF.
Navin, a Golden Retriever, was
greeted by, not only his new boy Ryan,
but also his entire family, including a
little sister. Everyone was overjoyed to
meet him for the first time and he
became so relaxed that he laid bellyup on the floor, mouth open, tongue
hanging out, getting lots of love from
his boy.
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JANUARY CLASS CONTINUED...
The most common word from
the moment that allowed his mom to
Cayden was, “Cheese!” He posed a lot
let out a much-needed sigh of relief.
for the camera, especially with his
“They mean everything to the
new best friend, “THANK YOU JUST DOESN’T CUT kids—but mean a lot
IT... IT’S BEEN WONDERFUL.”
Neo, a Golden
to [us] parents too…
-Karen,
William
&
Calypso’s
mom
Retriever. On the
peace of mind,” said
first day of class,
Angela, Cayden and
the small blonde literally, took the
Neo’s mom.
reigns and led his new four-legged
Gabe was quiet on his first day,
friend around the training floor. It was
and at first didn’t seem to enjoy the
company of his new furry pal,
Poppers, a black Labrador Retriever.
Although Popper enjoyed the many
treats he was receiving from the
remainder of his new family. But
about 20 minutes into the first day,
Gabe was sitting crossed-legged on
the floor, leaning down and kissing
Popper’s head, which was in his lap.
Arielle and Israel graduated with
Slider, a black Labrador Retriever, and
were like two kids in a candy store,
getting their certificates with their dog
on graduation day—a sight too sweet
for words.
Alyssa and Pinoy, also known as
Elmo, graduated with smiles. As
Alyssa stood next to her mom, she
leaned up, giving her mom a kiss on
the cheek, with one hand on her new
best friend.
It was a day full of kisses, tears
and hugs—hugs from the children to
the dogs and from parent to parent. The
nervousness of the first day of class
had left their expressions and was
replaced with laughter and many,
many smiles from ear to ear, from one
side of the classroom to the other.
JANUARY 2013 CLASS: THE PUPSICLES
11
*To help placemore dogs
likeour January
graduates DONATE
NOW!
GRADUATION DAY!
12
PAW OF THE CLASS | JANUARY
ANNA & DALMA: 4 PAWS DOG TO HEAD TO THE ‘DOWN UNDER’
13
XENIA, Ohio – Anna is an artistic,
smiling, loving 10-year-old, but that’s not
how she was when her adoptive mother
Doris Dehm found her when she was just
10 days old in a Chinese orphanage.
More than nine years ago, Doris,
originally from Germany, was a volunteer
at an orphanage in China. She was living
there while her husband, Burkhard,
worked. From the moment that she laid
eyes on the tiny, malnourished baby, she
knew that all she needed was “food and
love.”
“I saw her—she looked at me and I
thought she was gorgeous,” says Doris.
She remembers how the 10-day-old
baby was in 000-sized clothing, refused
solid food and was not developing the
older she got. She wasn’t making any eye
contact, nor was she making any attempt
to speak.
Doris and Burkhard decided to adopt
the fragile child,
however, it wouldn’t be
so easy—not if the
Chinese government had
anything to do with it,
she says. Doris says that
while fostering Anna, she
wrote over 200 letters.
And although Anna
wasn’t a planned child
for the older couple with
two grown daughters (28
and 30), when the little
girl was 2 ½ years old,
still only weighing 14
lbs., she was finally an official Dehm. And
even then, she was only eating three
bottles of powdered milk.
She was diagnosed with PTSD,
institutionalized autism, anxiety,
expressive language disorder, sensory
degradation disorder and extreme farsidedness.
When Anna was 3 ½ they left China
and moved to Australia. However, four
years ago,
they ended
up in the
United
States.
Doris
says she
wasn’t
going to
give up on
the little girl
who had
stolen her
heart in that
orphanage.
Many doctors told her, “there’s nothing
more” she could do, not much hope. But
she refused to let those words be the end
all to her daughter’s thirst for survival and
for life.
“She’s doing amazing things now,”
says Doris in a thick accent, a mix
between German and Australian. In fact,
the youngster is learning to talk, thanks to
neurological reorganization therapy that
she’s been receiving in Bend, Ore.
In therapy, she learns music, speech,
and movement and basically allows Anna
to relearn everything in stages from the
age of newborn, since she missed a lot of
that as an infant, says Doris.
Now they don’t just celebrate
birthdays, they celebrate every milestone
for Anna, like brushing her teeth or tying
her shoe… or saying her first word,
“momma.”
After trying to give her everything
that she needed for years and still being
shut down to them, Doris
remembers that moment when she
spoke and says, it was “just
amazing for the first time she
opened up.”
But the first time that Anna kissed
Doris, was an even more of a
momentous occasion than even
hearing the word, “momma.” She
was 9 years old and Doris had put
a blanket over her daughter… and
Anna kissed her.
“That was her starting to care,”
says Doris. “She had no empathy
from infancy [so it took her
longer.]”
They have lived in Oregon for the
past four years for Anna’s therapy and will
be moving back to Australia in July 2013
for Burkhard’s work.
Now, when they move back to
Australia, they’ll have Dalma, a
rambunctious Goldendoodle, in tow as
well.
DONATE NOW!
“Dalma makes her calmer,” says
consuming.” Nothing
Doris of their brand new service dog from compares to having a child
4 Paws for Ability. However, during their
who doesn’t sleep, is needy
first meeting on Day 1 of class, Anna
and the worry is exhausting,
pushed away Dalma—but by Day 11, she
she admits.
was laying next to the
cottony pup, with her hand
“DALMA’S BRINGING HER OUT
out, gently lying on her soft
OF HER COCOON.
fur.
-Anna’s mom
After her traumatic
childhood, Anna tends to
harm herself with hitting
But
and scratching her own skin.
there’s
She is very sensitive, because she was not a lot inside of Anna, her mom says—
including her artistic nature. She loves to
only malnourished but also mal-nurtured
at a very young age. She easily has
draw and paint and Doris carries pictures
meltdowns and sleeping problems.
of her artwork on her phone to pull out
and show off, the proud mother that she is.
“If there’s anything not right, she
thinks it’s her fault.”
Plus, she says, Anna is very funny, has a
She is also very sensory-oriented. As
great sense of humor.
“She has a giggle that lightens up a
a baby, she didn’t have soft things around
her, nor did she have anything to cuddle,
room… just gorgeous.”
or hold onto, says Doris. But now, with
“There’s a lot inside of Anna that the
Dalma, she has her soft fur to touch and it anxiety doesn’t allow it to come out.
There’s a lot there and I want to foster
truly seems to soothe the young, slowly
maturing girl. Dalma, they hope, will pull
Anna out of her own isolation.
Having a child with a disability, the
57-year-old mother says, is “all-
that,” says Doris, who believes
that Dalma will draw more of
Anna’s spirit and creativity out
into the open for everyone to
enjoy.
The duo is like two peas in a
pod, says Doris.
“When they walk together at
the mall, she’s more grounded
and calmer. She give us a little of
freedom too. And she’s free with
the dog.”
“It gives us hope for the future
14
—we want her to be as independent as
possible. We want her to be as much as
she can be.”
And Dalma is allowing her to have
the freedom and some fun as well.
“Dalma’s bringing her out of her
cocoon,” says Doris about Anna who
played ball with her new dog this week.
With soft, shiny, black hair and
purple, square-framed glasses resting
upon her nose, she smiles, as she looks
down at
her new
four-
legged BFF.
“Dalma’s a friend,” says the
shy, soft-spoken girl, who,
on graduation day at 4 Paws for
Ability, wore matching red, jeweled bows
as her new furry, fluffy friend—a friend
that will give her a brand new life, says
her mom.
Read her story about adoption:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/
2005/09/19/1126982001940.html
placedogs like
Dalma
*To help us
DONATE NOW!
MAKE A DREAM COME TRUE
Meet Grant
By Patricia King
When Grant King was about 2, he didn’t have many words. We
thought he was just a late bloomer and put him into speech therapy
twice a week. Speech therapy was difficult with Grant rarely paying
attention, thus there wasn’t much progress. Another therapy once a
week was added to try to help Grant with his focus and attention.
We noticed more things here and there… Grant had developed a
tick, wasn’t playing with the other kids at school, and had become
fixated with wheels. He became so mesmerized with golf he didn’t
want to do anything else. He also didn’t seem to show an
understanding of fear. He would try to swim across an open pool
during lessons even though he can’t swim yet. He would try to leave
with any of the other parents at the day care even though he didn’t
know them. He also seemed to become a bit of a Houdini and could
find ways to undo locks or chains on doors. He would run off into a
crowd or try to leave with random strangers.
When we took Grant to a neurologist we learned the speech delay
wasn’t a speech delay. He was diagnosed with Language Development
Disorder, as his brain was not able to process language the way it
should. His passion for golf wasn’t just a passion… his repetitive
behavior was showing he had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
His social development, tick, and lack of fear were more signs of
Autism. He was diagnosed with Pervasive Development Disorder
(PDD).
Like most parents, especially those of children with autism, we try to give Grant every opportunity to maximize his
potential. We moved him to a new school with a class for children with autism, he continues speech therapy, and we maintain
regular visits to his neurologist. Our next step is to provide Grant with an autism assistance dog. A dog would be able to calm
and comfort Grant during a meltdown and will also help him learn to develop social bonds.
A dog would also be able to distract him when his “tick” is acting up in stressful situations. The most important thing an
autism assistance dog could provide for Grant is safety; which has always been our biggest concern. Grant could be tethered to
the dog to keep his from “taking off ” into a crowd and getting lost. These are just a few of the worries that parents of an autism child live with every day. Another great benefit is the social
skills that I believe the service dog will help create. Having people wanting to talk to Grant about his dog, forcing him to
interact and introduce his buddy. Grant is a bit of a ham and should work out nicely. Grant faces some “challenges ”. He is also stubborn, hard headed, feisty, sneaky, and a daredevil.
With that, he is also tough, smart, talented, loving, funny, silly, and a flirt. New parents always
imagine what their baby will be like when they grow up. Sometimes all you dream for doesn’t
work out exactly how you had hoped. Sometimes things turn out even better. Grant has
mesmerized Daddy, cast a spell on Mommy and wrapped his brother around his finger. Though we know we are spoiled to have gotten all we prayed for with our two awesome sons,
we also dream of having this dog for Grant to help keep him safe and grow and we hope that
you can help make this a reality.
You can make a Dream Come True... check out all our dreamers:
http://4pawsforability.org/make-a-dream-come-true/
15
DONATE
NOW!
MARCHCLASS PREVIEW
LUCK OF THE LITTER
PINTEL
APRIL
Goldendoodle Labrador Retriever Pirate Litter Spring Litter Partners: Joseph and Rueben
Partner: Caleb
ZORA
SLATE
Labrador Retriever Golden Retriever Gypsy Litter Enya+Romeo's Litter Partners: Denver, Ariel,
Partner: Hedy
Jackson
PADDI
HAAS
Golden Retriever Golden Retriever Irish Myth Litter NASCAR Litter Partner: Devon
Partner: Alex
PACE
NUGGET
Golden Retriever Golden Retriever NASCAR Litter Irish Myth Litter Partner: John
Partner: Mason
SHERBERT
NADYA
Labrador Retriever Labrador Retriever Superbowl Litter Gypsy Litter Partner: Jonathan
Partner: Logan
FANTASY
PRETZEL
Golden Retriever Labrador Retriever Irish Myth Litter Superbowl Litter Partners: Mylie, Isaac, Connor
Partner: Keilan
16
DONATE NOW!
STARFOSTER
Jaki Waggamon:‘Cute things make me happy’
WAYNESVILLE, Ohio – Big and lanky
Jaki, who for a while was looking for
Boss (Bobo) bounded toward his mom, as
something she could do to give back, but
his long black and gray, tousled fur
nothing until 4 Paws for Ability had
swayed from side to side. His tongue
jumped out at her.
darted out to saturate her face. Jaki
“4 Paws does so much good with the
Waggamon was the first human mom this
resources they have—it takes a lot of
furry, fun-loving, excitable puppy—who
people, time, money, treats, and toys to
had more than tripled in size—had ever
pull off a single service dog placement.” known, and now it was time for him to
“We are fortunate to have such a
graduate and move to his new home with
wonderful thing happening right here in
his fur-ever family and girl Danielle.
Ohio—people cross the country, and
It was the first time that husband and
sometimes even the globe to get here, for
wife, Nick and Jaki Waggamon of
the opportunity to have an ability-filled
Waynesville, Ohio, had experienced the
life with their service dog partner.”
graduation of one of their foster pups.
The young couple has been a foster home
Fostering soon-to-be service dog
to two 4 Paws for Ability dogs since
puppies has been a learning experience
February 2012, and intend to be lifetime
for her and the puppies. The ability to see
volunteers, she said.
them experience something new for the
The high school sweethearts and
first time is by far her favorite part. Take
graduates of Ohio Northern University,
laundry for example… she chuckled.
both jumped headfirst into their careers—
“So far both of our fosters have been
and because of their love of traveling,
terrified of our laundry hampers—it’s
said Jaki, it was difficult
to convince her husband
that they should have a
full-time puppy at home.
But fostering a puppy is a
happy alternative and
compromise. Jaki gets a
puppy, and they both still
get to travel.
While currently, they
have no children… they
do have little ones
running around the
house.
“Puppies are such
lovers!” said Jaki.
“They’re so little and
cute, and they just want
you to love them as
much as they love you—
December graduation with Boss and his family. (Photo by Jessica Noll-Korczyk)
which they do
immediately and
unexplainable to us, but something about
unconditionally.” them must be very scary for a little puppy.
What started out as her wanting a
Let’s face it, I’m scared of the dirty
puppy of her own, turned into a
laundry pile too, so who can blame
“phenomenal opportunity to do
them!” something much more amazing,” said
17
Jaki started fostering 4 Paws
dogs in February 2012.
Together, Jaki and her husband have
fostered both Focus, a Golden Retriever
from the Luxury Car Litter and Boss aka
Bobo, a Goldendoodle from the Pirate
Litter.
Bobo, her first foster puppy, never
wanted her out of his sight, and would lie
on her feet until you were ready to move
on to the next thing. Focus, her current pup, is an
“adventurous little fellow, who loves to
jump up on the ledge by the fireplace and
act like he is king of the living room.”
Every day there is something
different to laugh and smile about, she
said.
“Once Bobo knocked the broom over
in the kitchen. When I heard it, I went to
find him and he was nowhere to be found
—because he put himself in his
kennel! Focus knocked down the
Christmas tree, but instead of selfmediating, he was climbing into the
branches when I found
him! Both situations were
worthy of a good laugh
by all!”
Bobo graduated during
the December 2012 class,
finding his fur-ever home
with his girl Danielle in
Vandalia, Ohio.
“It is a beautiful
experience. It's fun to
guess what the dog will
be trained for in the end,
based on the personality
and strengths they
develop while they're
with you. Nothing beats
seeing them at
graduation. That's when
the whole picture really
comes together,” said
the 25-year-old, who
described that day as, “amazing, aweinspiring, beautiful, wonderful,
remarkable, overwhelming, incredible,
miraculous, extraordinary.” DONATE NOW!
Foster continued
18
“I literally cannot describe the joy
I felt when I saw Bobo and his family
for the first time—it is an
understatement to say it was
beautiful.”
And as excited as Bobo was to see
Jaki and Nick, she said that they could
already tell how much he had bonded
with his new family.
“We were really blessed—Bobo’s
forever momma keeps us well updated
with pictures and stories. Again, the
joy of this moment is so much more
powerful than the brief sadness of
sending Bobo back to 4 Paws. The joy
is continuously multiplied as we hear
about Bobo’s new achievements with
his partner. I mean, he gets to go to
school… How neat is that?” said Jaki.
As hard as it is, returning the
foster puppies to 4 Paws is part of the
job that she signed up for, as do all the
foster homes.
While it’s what Jaki called,
“dreadful, awful, heart-breaking,
terrible, horrible, painful, distressing,
tear-jerking,” it’s only for a brief
moment in the overall scheme of life
and what these dogs are meant to go
on and do for children with disabilities,
she said.
“It would be silly to think that
after six months it would be easy to
send them back on their way—after all
you’re not just housing and feeding a
puppy, but loving him and taking him
everywhere you go! Even knowing they
have a greater purpose, it’s still hard.”
Through that heartache, the best
advice she received as a foster mom
was from a family who was on their
18th 4 Paws puppy: “Get another one.
Who can be sad when they’re busy
chasing around a new ball of fur and
energy that’s excited to explore their
new surroundings?”
So she did.
But Jaki isn’t just giving the
puppies something that they need…
they are giving her a better
understanding of the world and the
good that is in it—as well as the
unconditional love that a dog can
provide in trying times.
“They are cuddle-bugs, and truly
loving beings. In an amazing feat of
human-like understanding, Focus, the
adventurous and hyper puppy, cuddled
on the couch with me the whole day
after someone broke into my
car. Nothing important was taken, but
someone was in my driveway in front
of my house inside my car—my puppy
was apparently grateful for the extra
day I spent at home, instead of work,
and spent the morning cuddling and
frantic house, but it is a very happy
doing my favorite tricks.”
home!”
Both of her foster puppies have
Fostering puppies, however, is
also provided the opportunity to
not for everyone Jaki warned.
spread education about service dogs
“It must be said—puppies are
and conditions that they might one day
a lot of work!”
assist with like autism, diabetes and
From scheduling potty breaks
seizures. They have also given Jaki new
and playing to teething and
insight to the world we live in, at a
socializing, Jaki said it’s a balancing
time, she said, “when we are seeing
act that she and her husband
and speaking of a broken society, we
somehow manage among the
typically look and find the bad and
hectic atmosphere that is their
often only the bad.” home. But that chaotic world of
But once again, foster puppies to
puppy-raising is an experience she
the rescue!
wouldn’t give up, however, that
“On Christmas Eve, my husband
doesn’t mean she wishes for just a
and I decided to stop at a church on
little help…
our travel route between my parents’
“If I were granted one wish, it
and our home. We were greeted by a
would
be that every puppy was
gentleman that seemed confused when
born
with
the instinct to heel
I asked if my service puppy was
gently
next
to his human—but
welcome and said, ‘Of course!’ We sat
instead
their
instincts seem to be to
near a family who was more interested
in meeting
our puppy
and learning
about what
he would do,
than about
the fact that
there was a
dog in their
church. We
were
surprised to
hear, ‘and
peace be with
your little
friend,’ when
If you’re interested in fostering one of the 4 Paws for Ability’s service dogs in-training, contact
the
Karen Shirk at [email protected].
congregation
began
run and to chase leaves! All of
greeting those around them. There is
these things take a lot of work and
good in the world—we just have to be
a lot of time. Even so, I’m sure I’d
it if we want to see it.”
be lost without a puppy romping
In the end, Jaki said, fostering is a
around!” Jaki laughed.
blessing for her and her husband.
“If life’s not fun, I don’t think
“I wish I were as happy about
you’re
doing right.”
anything as these foster puppies are
when they see me after work. A house
with a puppy is a crazy, disorganized,
*To help us place dogs like Focus & Boss
DONATE NOW!
WELCOME OUR NEWEST PAWS!
Oasis+Caepor
|
Cookie
Litter
|
2.19.13
Tandy+Caepor/CJ
|
Survival
Litter
|
1.28.13
Phoebe+Luka
|
All
That
Litter
|
2.09.13
Sydney+Caepor
|
James
Bond
Litter
|
3.3.13
19
Want more puppy pix? Go to 4PawsForAbility.org or
check out our 4 Paws Dogs Facebook page!
DONATE NOW!
Support our puppies!
Photo by Jessica Noll-Korczyk/4 Paws
“SHE’S A FUNNY, SWEET DOG. SHE
MAKES US LAUGH, GIVE US
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, AND IS A GREAT
COMPANION TO OUR OTHER GOLDEN,
MAGGIE.”
-ELLEN FURLONG
Thank you, Karen, for letting Bill and I adopt Ester (aka
Carly). I would like to thank the trainers, the prisoner trainers,
dog care workers, socializers and all who had a hand in Carly’s
training and care. She is an exceptional dog. I know that
sometimes it may seem a failure or waste of time for a dog that
doesn’t make the cut for a service dog. But I believe that Carly
and all of the other dogs that get adopted at 4 Paws are a true
success. Since I volunteer at 4 Paws, I have had the pleasure of
socializing some of the dogs that didn’t make it. She is a great
dog and I’m sure the other dogs adopted have made many
families happy.
Carly saved us in a lot of ways. My mother passed away
and two months later my husband had a heart attack and almost
died. We had to change our plans to move to Tennessee last
summer and we were trying to recuperate and find our way
through a very hard, difficult year. My husband’s health was
continuing to improve. And then came Carly.
As you know, Carly was timid and that contributed to why
she didn’t make the service dog cut. She was very timid of
environmental things, noises, etc. One of the reasons I chose
Thank you note...
her was because I thought she needed a lot of patience, a semi
quiet household, and a family that had time to work with
her. We were ready for a challenge. It actually took a couple of
weeks for her true personality to emerge. She has so much
personality. She’s a funny, sweet dog. She makes us laugh, give
us unconditional love, and is a great companion to our other
golden, Maggie. I am currently taking her to obedience class
and she is the star of the class. She is so easy to train and that
is because of the training she had in prison and at 4 Paws. We
are spending a lot of time training and socializing to make her
a happy well-adjusted dog. She has won the hearts of many of
our friends and we couldn’t be happier with her. She will be
our companion for life. In many ways, she has rescued us.
If it is possible, I would like someone to express my
thanks and appreciation to her trainers and her trainers in
prison and let them know that she is doing great and has found
her forever home.
Thanks again to all of 4 Paws. I believe every dog is a
success at 4 Paws. I’m also happy to be a volunteer at be a
very small part of 4 Paws.
Thanks again,
Ellen Furlong
4 Paws volunteer
20
P.E.A.C.H.STUDENTS VISITS 4 PAWS
(Plano
Educational Association of Christian Homeschoolers)
21
GROWING UP FAST@4PAWS
Lyric+Caepor
|
Winter
Holiday
Litter
|
12.20.12
Sophia+Caepor
|
Friendship
Litter
|
12.5.12
LX+CJ
|
Thanksgiving
Litter
|
11.22.12
Oba+Caepor
|
Snow
White
Litter
|
11.3.12
Jude+
Caepor
|
Turning
Point
Litter
|
10.26.12
Delilah+Caepor
|
Dr.
Seuss
Litter
|
10.3.12
22
DONATE NOW!
Support our puppies!
WE ♥ OUR VISITORS!
Send us YOUR 4 Paws’ pix to [email protected]
MIAMI VALLEY SCHOOL CLASS VISITS 4 PAWS
23
DOGGONE GOOD NEWS from development
By Kelly Camm, Development Director
As some of you may know, 4 Paws is in its 15th year of
operation. We are thankful to each and every donor we
have ever had.
Read on to learn
about the latest
funding
happenings:
Commodores
Yacht Club
On January 12 in
Stillwater, MN, 4
Paws was the
recipient of the St.
Croix Yacht Club
Commodore’s Gift.
If you are not
familiar with this
tradition, members
of a yacht club
have an annual ball
where they present
a gift to the Commodore, who is the chairman/CEO of the
club. Thanks to Becky Evans
of the Yacht Club for
contacting us last year after
The New York Times article
was published on 4 Paws.
And, thanks to Ed Evans, the
Commodore, for giving up
your gifts to 4 Paws. And,
thanks to all of the donors
who donated $450. I also
want to thank Melissa Fay
Greene for writing such a
wonderful article about us. It
has brought donors to us that
we may never have been able
to reach or get to know, and
we are so thankful.
Calipari Foundation
In December, 4 Paws
received a $60,000 check
from the Calipari Foundation
to provide three service dogs
to Kentucky veterans
returning from Iraq or
Afghanistan that have a
24
Email Kelly at [email protected].
mobility or hearing impairment. For those of you that are
not college basketball fans, let me explain who Calipari is or
Coach Cal, as he is fondly called by fans. John Calipari is
the head men’s basketball coach for the University of
Kentucky. He was referred to 4 Paws by a trustee of the
Hatton Foundation, Walt Lunsford (the Hatton Foundation
gave us $100,000 for five service dogs for veterans residing
in Ohio, Kentucky, or Indiana in 2011). Coach Cal quickly
agreed to support 4 Paws because he was accustomed to
seeing 4 Paws service dogs in training all over UK’s campus.
4 Paws was one of four charities that benefitted from the
proceeds of the September 15 UK Alumni basketball game.
If anyone knows of a veteran who has a mobility or hearing
impairment from combat in Iraq or Afghanistan and is a
resident of Ohio, Kentucky, or Indiana, and would benefit
from a service dog, please tell him/her to apply by going to
the 4 Paws website. The funding is available! Thanks Coach
Cal! Go Wildcats!
Pilot Club of Dayton
Back in fall of 2012, Carole from Pilot Club of Dayton
attended one of our graduation ceremonies. She told us
that her local group of Pilot International was looking for
an organization to support. Pilot
International is a group that
raises money for charities that
deal with brain-related
disorders. On February 21, I
was invited to present to this
lovely group of ladies. I took
Service Dog In Training, Pintel
with me, and he sold them...we
walked out with a $50 check,
and on my way back to 4 Paws
to drop Pintel off, they called
and said they decided to
sponsor a puppy for $200/
month for the next six months.
To top it all off, they just called
on March 11 to tell us that they
are submitting a grant in an
attempt to double their
donation! If they get the grant,
we will be receiving $2,400 this
year from this group. And, in
December, they dropped off
some cleaning supplies. What a
wonderful group. Thank you
Pilot Club members!
DONATE NOW!
You can still purchase Scentsy from Carolina by clicking on the link above!
THANK YOU
CAROLINA DAVIES!
FOR YOUR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTION TO THE 4 PAWS
FOR ABILITY BUILDING FUND.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE OR CONTRIBUTE IN YOUR OWN WAY, LIKE
CAROLINA DID, CONTACT US, OR
DONATE NOW!
25
PAYIT FORWARD
Pay It Forward teams up with 4 Paws for Ability
XENIA, Ohio — 4 Paws for Ability
is proud to announce the partnership
with Pay It Forward (PIF) Apparel,
LLC, in an effort to Pay it Forward.
Kicking off in March, this causemarketing partnership will include
the opportunity for you to purchase a
fabulous PIF T-shirt!
The promotion will last year
round, starting in March, then again
in May, September and November.
“We are thrilled to partner with
PIF! At 4 Paws for Ability, we strive to
'pay it forward' every day in the work
that we do,” said Karen Shirk, 4 Paws
for Ability founder and executive
director.
PIF T-shirts cost $23 each and 4
Paws for Ability will receive 25
percent of each shirt sold. That
means 4 Paws for Ability will obtain
nearly $6 per shirt to benefit more
children with disabilities. That is after
all, what 4 Paws for Ability is all
about! In fact, over the past 15 years,
4 Paws for Ability has placed
approximately 700 service dogs with
children with disabilities.
“Our goal has always been to
enrich the lives of children with
disabilities by the training and
placement of quality, task trained
service dogs to provide increased
independence for the children and
assistance to their families. And we
think cause-marketing with PIF will
prove to work hand-inhand with our everyday
intentions as a team,”
continued Shirk.
Today, placing approximately
100 dogs a year, 4 Paws For Ability is
the largest organization whose
primary mission is to place service
dogs with children and one of the
only organizations to have no
minimum age requirements. We
place almost every type of service
dog available and never turn down a
child who does not “fit” into one of
the traditional service dog categories.
Our Multipurpose Assistance Dog is
a dog that encompasses all those
children who do not fit into the
traditional service dog types and/or
who have disabilities that fit into
more than one type of dog trained.
Many of the families who come
to 4 Paws do so asking if we can help
their child who may have a disability
not addressed by any of the service
dog agencies they have located. While some children, for example
children who have only the diagnosis
of Autism, fit clearly into a specific
type of service dog, (The Autism
Assistance Dog), many of our families
have children with multiple issues, or
diagnoses that do not seem to be
addressed directly in the typical
service dog categories, for example
Down’s Syndrome, Fragile X,
Apraxia, ADHD, a variety of mental
health diagnosis, life threatening
medical illnesses such as cancer, and
medically frail children…to name a
very few.
SHOP NOW!
26
DONATE NOW!
27
MAXDOG IN BLUE
Police dog Maximilian works hard, serves & protects alongside partner, best friend
LAWRENCE, Ind. – Most police
when he grew up.”
partners will tell you that they are
Something ‘great’ was right. willing to take a bullet for their own in
Clark, a police officer for
blue, however, some partners come in
the Indianapolis suburb, has
the canine persuasion and make more
been with the department since
than a partner, but also a best friend.
June 2005. And in January 2008,
Maximilian aka “Max,” a German
his department approved him for
Shepherd, has been a dog in uniform,
being a K9 handler.
so to speak, for the last five years. He
“I was tasked to finding a
was adopted by Police Officer Mike
‘cost-effective’ option in
Clark of the Lawrence Police
choosing a dog. The average dog for
Department, in Lawrence, Ind. From
police work costs $7,000 to $10,000,”
that moment on, Max took on a role of
said the officer.
a lifetime.
But that kind of money wasn’t an
“My life has never been the same
option for the department. So as an
since I met Max. I cherish every day
officer, he did what he does best, he
with him. I thank God every day for 4
investigated and researched for the best
Paws for bringing Max and I together,”
he could find at a price they could
said Clark. “He is not only a crime
afford.
fighter, he is my best friend, my
After searching and searching,
protector, my dog.”
surfing and surfing hundreds of sites,
Max got his start at 4 Paws for
Clark finally ran across 4 Paws for
Ability, as a rescue that Executive
Ability. He sent Shirk an email that
Director and Founder Karen Shirk
day. The next day she responded and
brought into the service dog
training facility.
“I WAS TAKEN BY HIM AND NAMED HIM
“He started here in
MAXIMILIAN BECAUSE I WAS SURE HE
training as a service dog, but
WAS GOING TO DO SOMETHING GREAT
WHEN HE GREW UP.”
was going to be too much dog
-Karen Shirk
for our clients, so we decided
to look for an alternate
working placement,”
remembered Shirk.
told Clark about Max.
“He was rescued from a shelter, so
“Being the researcher that I am, I
began looking into 4 Paws and what it
we knew nothing of his life before 4
was all about. After seen Karen's story
Paws. I believe he was a puppy when
we got him. I was taken by him and
and all the videos on YouTube, I knew
that this was the place to go.”
named him Maximilian
After several emails and photos of
because I was sure he was
going to do something great
Max, Clark hopped into his car and
made the trek to Xenia, a more than
two-hour trip.
Clark and his travel companion
arrived late in the morning on Jan. 30,
and as soon as they walked inside, staff
members and then Karen met with
them.
After chatting for a bit, Clark laid
eyes on Max, the sturdy German
Shepherd.
“I have been a German Shepherdlover all my life, and when he came
around the corner, I was in love with
him,” remembered Clark.
Max instantly jumped into his new
partner’s lap, and started excitedly
liking his face.
“I knew then, that this my boy,”
said Clark.
Once he met Max, it was time to
meet trainer Jeremy Dulebohn. He
showed Clark all of Max’s tricks and
commands and even though Clark said
his mind was made up from the
moment they met, it was now a
decision that had no hesitation
whatsoever.
“As my visit was coming to an
end, the mood changed in the room
DONATE NOW!
Photos by Jessica Noll/4 Paws
4 Paws dog serves, protects
because the staff realized I was
taking him to his forever home.”
After nearly a full bag of Beggin’
Strips and throwing a tennis ball
around from one side of the
room to the other, the tears
started to flow around 4 Paws.
“After all the goodbyes, I
promised everyone that Max
would be the best-cared for and
loved dog they had ever adopted
out. As we hit the road and
headed home, I knew that I had
made the right choice and was
already looking forward to what
would become of Max and me.”
Max and Clark arrived home
later that same day. Clark began
introducing his new furry friend to
his female German Shepherd, Lucy.
While Clark admits to being
nervous at the introduction because
Lucy isn’t exactly dog-friendly, he
took the advice that Dulebohn gave
him while at 4 Paws. He introduced
them slowly, while wearing
muzzles, for safety. After a few
days, Clark removed the two dogs’
muzzles and hoped for the best
between them. That’s when he said
the “real test” began.
“Lucy set the ‘rules’ and after
that, Max and Lucy have been
attached at the hip ever since. If
Max hears a noise by the front door,
he has to run and find Lucy so they
can bark together. It really is funny.
They wouldn't know what to do
without each other,” Clark said of
his pair of German Shepherds five
years later. Less than a month after returning
to Indiana, Max and Clark started
their training with the North
American Police Work Dog
Association (NAPWDA) for
Narcotics Detection.
“Max took to this like a fish in
water,” said Clark.
28
While the two were training with
a group that had been together for
months, Max quickly became the star
of the class.
In June 2008, Max, then 11
months old, and Clark were the first in
their training group to become a
nationally certified "Narcotics
Detection Team.” Trainers in the
group raved about Max’s abilities, said
Clark.
In fact, he had to turn down
countless offers to sell Max.
“I was offered over $7,000 cash
for him. There was no was that this
would happen. Even though the
money was tempting, I didn't even
flinch,” he said of the dog he knew
was meant to be his partner in blue on
the streets.
Soon thereafter, Max and Clark
started their work on the road together,
officially as partners for the Narcotics
Detection Team.
Max's primary function is to
locate marijuana, heroin,
methamphetamine and cocaine. He is
trained to find those odors in cars,
lockers, rooms, lockers, containers or
in an open outside area.
Some less serious and much more
fun roles that Max plays include
public relations. He goes to all
parades, neighborhood crime watches
and other community events.
“He is the love of the party.
People line up to pet him,” said Clark,
beaming with pride.
Five years after adopting and
training Max for the K9 unit,
they now train the Indianapolis
Metropolitan Police
Department K9 unit on a
monthly basis and Max is recertified every year in Narcotics
Detection.
Aside from pulling the late shift
from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. as the
primary on-call K9 team, Max
plays a second role as protector.
He is Clark’s wife’s sanity
when he is not home, he said.
And he’s justly rewarded for such
roles on his days off.
When Max and Clark are offduty, Max spends his days lounging
around the house, taking up most of
the couch, said Clark.
But the dog that fights crime and
sniffs out the drugs also sniffs out his
one weakness at home… popcorn.
And, well, he might just deserve a
snack from time to time.
“As soon as my wife puts the bag
in the microwave, Max stands with is
nose the glass and watches it pop,”
said Clark. “At that point, I don't
matter. I can call and call him, wave a
tennis ball and he doesn't budge. He
wants his popcorn and that's all that
matters.”
Aside from ignoring Clark when
popcorn is in the picture, Max is the
officer’s right-hand dog at home and
in the cruiser.
“I can’t believe it’s been so long
since he became not only my partner,
but also my best friend. He is doing
well and is the best dog I could ever
imagine,” said Clark of Max, who has
found more narcotics than you could
think of… not counting the $16,533 in
drug money he has found.
“I couldn't be happier.”
DONATE NOW!
HAPPYBIRTHDAY!
GIRL BLOWS OUT CANDLES, LENDS HELPING HAND TO 4 PAWS
BIRTHDAY PARTY GOES TO THE DOGS
XENIA, Ohio – What could be better
than a birthday party full of puppies?
Maybe a girl who, instead of gifts for
herself, donates to help those puppies get
everything they need to be the best
service dogs they can be for children with
disabilities who need
them.
Self-proclaimed
animal lover Sarah
MacKenzie, 10, who
attends the 4th grade
at Summit Academy
of Xenia, is a regular
volunteer at 4 Paws for Ability with her
mom. They’ve been volunteering for
three years, helping socialize the puppies.
“My mom and I were at the mall and
saw a 4 Paws for Ability dog, and I asked
to pet it. I was 7 at the time. When I kept
asking for a puppy, my mom thought it
would be a good idea to volunteer at 4
Paws for Ability instead.” Taking the puppies out into public
and giving them lots of love on a regular
basis, as a volunteer is how she realized
that she needed to do something more to
29
help those puppies that she adored so
much.
“I thought they did not have enough
toys and treats,” said Sarah, who also said
she likes how the dogs are trained to help
other kids.
So that’s when the idea hit her.
She wanted to have a party for
the dogs! It wasn’t just any
party, but her own birthday
party.
“I invited a lot of my friends,
and 12 of my friends and their
parents came to the party,” she
said.
4 Paws for Ability, in Xenia, was
decked out with puppy posters and
‘Happy Birthday’ signs galore. There was
loads of pizza, fruit, potato chips and,
what else, but sweet puppy-shaped
cupcakes.
They enjoyed a game of ‘Put the paw
print on the dog’—much like
‘Pin the tail on the donkey,’
she explained.
After playing Twister, the 4
Paws for Ability staff and
volunteers taught Sarah and
her friends how to socialize
with the puppies. Which
means, they also got the
chance to play and cuddle
with puppies. They all had a
ball, she remembered.
“They were so cute! I loved
those puppies!” said the giddy birthday
girl.
In keeping with the ‘doggie theme’
Sarah passed out thank-you gifts in, what
Photo courtsey-Xenia Gazette, Barb Slone
else, but doggie bags. They were full of
dog pencils, dog tattoos, candy, and pawprint stamps. Volunteering at 4 Paws for Ability
and giving back with her birthday party is
special to the 10-year-old philanthropist.
She knows how much children with
disabilities are just like her in many ways,
and how they can thrive with a service
dog by their side.
“My good friend Anna was born with
two missing fingers on both hands and
had to have surgery on her hands several
times. She is really nice. I also know a
girl in my church fellowship that uses a
wheelchair and has a service dog. She is
super friendly and gives great hugs.” In all, Sarah and her party guests
raised, $300 for her favorite place to
volunteer and for her favorite puppies to
get all the toys and treats to make them
the happiest service dogs anywhere!
DONATE NOW!
BOY TURNS 10, MAKES DREAM COME TRUE FOR GIRL
EUGENE, Ore. – A red, construction
paper, handmade card simply says:
“Happy Holidays” with a black-ink pendrawn paw with four toes. At the top, the
words: “to: Alexijanae G.” It’s a birthday
present that Cade Jacobson was proud to
give to someone else this year.
In lieu of birthday gifts, 10-year-old
Cade, gave a gift to someone else this year
when blowing out his candles—a gift to
fellow youngster, Alexijanae Kanani
Oliveira-Golden.
Alexijanae has had medical issues
since she was born, said her parents. She
suffers from a rare disorder called
Schizencephaly, and Texas Children’s
Hospital diagnosed her with Dyskinetic
quadriplegic cerebral palsy in 2008. She
and her family started the fundraising
process for a 4 Paws for Ability service
dog. Cade wanted to help.
In fact, that’s what his skating-themed
birthday party was all about.
30
Instead of Transformers, video games,
or an iPad, Cade asked his party guests to
bring a donation toward making one little
girl’s dream of obtaining a 4 Paws for
Ability service dog come true.
There was skating and cake and lots
of happy kids, including one little boy who
was turning 10 and giving back.
Inside the red card to Alexijanae
read: “For my birthday, I raised
$500 to send to you so you can
hopefully have enough or close
enough to get a service dog.
Sincerely, Cade J. in Eugene,
Ore.” The opposite page read:
“Have a happy holiday too and a
good New Year’s.”
But that wasn’t the only gift he
sent to the girl, who just turned 10
this year as well.
Inside the holiday card to
Alexijanae was a colored piece of
artwork… a vibrant bug, full of
pink, blue, green, purple and
orange-colored crayon strokes
covered the page freshly ripped
from one of his coloring books.
At the bottom read: “To
Alexijanae From Cade.”
Alexijanae’s mom said that she
needs a service dog more than
anyone will ever know, as they face
challenges every day. The little girl, like
most, wants independence, freedom, and
she wants to dance and be in
gymnastics. She wants to do her own
dressing and take her own shoes off . . .
but at the moment she cannot do any of
those things that most 10-year-olds take
for granted. But now, thanks to Cade’s
generosity and his party guests’ support,
she is well on her way to getting that
furry best friend and service dog she so
desperately needs.
DONATE NOW!
EXTRA! EXTRA!
Turning Point’s
4 Paws for Ability
Documentary airs:
You can watch the documentary,
Have a
media
inquiry?
CLICK HERE!
Call us!
937.768.9096
Email us!
[email protected]
4PAWPRINTS
ARCHIVES
Thank you to all the media for coming out and
telling our story and the stories of our families.
Photos by Jessica Noll/4 Paws
In the News...
WOOF’S BLOG
Family finds inspiration from their toddler
and his puppy- WAVE3, NBC-Lexington, Ky.
Community helps boy get seizure alert
dog- Tampa Bay Online
Family wants seizure-assistance dog for
child with epilepsy- CTV News
Boy hopes to get assistance dog- NewsOK
Mom hopes service dog with help son
battle seizures- Salem-News.com
Twitter@4PawsForAbility--
...More ‘In the News’ at http://4pawsforability.org/in-the-news/
Right now...
31 Creativity meets generosity! http://bit.ly/XqpnLb #servicedogs #teenhelps
#donation #4paws
32
FUNNY PAWS
DONATE NOW!
PROMOSCOMING UP
This Saturday, March 23, 4 Paws staff and volunteers will be visiting
the Sephora store at The Greene. The Greene is an outdoor shopping
mall. This Sephora store has chosen 4 Paws as their “Values Inside Out
Partner” for 2013. 4 Paws will receive at least $5,000 from this
partnership.
Crowd Cases- 4.15 for seven days
Here are the details of the promotion:
1) Launch date is April 15, 2013 12 PM EST for 7 days
2) Cause - The proceeds from the phone case will go
towards the building fund, which will allow 4 Paws for
Ability to train and house more dogs.
3) 4 Paws will receive $10.49 for every $34.95 case sold
(minimum of 50 have to be sold--but not 50 of each type,
50 total).
4) Both designs will be sent (they are interchangeable
backs printed on aluminum) Available iPhone 4, iPhone 5,
and Samsung Galaxy S III.
5) Continental US purchases only ($5 S&H will be
charged)
Party Animals are adorable plush pet speakers that plug into music devices such as laptops, iPods,
iPhones, iPads, and other MP3 players, CD players, media players, and many other devices with a
standard audio input jack. Once they are plugged in and the music starts, they literally dance to the beat.
Great for parties, your desk at work, or a unique Easter gift for a child.
Choose from four plush pals: Cleo the cat, Sandy the dog, Spike the dog, and Tom the cat. Purchase a
Party Animal at the retail cost of $29.95 (includes free shipping), and 4 Paws will receive $10 which will
go to our building fund.
To order, go to: CLICK HERE
Enter the promotion code: 4PAWS1
THIS JUST IN!
5K Walk/Run for Autism Awareness
Join 4 Paws at the 5K Walk/Run for Autism Awareness in Moraine, Ohio!
WHEN: Saturday, April 27, 2013
WHERE: Payne Recreation Center, 3800 Main St., Moraine
REGISTER: Run4Autism.org
33
Hey, all you shutterbugs!
Time to start clickin' and raise money for 4 Paws for Ability at the same time!
Go to WinnerPics.com!
DONATE NOW!
REELABILITIES FILM FESTIVAL
CINCINNATI – In early February, 4 Paws was asked
to take part in the ReelAbilities Film Festival.
ReelAbilities, which is the largest film festival in the
country to showcase the artistic talents and life stories
of people with disabilities, began in New York in
2007. But in 2011, Cincinnati became the first place
to broaden the festival's influence by making it a
multi-city event.
For its second
year running,
ReelAbilities
plans to increase its reach
with a fervor that emphasizes
the shared human
experience. The festival
brings community members
together to view awardwinning films by and about
people with disabilities, all
while creating a dialogue and
providing a platform for
storytelling and educational panels that promote
understanding and inclusion.
Karen and Piper were invited to the premiere event
on March 9, at the Freedom Center in Cincinnati as
VIPs, along with Matthew
Cook, Service Dog,
Potter, and mom, Mary
(September 2008 class).
Jeremy also attended the
premiere event.
Then, on March 14, Kelly
Camm, Carol Burke and Service Dog,
Pumpkin (December 2010 class) and
the Cook family attended the free
screening called, “Praying with Lior,”
about a child with Down Syndrome
held at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The Cooks were also part
of the panel after the film, and Matthew proudly introduced and
spoke of Potter.
Special thanks to the Cook and Burke families for
representing 4 Paws so well.
RIPJACK HARTER
♥
J
ack Harter was a 6-year-old Madison,
N.J., resident, who had an incurable disease
(connatal Pelizaeus-Merzbacher) that left him
with little mobility and no way to consistently
communicate.
4 Paws for Ability was sad to hear that he
unexpectedly, but peacefully, passed away in
his sleep on Thursday, January 10, 2013.
Jack would have been in the
October 2013 class this coming Fall.
His family’s fundraising efforts will
benefit Ryan Cornett of Williamsburg,
Va., who will be getting a Multipurpose
Service Dog in October 2013.
In addition to helping fund Jack's dog,
Grace Episcopal Church raised enough from
the sale of homemade dog biscuits to fund a
litter of puppies ($5,000) and a puppy pen in
memory of Jack ($5,000).
♥
Parents hopes to get son service dog
Love for disabled child was overwhelming
34
Find
us
on
Facebook
too!
SHOP NOW!
A ROUND OF APPAWS!
Did you
know that
THANKS TO ALL OUR DONORS IN 2013!
you can
(OVER $5,000, FROM DECEMBER 2012 AND JANUARY 2013)
sponsor
• Jennifer Petrovi, $11,000
• Jenny & Juan Alvarez, $10,000
• Erma A. Bantz Foundation, $15,000
• Mary Brummer, $13,000
• Calipari Foundation, $60,000
• Grace Episcopal Church, $5,467s
• Grace Episcopal Church, $5,000
• Janet De Banyo, $10,000
• Anonymous, $10,000
one of our
4 Paws
dogs?
Click here
to find out
more!
A special thank you to Kerry White, mom to Jayden and service dog Shaggy, for having Tshirts printed and for selling these to help our building fund. She did this for her project for
Partners in Policymaking with the Virginia Board For People With Disabilities. The T-shirt
was designed by Michelle Sorrells, mom to Zachary, of the upcoming June 2013 class.
DONATE NOW!
4PAWPRINTS
4 Paws For Ability
253 Dayton Ave.
Xenia, OH 45385
RECEIVE 4PAWPRINTS DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX---GO TO OUR
FACEBOOK ‘CAUSES’ PAGE AND ‘LIKE.’
NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES
DON’T FORGET!
1st Annual 4 Paws 5K!
YEAH!!
Register to run or walk dog at: Atomic Racing
&
You Tcan
this race! Contact
SEND
HEM
still
TO
JSPONSOR
ESSICA
NOLL-KORCZYK
AT
[email protected]
or [email protected]
[email protected].
6.29.13
XENIA, OHIO
*All proceeds go toward the 4 Paws for Ability Building Fund.
Artwork by Amanda Wood
DO
YOU
HAVE
A
STORY
OR
PHOTOS
TO
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4PAWPRINTS?

4PawPrints - 4 Paws for Ability

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