Spotlight: Helping Paws
by Nora m. Davis (HBCA) 
—JANUARY 2010
Pam Anderson and Carmel Dunlop of Helping Paws, with Reggie
I rang the doorbell at Helping Paws and was greeted by a chorus of “woof-woofs” from within. Welcoming me was Helping Paws Demo Dog Reggie, volunteer Carmel Dunlop and Pam Anderson, Director of Development. Founded 21 years ago, Helping Paws is a volunteer-based non-profit with a simple mission: to further the independence of individuals with physical disabilities through the use of service dogs.
We visited in the Training Center, a warehouse-sized room filled with a bit of everything: wheelchairs of all kinds, a fully equipped kitchen, doors of all sizes and shapes, plus electrical switches—some mounted high, others closer to the floor. In his bright blue service vest, Reggie soon strutted his stuff, showing me how he could pick-up and deliver a TV remote, close a kitchen drawer, and open the refrigerator. According to Carmel, he can also hand a credit card to a cashier, and retrieve the receipt, much to the delight of everyone in the grocery store line!
And what does it take to train a dog to become a service dog? First, the puppies. Helping Paws maintains its own breeding program using Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers exclusively. At eight weeks those puppies are ready for foster homes. I asked Carmel about that step and she explained that each foster family must commit to a 30-month period of attending weekly meetings and training sessions, plus agree to work with the dog on a daily basis. “Training is strictly positive reinforcement,” she commented. “Volunteers use a clicker and treats and the dogs learn quickly. We take Reggie many places for training purposes: the library, restaurants, parks, shopping...everywhere we go, he goes,” Carmel commented. “He’s learned to find my phone, the remote—even my keys!”
Dogs learn an average of eighty different commands from “drop” to “snuggle” (the dog places his head on a person’s shoulder for special attention) and “go to bed.” (A command never taught is “no” because that word is often used in conversation. Instead the dog is taught the command “Uh-uh” for the no command.) Following this intensive training period is graduation. Much to my surprise, dogs are not assigned to those needing them. Instead, the dogs and recipients are brought together for several pre-matching sessions to observe how the person and dog respond to each other. “We’ve found this to be a better system, watching as the dogs respond to their prospective owners,” Pam noted. Next the recipient and their soon-to-be service dog go through a 3-week Team Training course. The course ensures that the recipient has the knowledge and tools to utilize the skills of their service dog. Helping Paws provides graduate support for the life of the service dog.
Want to learn more? Go to their website at HelpingPaws.org and click on YouTube. You’ll see the training process, along with poignant stories of how their work has truly made a difference. Foster home trainers are always needed. Calls are also welcome at 952-988-9359.
