| OUR LABS IN SERVICE OR TRAINING TO BE |
| ORION DONATED PUPPY FROM LIZZY AND BOSLEY'S FIRST LITTER 2007 ACTS SERVICE PUPPY IN TRAINING |
ORION JULY 30, 2009 ORION LIVED, TRAINED AND WAS LOVED BY OUR FAMILY FOR TWO YEARS. HE HAS NOW GRADUATED AS A SERVICE DOG. HE IS LIVING, HELPING & BEING LOVED BY LISA, HIS LIFE TIME COMPANION. |
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| Facility therapy dog Montana finds his way to a new job in Wisconsin Oct 11, 2011 12:05 am CONWAY DAILY SUN TUFTONBORO — Last week Trainers Robin Crocker, of Conway, and Cathy Burke, of Intervale, travelled from New Hampshire to Wisconsin to introduce facility therapy dog Montana to his new partner, Kristi Balge of East Troy, Wisc. Robin and Cathy spent a week in East Troy working with Balge and Montana. Balge is a psychotherapist who specializes in working with children. Crocker and Burke work with Assistance Canine Training Services (A.C.T.S.) training assistance dogs. Balge will now be working in her practice with Montana, trained by A.C.T.S. of Center Tuftonboro. Balge primarily works with children who have been diagnosed with ADHD or autism-spectrum disorders. Animal assisted therapy has a growing body of literature that supports its efficacy. Montana is trained in a variety of tasks that will be used by Balge to facilitate communication and rapport with her child clients. According to Balge, “Animal assisted therapy is a great fit for my practice. The children I work with will really connect with Montana and that should help me facilitate conversation about things that are normally difficult for them to talk about.” Montana, a large black lab, has been through the A.C.T.S. Service Dog training program. According to trainer Crocker, “All our dogs start their training learning service dog tasks and polite public access manners. In Montana’s case, we learned with time, that he was not suitable for service dog work. He had a different calling.” Montana’s “career change” ultimately connected him with Balge who had recently lost her family dog and who also had an interest in animal assisted therapy. In preparation for his arrival in Wisconsin, the trainers at A.C.T.S. taught Montana several new skills and adapted many of his previous training to be useful in Balge’s practice. During their week of training Balge and Montana got to know each other better, and Balge learned how to work with Montana and how to continue to train and teach him new tasks. A.C.T.S. trainer Cathy Burke noted after watching Balge teach Montana to “Relax” by putting his head down on a pillow, “I can’t believe how quickly she was able to teach him that. The only limit she has is her own imagination.” Balge has already developed several programs that incorporate Montana into her therapy sessions. Robin Crocker said, “Many people helped make Montana a success. He lived with several of our raisers. He was donated to our program by Stargazer Labradors in Conway. He received vet care from both Conway Veterinary Hospital, North Country Veterinary Hospital, and Karla’s Pet Rendezvous, for donating boarding for two puppies during the training time. He lived with me for almost two years and I miss him. But I know his work is important and after meeting and seeing Montana with Kristi, I know he has found his forever home. A.C.T.S. is a non-profit that trains Service Dogs, Facility Therapy Dogs, Balance Dogs, and Home Helper Dogs. For more information the website www.assistancecanine.org. |