Operation Kindness, a no-kill shelter in Carrollton, announced that it would be joining forces with Oregon’s Dogs for Better Lives to train shelter dogs into service animals for the disabled.
In a Facebook post, Operation Kindness explained that the new From Shelter to Service Dog program would be launched in a bid to benefit rescue dogs and people with disabilities alike.
“The demand for our Service Dogs is as high as ever, and we are thrilled to be partnering with Operation Kindness to train shelter dogs who will go on to significantly change the lives of people with disabilities,” Dogs for Better Lives CEO Bryan Williams explained in the post.
The group has been training and placing service dogs free of charge since 1977, according to its website.
Operation Kindness will select dogs with the right temperament to participate in the new program and place them in foster care. Then these dogs will undergo training as a hearing assistance dog, an autism assistance dog, or a facility dog.
Each specialization aims to train the dogs to perform tasks specific to the needs of the individual they will someday assist. These tasks might include being able to alert someone who is hearing impaired that the oven timer has gone off or lying on someone’s lap at a hospital to provide a calming pressure.
Dogs for Better Lives reported that people with disabilities can be forced to wait as long as three years to receive a trained service animal, according to NBC 5.
Joining with shelters like Operation Kindness to put more dogs through training is expected to help shorten this wait time.
“We’ve been actively working to find ways to continue to train shelter dogs, and this partnership with Operation Kindness is an important step in achieving that goal,” Trish Welch, vice president of operations at Dogs for Better Lives, told NBC 5.
While some dogs might not make it through the training program, they may still learn some skills that could help them be adopted.
Although Operation Kindness is a no-kill shelter, late last year euthanasia rates at Dallas Animal Services skyrocketed by 86%, as The Dallas Express reported.
Since the start of the year, the number of pets surrendered to shelters by their owners has increased, placing further strain on many animal services already embattled by surging cases of dog flu, as The Dallas Express reported.
Alongside providing a valuable service to the community, shelter dogs selected for this program will have another chance at finding a home.
Yet fosters are needed in order to start the training process, which is described here. Anyone interested in learning more about fostering, please refer here.
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