Paige

Sponsor Announcement

I am thrilled to be sponsored by Dechra Veterinary Products. They generously donated to sponsor my journey to hopefully become a service dog! I hope to make Andrea, my foster who works for Dechra, and the entire company proud throughout my training. Thank you, Dechra Veterinary Products!

Placement | December 2020

Some are scared of change, but I'm excited for my future! Unfortunately some health issues came up which removed me from the training program. I was adopted by my amazing fosters, the Kanoy family, and I am thrilled to spend every day playing with and loving on them! Thank you to all who helped me get to this point.

Paige's Journey

Stage 1 Introduction

Hi, my name is Paige. I am proud to have been selected to enter into the Retrieving Freedom training program. My parents are "Sophie" who was originally from Yellow Rose Labradors and is now fostered by the Colburn family, and "Echo" from PAWS with a Cause. During this stage of training I will be spending approximately 8 months with my new volunteer foster, Andrea. Andrea, along with the company she works for (Dechra Veterinary Products), will be helping me along tremendously in this first stage of training.

During this time I will learn the basics of citizenship, public behavior, and basic obedience. I understand that it takes a very special dog to complete the program, as there is a high standard to become an official service dog at Retrieving Freedom. I am aware that I may be one of the dogs whose purpose is outside of service work so I will be updating my profile on a monthly basis for all who would like to follow my journey through the program.

December 2019 - 2 months old

      

I have been busy with Christmas festivities, going to new restaurants (Texas Roadhouse), and Crown Center in Kansas City. 

February 2020 - 4 months old

Happy Valentine's Day! I used the holiday as an excuse to get extra love and cuddles from everyone who says how cute I am.

March 2020 - 5 months old

   

I have been a busy gal lately! My foster mom Andrea took me to PBR bull riding. I also assisted at a bunny show! I am doing great at ignoring distractions while training. Don't let my puppy dog eyes fool you. I love working!

April 2020 -  6 months old

    

It has been a busy month! I've transitioned to working with my foster Andrea from home. She typically finds me snoozing on the job, which isn't out of the norm. I also participated in a photoshoot for Dechra Veterinary Products, supervised homeschool sessions, and found fun, new ways to exercise on the agility course! I am patiently waiting for baseball season to start... Go Royals!

June 2020 - 8 months old

 

Look how big I am growing to be! I'm showing off my fancy patch representing Dechra Veterinary Products who is sponsoring my journey to become a service dog. I have been attending many softball games this summer. I'm happily spoiled and love having the fan pointed directly at me to stay cool in the summer heat.

August 2020 - 10 months old

   

New experiences this month - I visited the local cattle show! At first, I was unsure of the large creatures but through all the distractions (sights, sounds, and smells!) I remained focused on my handler and listened well. I also celebrated National Dog Day with my foster siblings. Favorite thing this month: spending time with my family. Least favorite thing: loading into the car - I really don't like jumping up because I'm fairly lazy!

Stage 2 Introduction

Wahoo!!!  I have officially been entered into stage 2 training, and I am so excited!  Over the past 8 months I have had the opportunity to see the RFI mission first hand, and can’t wait to dig deeper in the mission of changing lives through my training for veterans with disabilities and children with autism. During this Stage, I will work closely with the RFI professional training staff to solidify my understanding of intermediate tasks and the foundation of future commands to help mitigate a disability.  Follow me through this stage learning how I continue to make an impact! 

September 2020 - 11 months old

   

This month I transition into the next phase of training. I'm going to miss my foster Andrea so much, and can't thank her enough for all she's provided to me over the past 9 months! We learned a lot together, and I enjoyed going to work at Dechra US every day. They got Andrea a wonderful going away gift! I hope to make everyone proud throughout my next step in training at the University of Missouri with my new handler, Tina!

November 2020 - 13 months old

     

Tina and I have been working diligently over the past two months on my training, task work, and public outings. My favorite time of the day is after our training session when I get to snuggle up for a snooze on Tina's lap.