Zayne and Maverick's Story

Placement | July 2019

I'm so excited to announce that Zayne, his family, and I have passed our public access test and were officially placed as a Service Dog Team with Retrieving Freedom! I'll be helping Zayne each and every day. Thank you to all who helped all of us get to this point!

Zayne's Story

"Zayne and Maverick have been placed together and the two make a perfect pair! Maverick is so patient and gentle with Zayne, and Zayne's behaviors don't seem to bother him at all. Maverick has successfully accompanied Zayne to therapies, church, and many other public places. The tethering keeps Zayne safe every time we go out in public and having his buddy with him to fidget with helps keep Zayne calm while we wait in lines. Thanks Retrieving Freedom and volunteers for making this match possible!"

Jaime, Zayne's mother

       

Maverick's Journey

Stage 1 Introduction

Hi! My name's Maverick. I am proud to have been selected to enter into the Retrieving Freedom training program.  My parents are “Duke" and "Stella" who are owned and loved by the Klein family. During this stage of training I will be spending approximately 8 months with my new volunteer foster, Keegan.

Throughout Stage 1, I will learn the basics obedience, public behavior, and a lot of socialization. I understand that it takes a very special dog to complete the program as there is a high standard to become a Service Dog. 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 that would like to follow my journey through the program.   

October 2017 - 2 months old

       

I entered my foster home this month! Keegan picked me up from my breeding foster home and we are excited to tackle the next year of training together! First, I will learn my name and basic obedience commands. We traveled together to the Retrieving Freedom facility in Mississippi to celebrate a group of graduates.

November 2017 - 3 months old

   

Training is "ruff!" During puppy classes, I like to find the best spot to take a snooze. I learn a lot by watching other dogs in training.

December 2017 - 4 months old

    

This month I attended my first concert! I enjoyed taking a nap during Straight No Chaser's Christmas show. I also put bows on because I'm the best gift of the year. I'm so cute, I got my own Christmas ornament!!

January 2018 - 5 months old

  

I'm getting so tall, fluffy, and handsome! My foster Keegan coaches volleyball, so I like going to practice and games to cheer the team on! It's a great way to practice my "place" and "down" commands during chaotic practices where there's lots of noise and distractions.

February 2018 - 6 months old

   

I've been training in public a lot lately. Keegan takes me to her presentations and I love showing off how smart I am!

March 2018 - 7 months old

    

Every other week or so, I spend time with a wonderful couple named Jack and Bev. Jack has fostered service dogs in training with Retrieving Freedom in the past. He graciously takes me in to teach me more tasks and give me opportunities that I'm not able to have with Keegan. Thanks, Jack!

April 2018 - 8 months old

 

Keegan and I traveled to Perry, Iowa this month for a presentation. We visited the Joshua M. Davis memorial afterward.

May 2018 - 9 months old

  

I love snuggling with my foster sister, Sadie! She is also a service dog in training that Keegan has been raising. I grew bigger than her quickly, but I'm very gentle when I play with her.

June 2018 - 10 months old

July 2018 - 11 months old

 

More presentations, more snuggles! Keegan and I travel around and speak to about five groups of people per week, sharing what service dogs are capable of doing and using the commands I know to demonstrate tasks that can help people.

August 2018 - 1 year old!

To celebrate my first birthday this month, I got a special peanut butter and Milkbone treat. Because of the way my personality and temperament are developing, my trainers think I would make a good candidate to begin working down the Autism Service Dog path. Woohoo!

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 also 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 2018 - 13 months old

Keegan had to say a tough "see ya later" to me at the beginning of this month as I traveled to the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility for specialized training with Veteran offenders. I hope to see her again soon!

December 2018 - 16 months old

I traveled back to Iowa this week to finish out formal training. I learned a lot during my time in Mississippi, but it's time to really get to work now. My trainers have officially identified me an a future Autism Service Dog and I've been paired with a teacher foster who will begin to take me to her classroom twice per week. I'll work with students there and begin getting used to being in school all day. Of course with it being Christmas time, we had to recreate my bow photo from last year!

January 2019 - 17 months old

 

Now that I'm back in Iowa for a while, I have continued working with Keegan as a foster when I'm not busy with my trainers. On weekends, we travel to her volleyball tournaments. I was so excited to see the team again!

Stage 3 Introduction

During this stage I will begin to meet potential recipients, learn final training tasks, finish up a role in the impact programs, and complete the 100 required one-on-one hours with my future recipient. This stage is a 4 to 6 month process, and I understand there is a chance that I might not complete the program due to health or performance. I'm looking forward to sharing with you about my first visits with potential recipients, trips into public, and other highlights throughout my final stage of training.

March 2019 - 19 months old

Now that I'm in stage three of training, it's time to work on Autism-specific tasks. I've begun tethering, which is where I lay down and act as an anchor when pressure is applied on my vest. This is to prevent my future recipient from running off during times of anxiety or when it's unsafe.

April 2019 - 20 months old

 

As I inch closer to my second birthday, it's beginning to hit me that my time in Iowa is coming to an end. I've been pre-matched with a recipient who lives out of state, so I've been finalizing my tasks to better his life. For now, I'll soak up the rest of the time I have left with my friends in Iowa.

June 2019 - 22 months old

 

I have to sneak in time to play with my foster sister Sadie before I leave. I've loved growing up alongside her! Next month, I'll head out of state to work with my trainer and recipient together. I'm so excited to meet my new family and hope we work as well together as our trainer thinks we will!

July 2019 - 23 months old

   

Of course Keegan had to get matching shirts with me and a good photo session! I'll always be the Maverick to her Goose. Thank you to everyone who helped me get to this point - I'm off to change a life.