Larkin IV, a 14-week-old Golden Retriever and Labrador mix, strutted around the East Hampton Press office one day last week wearing a yellow service dog vest while carrying a pink stuffed animal elephant in his mouth. Emily Schoen, his owner and trainer, reached for a piece of kibble from her fanny pack and ordered the jet-black, 30-pound pup to sit and give paw before handing him the treat.
Larkin will make an big difference in the life of a person with disabilities one day. Ms. Schoen, of Sag Harbor and a student at the University of Kentucky, is in the process of training and raising him through Canine Companions for Independence, a national nonprofit organization that provides highly trained assistance dogs for children, adults and veterans with disabilities. Someday, Larkin will understand more than 40 professional commands, and he will be matched with a person with disabilities.
“He’s cute, he’s cuddly, he’s a sweetheart,” Ms. Schoen said while petting Larkin’s head. “I’m very impressed with him. He’s already potty trained and loves playing with other dogs.”
As of Thursday, she had been training Larkin for six weeks. He was already in the process of learning verbal commands, without hand signals. Instead waiting until Ms. Schoen puts out her hand out and utters the word “shake,” Larkin will learn to shake her hand simply by hearing the word.
“My family raised dogs for the Guide Dog Foundation of America when I was little,” Ms. Schoen explained. “They raised several dogs and even ended up raising a dog who failed out and he got to live the rest of his life with us.”
While attending the University of Kentucky, Ms. Schoen became involved with program called Wildcat Service Dogs. She opted to take a gap semester this spring, but wanted to be involved with training service dogs.
“I came home and realized I didn’t want to stop,” she said.
Her aunt mentioned Canine Companions for Independence’s need for trainers, and three months later, after filling out paperwork, and being interviewed, she found out she’d been paired with Larkin. Although Larkin lives with her in Sag Harbor now, he will go back to college with Ms. Schoen, as her school allows service dogs.
“I’ve always loved dogs,” she said, adding that her family has three other dogs at home. “I’ve always had an interest in dogs and how to train them.”
The volunteer puppy raisers take the pups home at 8 weeks, raising them and teaching them basic commands and socialization skills. The socialization is perhaps most important, because the dogs need to be able to be exposed to all types of situations. Wearing special yellow capes, the dogs are permitted to enter many public areas where family pets are unwelcome. When the dogs reach about a year and a half, they are returned to the Canine Companions for Independence regional headquarters in Medford, where they begin six months of professional training with the organization’s nationally renowned instructors, before they are matched with the person they will serve. It costs more than $50,000 to raise and train each dog, a cost covered by donations. Ownership of the dog is retained by CCI, and the dog must undergo yearly re-certification tests, again at no cost to the person who was been matched with the dog.
Ms. Schoen explained that CCI breeds dogs specifically for intelligence, strength and devotion to service. After the dogs are weaned, at about 8 weeks, they are flown to one of six regional headquarters across the country, where they are adopted by volunteer puppy raisers. Only about five out of 10 dogs actually make it through this program, so the ones that graduate really are the cream of the crop.
“He’ll learn how to jump on surfaces, walk correctly on either side of me, he’ll learn general focus,” Ms. Schoen explained.
CCI doesn’t train seeing eye dogs, she said: “He will either be a facility dog at a hospital full-time, a skilled companion, a service dog, or someone’s hearing dog.”
There are many hospitals and rehabilitation centers that use service dogs as a motivational tool. Service dogs have also been placed in the criminal justice system, giving comfort to children who are victims of sexual abuse and other violent crimes, in addition to being placed with war veterans.
“I’m head over heels over this dog and I’ve already had him for six weeks,” Ms. Schoen said with a smile.
Ms. Schoen said it won’t be easy to part with Larkin, but added, “when you see the tremendous difference he can make in the life of someone who really needs it, it makes it all worthwhile.”
Many puppy raisers and graduate teams form lifelong bonds with the dogs, with regular updates and visits. At the end of the volunteer training program, there is a graduation ceremony where diplomas are handed out and the leashes are ceremoniously handed over from the puppy raiser to the new “grad” team.
“He gives me his heart for 18 to 24 months, and then takes what I teach him to go help someone for the rest of his life,” Ms. Schoen said.
For more information about becoming a puppy raiser, visit cci.org or call 1-800-572-BARK.
Staff Writer on Mar 8, 2019