July 2007 - June 2008
Programs
Team TLCAD
TeamTLCAD provides service dogs for adults and children with disabilities. Included are dogs for Seizure Response, Mobility and Specialty (Balance, Tourettes Syndrome).
When the dog is about 18 months old, the team is formed made up of the trainer, new client/handler and the dog and a training plan is established. The team works together to solidify basic behaviors and to develop, then fine tune, advanced specialized behaviors. The client participates hands-on in the dog’s training and also works to learn training techniques, cues, dog behavior, care of the dog, public access information and laws. The goal is for the client to be as self-sufficient as possible and for the dog to be well mannered and proficient at essential behaviors by the end of the program. Certification takes place approximately 6-12 months after the client joins the team. TLCAD currently has 17 active teams with 8 dogs in training.
Facility
The Facility Dog Program places a trainer and dog in specific facilities such as medical institutions and schools. In this setting the dogs are teamed with clients who require the use of an assistance dog on a temporary and periodic basis and therefore the dog will work with more than one client. The trainer is always present during working sessions and the dog always maintains residence with the trainer.
The dogs in these programs continue to help motivate special or hurting students in four local schools: Bishop’s School, De Portola Middle School, Riley School and Serra High School.
Leash-On-Life Program for families of children with autism
The Leash-On-Life program was launched in 2008 with the placement of TLCAD’s first autism dog, Muffet, with a little 5 year-old girl living on the Camp Pendleton military base. Since working with Muffet, Jolena has made huge strides in speech, physical therapy and is having far fewer meltdowns. Hurray for Muffet!
There are many interventional needs that TLCAD knows can be addressed with an autism service dog. The team is similar to TeamTLCAD, but also includes a third-party handler – usually the parent or caregiver.
An autism service dog’s presence offers a calming influence and provides a sense of security to the child and the parents. Abstract and concrete thinking advances, focus improves, and the length of attention span increases. Emotional outbursts occur less often. The important role of an autism service dog is affording the individual more independence and autonomy, helping those individuals become a visible and viable part of the community at large.
The section of this Annual Report titled “In The News” has links to two television news broadcasts on Ch8 and Ch10 about Muffet and Jolena. TLCAD also received international recognition on CNN, as well as an article on the Activedogs.com website newsletter.
