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Likes: Working, playing with my kong and my adopted brothers Tai and Koda, who have helped rediscover the puppy in me! :-)
Pet-Peeves: When people pet my ears or when my adopted brothers climb on me.
Favorite Toy: 1) my kong 2) my frisbee/flying squirrel.
Favorite Food: Besides my mealtime food, I like apple slices, especially a sense I am not allowed any other treats.
Favorite Walk: Anywhere, but I prefer to play!
Best Tricks: Getting the phone ("Pick up the phone" Video) and the remote ("Get the remote" Video), picking up things Amy drops ("Get" Video), helping her get in/out of her couch ("Up" Video) tugging open doors ("Tug" Video) and pushing them shut (PushVideo).
Arrival Story: Hello, my name is Yazzen. I am a 5-yr-old Labrador/Golden Retriever cross. I grew up in the Ohio region and lived w/Mr. and Mrs. O'Connell. Living with them was great! They taught me all the basic commands I needed to fulfill my calling as a CCI Service Dog. Under their watchful eye, I learned sit, down, stay, up and get, just to name a few.
I lived w/the O'Connell's from 8 weeks of age until I was a little over a year old. Then because they did such a marvelous job with me, I left the comfort of home and lived at CCI's North Central training facility where I underwent six months of advanced training. In Advanced Training, the trainers built upon the groundwork of my puppy raisers and taught me everything I'd need to know to become the excellent Service Dog I am Today. They taught me how to work around a wheelchair, retrieve dropped items, tug, and turn on/off a light among other things. This was hard work, but I knew I had a job to do, and I wanted to do it well, because as much as I wanted to be back home with the O'Connell's, I wanted more than anything to make them proud of me! I knew there was nothing left to do, but continue to work my tail off, so that I'd make it to Team Training where I would meet my new life partner!
I remember being on pins and needles the first few days as I waited to find out just who that would be. On the third day of team training, the long-awaited wait was over and I was finally placed with Amy, a twenty-something college student from Illinois. Although I was finally placed, I was so nervous my tail wouldn't wag for about the first week and I remember Amy and her mom talking about how they were going to buy me a shirt that said, "Stop looking at my tail!"
Boy, how times have changed! Amy and I just celebrated 4 yrs. together this past August; Now my tail always wags and I love working for her (I even get in trouble sometimes because I anticipate her needs before she gives me a command, which isn't always good) and going to her work where we get to be w/kids all day.
Bio: What Is CCI?:
Canine Companions for Independence is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people like Amy by providing them w/highly trained assistance dogs like myself (free of charge), and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships.
What Are The Different Dog Types?:
Well, out of the 5 main centers there are 4 types of dogs trained: Service Teams, Skilled Companion Teams, Hearing Teams and Facility Teams. Service Teams: These are teams like myself and Amy. As Service Dogs, we are placed w/individuals who are at least 15 yr. old. We help our partners enhance their independence by reducing reliance on other people to perform tasks that they have difficulty performing themselves. We are trained to perform physical tasks such as pulling a wheelchair, retrieving dropped objects, opening doors and drawers and flipping switches for lights or automatic doors. These tasks are based on the 52 commands.
Skilled Companion Teams: Person's under 18 over 5. These dogs are trained for the same tasks as service dogs but are used with the aide of someone else. Dogs that are chosen to be a skilled companion or a service dog must have steady personalities and a real desire to work closely with their partners. When pairing a graduate team w/ either a service dog or skilled companion at team training, our trainers take many factors into consideration including how the individual handles us and how we react to the individual. To learn more about the Hearing and Facility Teams (or any other team), please visit www.cci.org.
More about Team:
CCI recommends every recipient bring a facilitator w/ them to OH so that someone else knows how to work w/dog. Recipient pays for lodging, 2/3 meals & travelling expenses related to team training. Team lasts for 2 wks., and runs for 6 days from 9-4. I was w/ Amy and her mom from the 5th night on. Team was a lot of hard work and fun. Amy had homework and tests every night, based on the lectures, which covered the topics of leadership skills, canine behavior psychology, and canine learning. I remember being so eager to work that I'd moan loudly during lectures out of sheer boredom(a habit which carried over to my college days, but sometimes helped Amy get out of class early)! We also went on field trips, designed to see how the teams function in various environments. I remember that on one of our days off, Amy, myself, two of our friends and two mom's went to the movies. We looked like a parade walking into the theater! During team we also underwent TONS of training w/ the commands. I remember this one training session where myself and all of my buddies ran a relay w/the four basic food groups. One of the items we had to carry, in our mouths, w/o breaking was a raw egg. During that exercise only one egg broke and it wasn't even our fault, the break occurred on a human-human transfer! That was so funny; Ah, the good ol' days! :-) The team training experience Culminates w/a public access test (where recipient teams perform a variety of tasks in a mall for certification) Amy was nervous at the prospect of the test, but I knew we had it in the bag and were ready for graduation. Final notes on the Team experience, During our time there Amy learned to rely on classmates for support and when I wouldn't work for her, she found herself asking, "Just how hard can I chin bop?" No person leaves CCI unprepared b/c the staff is so knowledgeable. They are able to make necessary modifications to training and equipment to ensure success. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watchv=3EMQ UfRpvfs to see a video of the Team Training experience.
More about me: Around the house when I am working, I don't wear my blue vest that signals to the public that I am a working dog. So if you see me at home and especially out in public, you should:
1) Always ask if it is okay to pet me. 2) Never feed me anything, I have to watch my fisique! and 3) Never do anything to detract my attention away from Amy. It is best to ignore me, as Amy is responsible for commanding, petting prasing and toileting me. However, she may ask for your help at times and will tell you the best way to interact w/me.
Forums Motto: "Working to make independence happen".
The Groups I'm In: ♥ Paws with a Purpose ♥, Guide Dogs/PIT/CC'd/CCI, service dogs
The Last Forum I Posted In: flying
I've Been On Dogster Since:
I Just got back from TX today. Flying w/ SW was a breeze.They made it very easy for me and my whole human family by giving us authorization to pre-board per ACCA, which meant I'd be more comfortable. Amy didn't even need my record of health or her Dr. note. Given that this was my first flight I had to desensitize from the sights, sounds and smells of the airport, the routine of the security check and the aprehension of the take-off (and landing). I was a rock star; I didn't have any accidents, nor did I need my chew toy as a distraction. In fact, I was able to relax enough to take a nap going to and coming from our destination.
The trip itself was great! I got to see the rest of my human family and some points of interest like the river walk (where I took my first boat ride and had my first nerve-racking encounter w/ a revolving door-not one of my favorites), the capitol, the Alamo, a wildflower park (where I posed w/ a scorpion), Barton Springs and the bats of Round Rock. The people are so nice and I even got to take time off to play with Elway, a TX Blue Lacy whom I met on one of our last days; we had such fun...I love just being a dog sometimes!
On 3/25/09 I met Magnus the rabbit. He's a class pet cared for by the students and teacher's of the Life Skills Program at the school where Amy works. This isn't the first time I've been exposed to a rabbit, in fact, if you go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EMQUfRpvfs you'll see that we're trained around them. Despite the fact that it had been awhile since I had been around one in an enclosed space, I fell hard for my new friend and found myself giving him kisses! :-) I really like being with him, but we're never left alone to play because I am still a dog and when I'm at school I have to be ready to work for Amy at any moment. It's nice to have a break once in awhile to spend some quality time with him though.
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