UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 14, Page 6
December 10, 1992
Student plays active role training dogs for disabled

     Opening doors, paying a cashier with a special wallet, switching on
lights, fetching objects such as a portable telephone and retrieving
dropped belongings-These are all services canine partners can provide for
people with physical disabilities to give them increased independence.
Along with this assistance come devotion, loyalty and companionship.
     When a canine partner  with his trainer visited Tower Hill School and
demonstrated his talents, Michael Flynn, then a senior, was so impressed he
decided to become a volunteer with Canine Partners for Life. "I grew up
with dogs," the University sophomore recalled, "and in my family, it was a
big deal when we taught a dog to 'sit;' "
     As a volunteer, Flynn has worked as a senior handler, headed up the
kennel crew and sometimes provided a temporary puppy home for young dogs,
prior to their training.
     Now planning on a career in medicine, Flynn continues to be an ardent
supporter of the program, even bringing the dogs he is training to campus.
     The dogs wear the canine version of backpacks, containing, among other
items, a copy of the law making their presence legal just about everywhere
when being trained or when accompanying their partners.
     Canine Partners for Life was founded in 1989 by Darlene Sullivan, a
former special education teacher who has extensive experience in training
animals and now serves as director of the program.
     Most of the service dogs in the program are donated, although some are
found in animal shelters. The dogs are screened for temperament and
intelligence, as well as any health problems, such as hip or eye disorders.
     Puppies are "adopted" by families for the first  year, until they are
old enough to train. The dogs then receive formal training for nine months
to one year, working first with a mobile trainer and then with a trainer in
a wheelchair. They also are taken to stores, museums, public buildings and
city streets to get accustomed to these surroundings.
     Their training is then fine-tuned to their new potential partner. They
may learn to help pull a wheelchair up a ramp or act as a brace, supporting
a partner.
     The training concludes with three weeks with the potential recipient,
so that the dog and recipient become a team, followed by a graduation
ceremony. Follow-up after the team leaves is also essential.
     Volunteers play an important role in the program, Flynn said. Not all
are equipped to become trainers but serve by just coming out and playing
with the dogs and giving them exercise.
     Important as the role is that canine partners play in providing
independence for the recipients, Flynn says he feels that the dogs help
with social interaction. "They are ice breakers in social situations, and
people are interested in the partnership between the dogs and the people
they serve," Flynn said.
     Canine Partners for Life is located in Cochranville, Pa. For more
information call, (215)-869-4902.
                                        -Sue Swyers Moncure