By Jennifer Reed
We did it!
The Drake Center is thrilled to officially announce that with the help of our wonderful donors, we have successfully raised over $10,000 to provide a facility dog for children with autism and other disabilities in our community!
We want to extend our sincerest thanks to everyone who helped us reach our goal, whether by contributing time or services to our cause, donating items for our garage sale or simply dropping some change into our fundraising jar. We truly could not have done it without you!
Unfortunately, this announcement also comes on the heels of our very difficult decision to withdraw Good Dog! Drake from service training. Service dog hopefuls like Drake are chosen based on temperament, health and behavioral potential; however, the standards for service dogs are very high and the truth is, not every puppy chosen for training is cut out for the job. Many are removed from training for medical or behavioral reasons, but these dogs are anything but failures.
Despite her departure from the Good Dog! program, Drake is still a member of The Drake Center family—quite literally! She has been adopted by our hospital manager, Chris and her family, including two small children and another dog.
So, what’s next?
The Drake Center and Good Dog! Autism Companions are still fully dedicated to their shared goal of bringing the unconditional love and companionship of a personal service dog to many children with autism and other disabilities in our community.
To fulfill this goal, we will be starting anew. Good Dog! is currently training two different litters of puppies to become family dogs for children with autism. One of these pups will be selected within the next few months to follow in Drake’s paw prints and become our new facility dog.
Stay tuned: Be sure to check our website for new blog posts and follow us on Facebook for photo updates and more.