Here is a paper i wrote.....

Here is a paper i wrote for School. The topic is how can I make a difference. I talked about Solly. But next year I will talk about Oswego. But since solly is leaving next month I thought i would do Solly.


I Can Make a Difference By ………….
By Emily Bracken
I can make a difference by being a puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence. A puppy raiser is a person who raises service dogs, trains them, and then hands them over to a person who needs them. I am currently raising two service dogs. The reason I chose to become a puppy raiser is I wanted to help people that could not help themselves. I wanted the experience of going through the process of how service dogs are trained. I also wanted to teach the public about service dogs.
In March 2006 my family went to see a program about service dogs. At the program they kept saying that they needed puppy raisers. They said that these dogs were wonderful dogs to work with, and that disabled people were waiting years for the miracle dogs to come to them. Puppy raisers are volunteers who commit their time and money for raising the puppies.
Our first puppy is named Solly and he is a golden lab cross. We have had him for seventeen months. In this time I have taught him to do many basic puppy commands and have good public behavior. I am required to socialize him with people and places. Not only does it help the puppy, it also helps the public learn about these dogs and about the Canine Companions for Independence mission. As puppy raisers we are asked to present at schools, clubs, and facilities. When presenting we teach about the process of becoming a puppy raiser, or different types of service dogs.
When we go in public the first thing people ask us is how we can give this puppy up. This is where making the difference comes in. When I first got this puppy I kept on saying to myself, this dog is going toward something good. It will make a difference in someone else’s life. The puppy will help someone become more independent. Next month Solly will go to Advance Training, and will learn to open and shut doors, turn on and off light switches, and retrieve dropped objects. These are some of the command he will learn. By the end of six months Solly will have learned over fifty commands. He will be ready to be matched up with a handicapped or disabled person.
There are many ways to make a difference in the world, and I chose to be a puppy raiser. Many people say that is a hard thing to do. Being a puppy raiser for the very first time has been a wonderful experience. Turn in will be hard, but I will look toward the bigger picture and remember why I am doing this.