A viral infection in the vestibular nerve from his brain to his left ear caused severe equilibrium problems for DeWayne Witt of Security, Colo. Witt had trouble shopping with his wife or navigating a parking lot. Elevators were out of the question and walking down a store aisle could easily throw off his balance. Then came Eli, a service dog trained in balance (referred to as a balance dog), and Witt’s life changed for the better.After learning about a balance dog from another person with an equilibrium problem, Witt applied for a dog with Paw Pals Assistance Dogs. Nine months later, he had a new best friend.Two years later, Witt and Eli hike together and do things that Witt used to avoid. “Eli’s my buddy,” he said. “Where I go, he goes. I can’t say enough good about what they’ve (PPAD) done just for me, and they helped so many more.”Helping people with mobility and other health issues through a companion service dog was Wendy Okabayshi’s goal when she founded PPAD in Murietta, Calif., in 2002.Okabayshi is still the director of the organization that has branched off into other areas of the country.One branch is located in Falcon. Sandy Miller had been training service dogs for 20 years when she heard about PPAD. “They were certifying some of the dogs I was training privately,” Miller said. When she decided in 2005 to start her own PPAD chapter in Colorado, Miller chose Falcon because of the spacious and rural environment. “It’s a great place for training,” she said. “We love it here.”Miller said the goal of PPAD is to “obtain and train assistance dogs to fit the specific individual need of each recipient applicant, child or adult, whose physical well-being would be enhanced by interaction with a service animal.”Before training service dogs, she raised them as puppies. From her first puppy in 1991 to the present, Miller has raised four puppies and is currently raising her fifth – with the help of her husband and two grown children, she said. “It’s always hard to say goodbye, but you know what you’re raising them for,” Miller said.People interested in raising puppies are volunteers, who commit to the program from 12 to 16 months. They apply to the program, and if accepted provide everything the puppy needs, including food, veterinary visits and social situations. The volunteers also bring the puppies to training sessions twice a month. Many of the puppies are trained at the Chapel Hills Mall. One volunteer lived in Vail and traveled all the way to Colorado Springs for her student puppy’s classes.The puppies are exposed to multiple types of experiences and stimuli that require them to act appropriately. On one field trip, the puppies went to the Falcon Fire Protection Department where they learned about the flashing lights and sirens of the fire engines. Trips to the light rail between Colorado Springs and Denver gave the puppies an opportunity to get used to different modes of transportation. Three years ago, one service dog group was the first-ever allowed at the Denver Zoo. “They told us where we could visit and where we couldn’t, but it was a really successful trip,” Miller said.Once a dog has completed the program, they are ready to be placed in a variety of settings, depending on their particular skills and abilities. Some dogs are specifically trained as balance dogs that serve people with equilibrium and balance issues. They perform different tasks and serve a different function than the typical service dog. Some dogs that aren’t able to perform as service dogs because of health issues become therapy dogs. Lani, who had hip problems, was placed with Memorial Hospital’s dog therapy program.Currently, PPAD is choosing a dog for a soldier who returned from Iraq with a traumatic brain injury. The dog will be named Hershey in honor of a soldier who was killed while serving with the soon-to-be recipient.Veteran puppy raiser May Shankar said, “It’s hard to give up the dog after a year and a half, but we’ve met the people who these dogs are helping, and it’s rewarding to see how much these dogs mean to (them). It has touched our lives in so many ways.”Shankar moved to the United States from India with her husband 20 years ago and to Black Forest, Colo., from California 11 years ago. She said raising puppies for a service dog organization was a “really nice way to teach (our kids) to give back.” The entire family has raised two dogs and is anticipating a third. Her daughter, who is off to college this fall, wrote an essay for her application that described the sadness of saying good-bye to the puppy and the rewards of knowing the end result is about helping others.Sandy Miller, her apprentice advanced trainer Mary Keenan and the entire team at PPAD have been involved with many success stories. The National Mill Dog Rescue organization contacted Miller about a litter of golden doodles (golden retriever and poodle) that had been rescued from a puppy mill in Missouri. They wanted to see if she could use the dogs in her service work instead of sending them to a shelter, which didn’t guarantee adoption. Most of the four male puppies were petrified of people, but Miller placed one of them with a family that worked hard with him. “He’s in advanced training now in California, working to be in an assisted living facility for adults,” Miller said. “He started out as a mill puppy, and now he’s going to be greatness as a service dog.”People who would like to find out if their needs fit with a service dog can apply to PPAD.PPAD is always looking for volunteers and people to raise puppies. For more information, visit www.paw-pals.org, or call Sandy Miller at 719-495-5696.
