Update on Sam the Service Dog

I want to thank each and every one of you pups for stealing your human's money and donating toward getting Sam a little boy to care for.

Enough funds were raised, and Sam came to Alex's home to see if he was a match and if he could do the work that Alex needed him to do.

Unfortunately, Alex's condition made it very hard for him to help Sam learn the skills needed to help him. Service dogs are typically meant to bond with the person that they are helping by having their person care for them, teach them new skills and give them very detailed direction.  Alex is unable to clearly communicate with Sam and the challenges were just too much for Sam to do his job.

The good news is that Sam will go back to his training and will be paired with another person to learn how to help them.  The Wales family thanks Sam for trying so hard to be Alex's best friend and helper and wishes him the best on his next assignment.

Don't fret pups, your money will still go to a good cause, as the family is now looking in to finding the perfect therapy dog for Alex.  Its quite clear that what Alex really needs is a friend to snuggle with him, calm him down when things get too much for him, and to have someone there for him when the times get tough and he doesn't feel good.  The really good news is that the money collected will just about pay for a trained therapy dog.  The family is receiving guidance from people familiar with the therapy dog programs, and will go about finding the perfect friend for Alex.

If you have experience with therapy dog training, know of a good organization that trains therapy dogs, or are a therapy dog team member, can you just give me a comment and I can get you in touch with the family so you can provide them with some help in deciding the best friend type for Alex and his condition.

We will continue to update you on the family and the new addition to their home, and how a pup can make a sick little boy feel like a part of the world again.

- Meeshka

Help a Service Dog Get a Little Boy!

As you know, we dogs come in a myriad of shapes, sizes, and duties.  As a "working dog" I know the importance of having a job, and while most huskies are employed by pulling sleds, I found a cushy gig laying on air vents, looking very fluffy, and digging for grubs.

Border Collies herd sheepie things (according to Bet of North Wapiti)

Airedales collect big sticks and pine cones (according to Bogart Handsome Devil)

Labradors destroy furniture (according to Ping of Dogs with Blogs)

And Sam's job is to help young boys with disabilities do fun things and lick their faces and generally make bad things go away for them.

This is Sam:

Clockwise: Sam, Zach, Mike (Dad), Alex, and Kathy (Mom)

Sam really wants to come live with the Wales family so he can be there for Alex.  Alex (according to my human woman) is a really cool kid and has this really horrible disease thing called ALD and he needs Sam's help.  But, as usual, he can't come live with Alex until human money gets paid, and blah blah stupid human things (As Tubey would say).  Until all of this money thing is taken care of, Sam can't do his job.

If you want to help Sam get his job, go steal money from your humans and send it to:

Mike Wales, 
c/o Friends of Alex, 
6424 Birchleigh Circle
Alexandria, VA 22315

Or you can click on the convenient paypal button on the upper right hand side of my blog. 

Its the Human Woman's paypal, but she will make sure that one big honking check from all of us 4-footers will get to Alex's dad so he can hire Sam to do his job.  Not only that, but the Human Woman will make sure that your WHOLE donation goes to Sam's employment as she will cover whatever fees Paypal rips out of your kind donation.  (a note from the weasels in the legal department: this is not a tax deductible donation, just one from your heart).

So help us create a job, and let Sam do his.  You'll make Sam and his human boy Alex very happy!

- Meeshka


P.S. This is not Spineless Bionic Hip/Knee pup Sam.  That Sam would actually require a boy to fetch his things and bring them to him on the Sleep Number Bed.