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Meet Me- Ginseng

October 1, 2017 by shrimpchickenleoiant

Hi guys, I’m Ginseng!

I am a 4-month-old Goldendoodle from the Tea Litter at 4 Paws for Ability. 4 Paws is a super cool service dog agency in Xenia, Ohio. They take dogs like me and turn them in to super-hero working dogs!!! You might remember my half-brother, Snickerdoodle, who was here last semester. He is now a full-fledged working dog living in Texas!! I am so proud of him.

Enough about Snickerdoodle, lets talk about me. I arrived at Wooster a few days before classes started, fresh out of the puppy house. College is great!! So many new friends and places to go- I am never ever bored. By the way, the puppy house is at 4 Paws and it is where all puppies live until they get fostered. Most puppies go through the Puppy Enrichment Program (PEP) at prisons to learn basic commands, and proper potty etiquette. But not me! I left straight from the puppy house which means my fosters worked suuuper hard to teach me these things. I had a few potty accidents at the beginning of the year, but now I barely have any. I also know some commands: sit, and nuzzle are some of my favorite!

I am so excited for October. I heard the leaves change color! That’s crazy!! I also might get dressed up for Halloween, but I am not sure yet. I am also excited to continue meeting small kids. My fosters are nice, but my favorite kinds of people are my size. When I meet new people while out and about, my fosters tell them what I am doing and teach them a little about 4 Paws. I will be working very hard to master more commands this month. I will be writing to you soon!! Have a great month!

Love and Tea,

Ginseng

We love it when our dog gets to meet new people! Exposing the dog to new sights, smells, sounds, etc. is our main goal throughout the semester. Most of the time, we would absolutely love it for you to pet our dog, but, please always ASK before petting! There are times when we want our dog to focus on a command that has been given to them, and someone petting them can be a huge distraction. Being able to listen to the commands given by a handler is really important for a service dog in training, so be sure to ask first!

We don’t! It’s important to realize that we are NOT providing the training for these dogs for the service they will eventually provide for a child or veteran. We are fosters, so we do general care, keep up basic obedience commands, and provide lots and lots of socialization experiences for the dogs. However, we do attend a 5 hour orientation at the beginning of the semester to go over our responsibilities. We also have monthly meetings at 4 Paws to work with the trainers on any issues we may be experiencing with our dogs. In the end, it is the dog trainers at 4 Paws who train our puppies to become service dogs, we just socialize!

Yes! Legally, service dogs in training have the same rights as full fledged service dogs, allowing them to go everywhere we go. This is important for the dogs in training so they get to experience anything and everything they could encounter as a service dog. Our dog goes to class, restaurants, the grocery store, the county fair, and anywhere else that we go. There are lots of great places around Wooster for the dogs to get new experiences!

Of course, giving the dog back at the end of the semester is incredibly difficult. We absolutely love every dog that we have on campus and letting go is bittersweet. While the good-bye is hard, we know that the dogs we work with go on to have a huge impact in the life of someone who needs them. 4 Paws even has ‘graduation’ ceremonies for fosters to attend and meet the dog’s new family. These families are beyond incredible and meeting them makes saying good-bye well worth it.