Tanya MacKeand, 35, of Drumore, rose from her chair, her new service dog, Elsie, at her side.

The pair walked across the barn classroom to the refrigerator to practice together the commands Elsie had been working on for the past year.

Elsie could nail these commands blindfolded, having practiced hundreds of times before with her professional trainer. But would she obey this stranger she had just now met?

She and her canine colleagues were known for their shenanigans when the time came to leave their trainer and work with a new partner. Perhaps (stretch, yawn) Elsie did not feel like working just now.

When they arrived at the refrigerator, however, MacKeand made eye contact with Elsie. Perhaps that mysterious bond of mutual love, trust and devotion that has entwined the lives of dog and man throughout history kicked in just then.

But suddenly, the 2-year-old black dog with a patch of white under her neck came to attention, practically quivering with excitement.

And when MacKeand commanded, "Tug it," referring to the towel dangling from the handle of the refrigerator, Elsie did indeed tug the door open.

"Take it," MacKeand continued, and Elsie retrieved a bottle of soda for her partner.

"Up," MacKeand said. Elsie promptly jumped up to close the door.

The class of more than a dozen other service-dog handlers, plus the staff from Canine Partners for Life in Cochranville, erupted into thunderous applause. They cheered and cheered.

Equally excited, Elsie wagged her tail furiously, accepting a treat from MacKeand.

Elsie -- a black Lab/border collie mix -- is one of 13 service dogs participating in a grueling 95-hour team training session, nicknamed "doggy boot camp," at the CPL school.

On this particular summer day, handler after handler, some in wheelchairs, took turns practicing commands with his or her dog. With strength, courage and a sense of humor, they began a new chapter in their lives.

In addition to practicing commands, handlers learned a truckload of information during the intense three-week session, including animal health care issues and their legal rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Twice a year, CPL pairs 2-year-old service dogs with people who have mobility impairments, physical disabilities and seizure disorders.

"Each dog receives training adapted to meet the specific needs of his or her human partner," said CPL founder and executive director, Darlene Sullivan. "The dogs can retrieve items, open and close doors, push an elevator button, and pay cashiers. They can even do the laundry.

"There are more than 5 million people with mobility and self-care limitations in Pennsylvania and the surrounding five states," Sullivan said. "For many, having a dog makes the miracle of independence possible."

Sullivan started Canine Partners for Life, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, in 1989 in the sunroom of her Cochranville home with a puppy named Solla that she chose from the SPCA.

Today CPL has 12 full-time employees and two part-timers. Countless volunteers work there, too, each one playing an important role in placing dogs.

In 1997, the business outgrew Sullivan's sunroom and moved into a farmhouse nearby with 45 acres of land. An existing barn became an indoor training arena. A kennel soon was built for several dozen dogs in training.

"Other organizations charge as much as $15,000 to $18,000 for a service dog," said Jennifer Kriesel, CPL's director of development.

"Instead, we ask for a $900 donation, even though it costs about $21,000 to raise, train, place and provide lifetime support for each canine-and-human team."

Safety is the No. 1 concern at CPL, so even after team training, regularly scheduled follow-up training and recertification continues to assure no one is at risk. This follow-up training is probably the most extensive in the industry, Sullivan said.

CPL places about 40 dogs a year either as full-fledged service dogs or home companion dogs. Both types spend their first year of life in a "puppy home" being socialized and cuddled, learning good house manners and the fundamentals of obedience.

Service dogs must be highly intelligent and temperamentally sound, Sullivan said. Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, standard poodles and mixes of these breeds are most often selected as service dogs.

They must be physically sound, too, and pass a hip exam created by the University of Pennsylvania when they are a year old. If they pass all their exams, then they begin a year of formal daily training with CPL.

Dogs that do not have the hip integrity to fulfill the needs of a service dog, or otherwise do not meet these requirements, make great home companion dogs. Well-mannered and obedient, they bring lots of love and laughter into the lives of others -- especially children with disabilities and their parents.

By placing a well-trained, well-mannered dog with these children, the dog bonds to the child, instead of the caregiver, providing therapy and love 24 hours a day.

"What a home-companion dog does for mom and other family members is amazing," Sullivan said.

During the 2006 summer team training session at CPL, 13 dogs graduated as service dogs. Five home companion dogs went to live with five little boys looking for a pal to swim with and play ball. And one dog became a home companion to an older couple.

CPL is a labor of love, but it is still a business. Payroll, mortgage payments and other bills and expenses are expected to total $877,000 this year. And the business thrives entirely on donations of cash, products and services.

In a typical year, 70 percent of CPL's operating funds come from individual donations of $5 to $100. Additional cash comes in as grants from private foundations, corporations, community service organizations and fundraisers.

"We are fortunate that people see the need that we are filling and are so generous," Kriesel said.

More than 60 local volunteers drop by regularly to groom, bathe and play with the dogs. They work in the office. They help with marketing.

Neighbors bring meals and snacks to recipients and their service dogs during the semiannual team training sessions. Some even open their homes to people who have come from far away and can't easily afford hotel accommodations.

A businessman who owns a pet food company donates all the dog food for the 1-year-old pups living in the kennels. Local veterinarians provide free well-puppy visits for each dog's first year. And families share their homes with service-dog puppies.

"It's really hard to get puppy homes," Sullivan said.

At about 7 weeks of age until they are 12 months old, puppies go into homes where they receive lots of love and attention and become comfortable in all kinds of social situations. Every other week, foster parents bring their puppies to Cochranville for obedience class.

Seven years ago, a shortage of puppy homes led Sullivan to look to area prisons for help. Of the 56 puppies living in puppy homes this year, 20 reside in five regional prisons, where carefully screened volunteers shower the puppies with love and teach them basic obedience. Inmates at Graterford prison, in fact, raised Elsie as a pup.

"Team training is intense and scary at first," MacKeand said, giving another treat to Elsie for another job well done. "It is especially overwhelming for some of the recipients who had who never even owned an animal before.

"At least I come from a background of animals," she said, referring to her farm in Lancaster County, which is home to an assortment of animals including other dogs and cats, as well as chickens and horses.

A couple of weeks after team training ended, MacKeand reported Elsie has been a huge help on the farm, carrying grain buckets and hauling hoses here and there.

"She picks up and hands me the eggs when we go gathering every day, too," MacKeand added. "So far, she has not dropped or broken one!"

MacKeand prepared her co-workers at Dansko, a footwear manufacturer in West Grove, for Elsie's arrival, telling them about the "no petting" rule when the dog is working and in harness.

"They are great," she said. "And Elsie is running papers to my co-workers for me, so I don't have to move. I am blessed to have her."

CPL can always use volunteers and, in fact, MacKeand was a volunteer there for years before needing a dog herself because of a painful neuromuscular disorder called fibromyalgia.

Now she is thoughtful.

"I can't say enough about this organization and its dedicated, fantastic staff," she said. "They work you hard but give you all the skills you need to succeed."

According to Sullivan, CPL is a member of Assistance Dogs International, one of only 15 facilities nationwide and 23 facilities worldwide to qualify for this certification.

To receive Life Line, CPL's quarterly newsletter, call (610) 869-4902 or register online at www.k94life.org.

On this particular summer day, handler after handler, some in wheelchairs, took turns practicing commands with his or her dog. With strength, courage and a sense of humor, they began a new chapter in their lives. blog comments powered by Disqus