Ugh. Yesterday, I had to take a sick day. It was absolutely zero fun. The one bright spot was getting to catch up on my DVR.
One of the programs I watched was called Through a Dog’s Eyes. It’s a wonderful documentary that aired on PBS in April (and again in September), and it follows a group of people as they visit Canine Assistants to meet their service dogs for the first time. Canine Assistants is a group that breeds, trains, and places service dogs with people who have physical disabilities, seizure disorders, and other needs. (Canine Assistants provides the dogs free to the recipients through donations and sponsorships.) The stories of the recipients are moving and interesting – and it gives a whole new perspective on the human-canine bond.
Here’s a preview for the show – if you missed it on PBS, you can watch the entire program on the PBS website. (Bonus: it’s narrated by Neil Patrick Harris.)
Learn more, after the jump.
PBS has a wealth of useful information and great links on its page dedicated to the program. (There are even outtakes, training tips and a section simply called “More Puppies” – talk about knowing your audience.)
The founding of Canine Assistants is a great story. Jennifer Arnold was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of sixteen. Jennifer’s father suggested she get a service dog. An organization denied her application, which provided the inspiration for Jennifer to found Canine Assistants. (The organization is truly a family affair.)
Jennifer’s training philosophy is also a great one – it’s based on the idea that the dogs want to please their people, and it’s about positive reinforcement rather than domination. (I’m sure our friends at Never Shock a Puppy would approve.) The program also briefly touches upon the science behind the dog-human bond. (Through the PBS site, I found a link to the Family Dog Project, which is dedicated to researching this bond. Interesting stuff.)
Paw Nation is doing a series of posts about another recipient who is getting a dog from Canine Assistants. The first post appeared earlier this month – I’m looking forward to reading more. (You can also read an interview with the After-care Coordinator for Canine Assistants.)
If you’d like to learn more about Canine Assistants, visit them here. I’m also considering picking up Jennifer’s book (also called Through a Dog’s Eyes)… after the documentary, I’m sure it will be good!
Have you seen the documentary? What did you think?
