Achi news desk-
Some very special dogs took a field trip to the St. Jacobs Farmers Market on Thursday.
The puppies, all from National Service Dogs, walked between the stands with their volunteers as part of their training.
“It’s a very busy, very exciting environment. Lots of smells, people, and things to notice so we have staff and volunteers here who train and work with our dogs as we walk through the St. Jacobs market,” explained Rochelle Barber, director of operations for the National Service Dogs .
Barber said many of the dogs are in the advanced training program and are just days away from meeting the clients they will be working with.
“We train our dogs to work with children with autism, we also have a program for veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder. We also have a program for canine intervention dogs and they work with organizations or healthcare professionals with a variety of different people every day Given. For example, a correctional dog,” said Barber. “The most impactful thing we hear from our customers and the people they go out to, is that they describe it as magic. From where I’m standing and what I see, it’s really quite magical. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into that magic, but the impact is amazing. It’s amazing.”
National Service Dogs at the St. Jacobs Farmers Market on May 9, 2024. (Shelby Knox/CTV Kitchener)
Only service dogs are allowed at the St. Jacobs Farmers Market. Due to public health regulations, owners are asked to keep all other puppies at home.
Volunteers needed
The National Service Dogs are also looking for additional volunteers to fill a variety of positions, including puppy raisers.
The volunteers will be asked to welcome the dog to their home. They would then raise him and train him for a future that would help others.
National Service Dogs and volunteers at the St. Jacobs Farmers Market on May 9, 2024. (Shelby Knox/CTV Kitchener)
“We love breeders, we love volunteers — they’re the most wonderful people in the whole wide world,” Barber said. “They give so much of themselves. We couldn’t do any of the work we do without the volunteers giving us so much. From the staff, from the clients they support – our recruiters are amazing, if you want to join the grower community or the volunteer community with NSD, please get in touch with us. We’d love to have you.”
More information is available on the NSD website.
