Author: Ryan Jones

With National Service Dog Month upon us this September, we are spotlighting service dogs and the valuable support they give to those looking to move through their day safely and with confidence. For public transit, providing accessible and affordable transit is a cornerstone of County Connection’s operations and service animals are welcome on all our coaches.  

Guide Dog Puppies (in training) for the Blind

It was a crisp Spring day earlier this year, and for a small group of 20 wet-nosed Labrador Retriever and Golden Retriever guide dog puppies in training, County Connection buses were their classroom. The pups, ruff-ly (pun intended) around 1 year old and accompanied by Guide Dogs for the Blind volunteers, were being socialized and trained to one day (hopefully) become guide dogs for people who are blind or visually impaired.

To give the puppies a feel for a bus in motion, the group took a short ride from North Concord BART and around the County Connection headquarters in Concord. While riding, there were lots of distractions and the dogs were able to acclimate to the sounds on the buses (dings from pulling a stop request cord, beeping during deployment of the ramp). They also practiced sitting on the floor of bus, tucked beside or behind the raisers’ legs (out of the aisle). To close, the handlers practiced boarding and de-boarding the bus, all while holding the attention of the pups by regularly giving them treats. That’s a good boy!

How do you know if a dog is a guide dog? Guide dogs wear a specialized guide dog harness when working. The harness is sized specially for each dog and Guide Dogs for the Blind’s harnesses have the organization’s name on the front as well as on a reflective plate on the handle. > Learn more about Blindness and Guide Dog etiquette

About Guide Dogs for the Blind: Over the course of over 80 years, Guide Dogs for the Blind’s mission has expanded to three kinds of programs: a Guide Dog Mobility Program, an Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Program, and a K9 Buddy Program. The public is invited to sign up for tours and attend graduations on their campus in San Rafael. More information is available at guidedogs.com.  

Bounding with Joy: Shelter dogs get new leash on life as service animals

Joybound People & Pets in Walnut Creek (formerly the Animal Rescue Foundation or ARF), which is accessible on the free Shadelands Shuttle/Route 7 bus, is committed to the human-animal bond through cat and dog rescue and adoption. Their Shelter to Service program offers Veterans, first responders, victims of violent crime and others identified by a mental health professional with the support of a psychiatric service or facilities dog. Psychiatric service dogs are more than just pets; they’re trained professionals capable of assisting individuals with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, agoraphobia, and beyond. In 2023, 167 animals were adopted by Veterans and there were 860 hours of service dog training logged. 

The Shelter to Service program is an expansion of Pets & Vets and delivers four solutions: 

1. Canine rescue and partnering: Shelters across the country are overflowing with animals needing loving families, especially large dogs who make up the majority of dogs needing homes. Shelter to Service relieves overcrowded public shelters and removes healthy, behaviorally sound dogs from risk of euthanasia. Dogs who complete the program go on to enjoy deep reciprocal love and care from the service dog partnership; dogs released from the program will have benefitted from 14 weeks of training, making them highly desirable candidates for adoption.   

2. Human mental and emotional health: Program participants gain the life-changing benefits of a psychiatric service dog, as well as elevated self-esteem from their role in finalizing the training of their service dog to Assistance Dogs International (ADI) standards.   

3. Vocational training: Volunteer Foster Trainers acquire valuable vocational training toward credentialing as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT).   

4. Community service: Volunteer Foster Trainers provide a profound act of service by preparing candidate dogs for the program. The foundational training and care they give in the first 12 weeks of the program eliminates the testing anxiety participants often experience and increases the chances of service dogs’ success. 

In honor of National Service Dog Month, Joybound’s Shelter to Service program is having an open house for people to learn about how training shelter dogs can become psychiatric service animals, meet mental health professionals as well as some of their service animals themselves.  

Joybound People & Pets Open House 
Saturday, September 14, 2024 | 10 am – 1 pm 
2890 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek, CA