May 6, 2004

Pet of the Week: Marsden

Marsden, an 18-month-old mellow yellow Lab isn’t really considered a pet. He is part of an organization called Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), which assigns puppies to “puppy raisers” during the first 13-18 months of their life. Almaden’s Noel and Betty Lanctot and Linda Smith have shared the opportunity to raise Marsden.
The responsibilities of the puppy raisers include ensuring that the puppies are socialized and well mannered. They attend obedience classes once a week where CCI representatives watch them with the dog and make suggestions. Betty says it has been a wonderful experience to help raise Marsden. She wasn’t expecting as much as she’s received from the experience.

“We’ve had him since he was about 8 weeks old. He’s been so wonderful, he’s very calm. He hasn’t even destroyed anything as puppies typically do. It’s a pleasure having him around.”

Marsden has been taught basic commands like “sit,” “stay,” and “heel.” CCI encourages the puppy raisers to bring the dogs to as many places as possible. Betty says “Marsden has come along with me to Starbucks, Office Max, Oakridge Mall, many restaurants, and accompanied me during my workouts at FitVibe & Optimum Results.”
Marsden is also well traveled, as Neal plays on a traveling senior softball league. The pup has been to Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Arizona, Stockton, Fremont, Modesto and Concord.

Betty would like to thank the many Almaden residents and merchants for welcoming Marsden in the community. “They have been great. They’ve given him the many experiences he needs for his training. So many people in the community have seen him around and inquired about him,” she says.

Betty says Marsden has been very easy to raise. Unfortunately, he has to go back to CCI on May 22, which is a day that Betty is not looking forward to. “It will be very sad to let him go. He’s become quite a buddy for us,” she says. Upon his return to CCI, Marsden will go through a 6-9 month advanced training course. “Only 25 percent of the dogs pass,” says Betty. In the event that the pup doesn’t pass his extensive training, his puppy raisers will get first dibs on adopting him. Part of the pleasure for Betty in raising Marsden is knowing that he is going to help a disabled person in an amazing way. “He’s going to be a wonderful gift to someone…or to us!”

If Marsden does pass the advanced training, he and the rest of the pups in his class will be matched with prospective recipients based upon the dog’s personality and abilities. Upon the pairing, the puppy raisers will have the opportunity to present the puppy to the recipient in a graduation ceremony. The puppy raisers will receive a letter from CCI each month, updating them on their dog’s progress.

To learn more about CCI, go to www.caninecompanions.org.

—By Miranda Schultz

Send us an email ( Julie@timesmediainc.com ) or a letter describing your pet (name, age, breed–where applicable) and where you obtained your pet (animal shelter, breeder, friend, etc.) and any funny stories or interesting information about your pet. Include your name, phone number, and the names of anyone else in the household. If there are children in the household give their ages too. Then send us a jpeg digital picture of your pet or a ‘real' print through the mail.