News & Events
New Road receives second batch of service dogs
September 07, 2007
Omara and Olesia Go Well With “New Road”
There were a lot of happy people at New Road School when word trickled out that a new set of Labrador puppies were born on September 8, 2007 and that through our association with Canine Companions for Independence two of these puppies, Olesia and Omara, were coming to our school to begin their training as Assistance Dogs!
Both female labs, Omara was black and Olesia was golden. They came to us when they were not quite eight weeks old and were immediately embraced by everyone.
Pictured (far right) are Olesia with her puppy raiser Tara Ambrose and Tom Sparacio (below), the raiser for Omara. These puppy raisers take the dogs home with them each night and bring them to school each morning. Omara is frisky and rambunctious while Olesia is calmer, likes to go for walks and both love to give kisses and be scratched.
The puppies started training right away. Talika Holmes, age 16 and a tenth grader, is one of the five puppy trainers chosen out of the over 40 applicants. In the picture she is holding Olesia. In addition to the trainers, there are three dog walkers.
“As the program is implemented the dogs, even though in the same room, are taught to focus on and play with their trainer,” says Program Director George Metelski. He coaches the puppy trainers and then turns them loose to work with the puppies. The students make mistakes but Mr. Metelski believes in, “Letting experience be their teacher.” The trainers and the puppies, who by February weighed 60 pounds, soon learn to follow commands and follow the trainer’s lead. As their training progressed, the dogs learned to have their teeth brushed, to shake, speak and to walk beside their trainer.
The goal of the program is to train the puppies so that they eventually will be able to assist wheelchair bound adults with their chores of daily living and are greatly enhancing in their mobility. In the meantime, we at New Road School get the joy, love and companionship of these dogs for two years!
Picture captions
• Puppy Raiser Tara Ambrose with Olesia
• Tenth grader Talika Holmes holding Olesia
• Puppy Raiser Tom Sparacio proudly holds a nine week old Omara
• Tenth grader Hannah Flint teaching Olesia to shake
• David Bryant, also a tenth grader, brushes Omara’s teeth
• David Bryant teaches her to shake