Assistance Dogs of the West | Santa Fe, New Mexico

Puppy Cam!

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:40:22 +0000

graduation 2012

Staff — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:00:26 +0000

WEDNESDAY, MAY 16th:

TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR

STARTING AT 5 P.M.

challenge grant opportunity

Staff — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:27:29 +0000

Assistance Dogs of the West (ADW) is thrilled to announce a $25,000 challenge grant from the Santa Fe-based Melville Hankins Family Foundation. This one-to-one matching grant means that every dollar you and our other ADW-loving friends generously give us will be matched by the Foundation up to $25,000.

But we urgently need your support by April 30, 2012 to make your contribution twice as valuable!

At ADW, we work diligently to match trained service dogs with their deserving human partners in order to increase self-reliance and independence; offer unconditional love and companionship; and provide support to people with physical, psychiatric and developmental disabilities.

This is a great opportunity to effectively double your contribution and support these eagerly anticipated and essential areas of program development:

Our Courthouse Dogs are highly trained assistance dogs that provide comfort to children and adults who are victims or witnesses of crimes. They also support juveniles and adults in mental health and drug courts.

Our Diabetic Alert Dogs detect changes in blood glucose levels and alert the diabetic or a third party to any related medical dangers.

Our Service Dogs for Vets program offers educational and vocational training with underlying therapeutic benefits to returning Veterans.

Thank you for your past support. Your response to this request would be especially meaningful at this time.

adw dog betty to receive award

Staff — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:01:39 +0000

New Mexico service dog, Betty to receive the second annual John Henry Award for Outstanding Service

Service Dog, Betty, a Golden Retriever trained by Assistance Dogs of the West will receive the John Henry Award from The New Mexico Behavioral Health Planning Council and Local Collaboratives on February 8, 2012 at the Marriott Courtyard in Santa Fe, NM.

Betty is being honored for her work at the Palmer Drug Abuse Program in Hobbs, New Mexico where she assists in individual and group counseling sessions. During group meetings Betty checks on each person often staying with the one who has the most anxiety. During play time with children, her sense of knowing keeps her by the side of a child that falls or the one that stands away from the others. In the playroom where play and art therapy techniques are used in counseling children, Betty allows children to dress her up, Betty role plays with the children. One child dressed her up with a scarf on, said she was her grandmother and pretended to take her to the doctor. Betty patiently let the little girl check her pulse and look in her ears. “We teach the children Betty’s service dog commands and the children re-enforce those commands as modeled by the Assistance Dogs of the West education programs. This is a huge self-esteem booster for them to help with training,” according to Sara Sroufe.

Betty helps people share their emotions. As one woman was crying and petting Betty she said, “I have never been this open in my life.”

Betty goes to the schools weekly with her handler, Sara Sroufe to counsel or mentor students. There she makes each child feel special by “singing” to them. The prevention puppet show taken into the schools this year was modeled after Betty, “Be Too Doggone Smart to Do Drugs!”

Handler and counselor, Sara Sroufe proclaims, “After being a counselor for thirty years I had no idea the difference having a dog in my practice would make, wish I would have done this a long time ago!”

Betty takes a break from her counseling job to relax in the grass

www.bhc.state.nm.us/ http://www.pdap.com/pdap.html

www.assistancedogsofthewest.org

Media Contacts:

Matt Kennicott, Communications Director

New Mexico Human Services Department

O: (505) 827-6236 | M:(505) 819-1402

Matt.Kennicott@state.nm.us

or Melissa Weiner, 505-920-4006

###

UPDATE!

Betty’s story has been picked up by Forbes, Yahoo, and other news sources!

http://specials.forbes.com/article/04Bidme3zDgLr

http://news.yahoo.com/mexico-dog-betty-receives-second-annual-john-henry-100233246.html

nito and chloe love carrots

Staff — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:34:48 +0000

Please join Assistance Dogs of the West for the reading of the latest Nito book: Nito and Chloe Love Carrots.

ADW’s dear friend and supporter, Ali MacGraw, will read the book on Saturday, December 10 at Collected Works, (downtown at Water and Galisteo Streets) at 2 p.m.

Book sales benefit Assistance Dogs of the West. All of the Nito and Chloe books will be available for signing by the author.

And thanks to Tom Maguire for his write up on the event!

POP goes to the Dogs

Staff — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:54:52 +0000

It’s a weekend of dogs! Please joins us for POP Goes To The Dogs 2011. It’s the 5th Annual Group Celebration that will benefit Assistance Dogs of The West. See work by internationally acclaimed artists Clifford Bailey, Lynden St. Victor, Diego Lukezic & Trevor Mikula and more. Join ADW at the artist reception on Saturday Sept. 24th 6-8pm. Art raffle to Benefit ADW opens show weekend and closes October 31st.

POP Gallery
133 West Water Street
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501

best in show

Staff — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:27:56 +0000

Join Assistance Dogs of the West for a great “Best in Show” evening with hors d’oeuvres & cocktails at Zane Bennett Gallery (435 S. Guadalupe, Santa Fe)

Friday, September 23, 2011
5–7 pm

Tickets: $25 dollars, available through the ADW office (505.986.9748)

You will also get to see the closing evening of PRINTS & PAINTINGS – Contemporary Masters I: Jim Dine, Sam Francis, Helen Frankenthaler, Olivier Mosse & Ellsworth Kelly, among others.

railyard dogs

Staff — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:17:43 +0000

Come join us for
“Railyard Dogs”

in celebration of

Saturday August 13, from 2:30-4:30 p.m., at the Railyard Ramada alongside
the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market Building. This event is being held to celebrate

International Assistance Dog Week

We need volunteers to help out with chores and fun between 1 and 5:00 p.m. If you have time to help out and have fun, please call us at 986-9748 or info@assistancedogsofthewest.org

Railyard Dogs, will highlight many specialty assistance dogs doing demonstrations, performing a mind-boggling array of tasks and looking forward to meeting new friends. Come meet handlers and their assistance dogs and learn loads about what these special dogs do.

ADW Youth Board members will give demonstrations and administer the popular Official “Unofficial” Public Access Test. Can your dog successfully demonstrate behaviors all assistance dogs MUST be able to perform? Come on down to the Railyard, test your dog and find out. Admission is free, but a $5 donation is requested for the dog testing activity.

We’ll be under the shady Farmer’s Market Ramada, after the market is done; event is from 2:30-4:30 p.m. During the Farmer’s Market, we’ll have an information booth at the Artist’s Market area, from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., where Youth Board will also sell raffle tickets.

Raffle prizes include dog wellness checks from SF Animal Hospital and Eldorado Animal Clinic including preventive medical products from Pfizer and Merial; a Dyson Animal vacuum, dog magazine subscriptions, dog treats, people treats and more.

The Ideal Courthouse Dog

admin — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:37:14 +0000

ADW Founder and Program Director Jill Felice talks about the characteristics of the ideal Courthouse Dog.

ADW at Spanish Market

Staff — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:17:23 +0000

Join ADW at Ironstone Bank during Spanish Market
Saturday, July 30th and Sunday 31st, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

During Spanish Market, you have TWO WAYS to help ADW. IronStone Bank will donating some proceeds from their pay-to-park lot to Assistance Dogs of the West. The parking lot consists of 26 lovely parking spaces, and is only a few short blocks from the Plaza!!!

ADW staff, Board, dogs and volunteers will be on site to answer questions, introduce a dog or two, help you find a parking place for this Santa Fe classic event and collect your generous donations.

You can also volunteer to be a “parking attendant”and meet all sorts of new friends. This can help you learn more about current ADW activities. If you are interested in volunteering this weekend, please email info@assistancedogsofthewest.org …

Sunday would be a great day to help out!

IronStone Bank
700 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe, NM 87501