Being Green Is Kinda Keen!

Recently, CEO Titus Herman informed the Southeastern team here in Florida about some new "green" initiatives that are being planned for our campus:

As responsible inhabitants of this beautiful planet, we are committed to an operation that preserves the environment and maximizes the safety of our staff, volunteers and dogs. While "going green” will be a long-term process, we are very excited about implementing the following new green initiatives.

Green Cleaning Solution
This week, we began testing the effectiveness of a new, 100% natural cleaning solution that will soon replace the bleach and other cleaning products used throughout our operation.

Like bleach, this product is highly effective for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, and is being currently used for decontaminating hospital environments.

Unlike bleach, this product is non-toxic and non-flammable, which means a safer environment for both people and dogs. In addition to reducing the risks of skin, eye and other injuries, this product does not require rinsing, which will improve the efficiency of our cleaning protocols.

Since this cleaning solution is also non-corrosive, its use will prevent damage to drains, pipes, floors and other surfaces.

The product comes with handy mixing dispensers, all donated to us by our supplier.

But going green does not mean going broke. In fact, this product is much more cost-effective than bleach – and that is good news for our operating budget.

Green Vacuum and Dusting Material
Our new vacuum cleaner features a washable HEPA filtration system that contains pollutants rather than spreading them to another location – and a quiet motor that puts the old vacuum to shame!

Like the vacuum, our new microfiber dusting material will also contain dust and prevent cross contamination.

Full Recycling
Full recycling efforts will start February 1 with the delivery of new recycling bins from Waste Pro. We’ll recycle plastic, paper, cardboard and glass.

In addition to helping the environment, this effort will help reduce the costs associated with our disposal costs.

More to Come
We are currently seeking funding for several other green projects, including photovoltaic electrical grids and solar hot water technology to power our kennels.

And in the not-too-distant future, we hope to develop technologies that will enable us to convert dog waste into electrical power.

Please join me in congratulating Building and Grounds Manager Brian Burns for his leadership on these initiatives.

Titus Herman, CEO

Charlotte NC group featured

Here is a link to a news story that features our Charlotte, North Carolina puppy group. Enjoy!

Click to view.

OH! bedience

As you know, the trifecta of any puppy raiser is to raise a dog for IFT that is well-socialized, well-behaved, and has good obedience. But is good obedience just the ability to perform sits or downs or stays? Of course not! If it were, I would have nothing to blog about today, right?

Obedience should be viewed as tools that you can use to create a dog that is well-socialized and well-behaved. A dog that will hold a sit-stay cannot possibly jump on visitors. A dog that will do a down-stay for an entire meal will not be a nuisance in a restaurant. And a dog that understands and responds to a verbal "no" is a pleasure to live with.

Obedience is a way to control the dog and enforce the behaviors you want. For instance, we have the pups do sit-stays before and after going through doors. It's not to show off their obedience - it's because a dog that does a sit-stay while you open a door can't bolt through it. Make him sit enough times and that behavior becomes a habit and he gives up bolting.

Another role that obedience serves is to establish a relationship with the dog. It's the way you set up the ground rules of your interactions. Clear, consistant obedience commands that are followed by PRAISE if done right or the APPROPRIATE correction if not is one way you communicate to the dog that you consistent in your expectations, generous with rewards and fair with your discipline. Obedience is one of the first things trainers do with new IFT dogs. We want to establish our working relationship right away and obedience is a great way to do that. It's a quick way to tell a dog "here's what I expect, here's what will happen if you don't comply and here's what will happen if you do. And if you agree to do it my way, we'll get along just fine".

Good obedience should not be confused with "perfect" obedience. And your expectations ALWAYS need to be age appropriate. Your 4 month old dog doesn't sit unless you lean over and put his rump down? Good! She's not gonna. Not yet. Can't get your 7 month old to down on command for love or money? Perfect! He's right on schedule. Your 14 month old, oh-my-gosh-IFT-is-in-2-months-dog won't return to a perfect heel position? Eh. Does he get close? Is he happy when he works? Is he not petrified to make a mistake? Is he well-behave and well-socialized? All right then. Congratulations. You've done your job.

Gifted Canine in the News

Here is a link to a story about one of our gifted canines that appeared in the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Class Matches

Another class is underway! The following dogs were matched with our students:

Tahoe YLxGM 2EE6 - raised by Kerry and Linda Bell, St Pete region
Watson YLxGM 3EE6 - raised by Russ and Mary Hillpot, Virginia region
Dave SCCM 4U6 - raised by Gainesville IMPACT
Marie SCCF 9U6 - raised by Kayo and Eric Johnson, St. Pete region
Franklin BLM 3E7 - raised by Valerie Moser, Ft. Lauderdale region
Richie B. BLxGM 4DD6 - raised by Jean and Bill Culp, Ocala region
JJ BLxGM 1DD6 - raised by Louise Henry, NC-Asheville region
Cindy AUSF 7Z6 - raised by Sandy McClellan, TX-Austin region
Elaine YLF 4P6 - raised by John and Joan Shimerda, Sarasota region

Congratulations!

New Team Members

Southeastern Guide Dogs is pleased to announce the following additions to our staff:

New Puppy Raising Services Manager
Kenya Leonard joins us as our new Puppy Raising Services Manager effective January 19.

Kenya brings 10 years of volunteer recruitment, training and supervision experience with Sarasota County Natural Resources, where she managed more than 100 volunteers who participated in the county’s Sea Turtle Protection Program, a program she helped develop in 1998.

Kenya, who has a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Purdue University, replaces Karen Mersereau, one of our highly skilled Certified Guide Dog Trainers, who has re-joined our training team.

New Breeding Manager
Assistant Breeding Manager Heather Junqueira has been promoted to Breeding Manager effective January 5.

A licensed veterinary technician with a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine, Heather brings eleven years of animal breeding, training and physical rehabilitation experience. In her new role, Heather will operationalize a new and comprehensive breeding manual; institute new screening protocols for breeder dogs, update our breeding and medical records and databases; and implement superior relationships with breeder hosts and volunteers.

Heather replaces Gwen Gillespie who has left our organization on January 2. We wish Gwen all the best in her future endeavors.

New Puppy Kennel Manager
Michelle Farina joined us as our new Puppy Kennel Manager on December 30.

Michelle brings more than 10 years of management experience and experience in training German Shepherds for showing, tracking and jumping.

Michelle will be working with Rita Gould and our Puppy Kennel staff and volunteers to develop new and innovative ways to make our Puppy Kennel a world-class facility.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, PuppyLand! I hope 2009 is off to a good start for everyone. The end of the year is usually a time for reflection, but I tend to skip the reflection and look forward to the future. However, I would be very remiss not to give you all a very big THANK YOU for all the work you did in 2008 helping us to achieve our mission. We certainly could not put out quality guide dogs without the tremendous effort put forth by our puppy raisers. We don't say it nearly enough, but we greatly appreciate your hard work and are very glad that you are part of the Southeastern family.

I can't think of a better way to kick off 2009 than to feature a puppy raiser. This article is from a local paper in the Tampa area and features Alice Boose, a long time raiser in the Sun City puppy raiser group. Enjoy.