Cooper (Labrador Retriever), SD
Job: Diabetic Alert Dog for a Teen

Hi, my name is Cooper! I was donated to Pawsibilities Unleashed by Kentucky Labradors. Aunt Liz helped me with my manners and played lots of games with me where I got to use my nose to find things! It was fun!
After a while, Aunt Liz told me I would be going to Texas to start my job as a Diabetic Service Dog. I was very excited! I boarded the plane and soon met my new family and my girl that I now help take care of. It is my job to let her know if her blood sugar levels are going up or down. I love doing my job and I think everyone else is happy to. Here is what they told my Aunt Liz:

Letter from Mom - September 4, 2009
Wanted to let you know that Cooper has been alerting all over the place at School. He and Randi have bonded so closely, she's finally letting him sleep next to her, so the alerts are even coming sooner because he doesn't have to work so hard to get her awake. The coaches are impressed and all the teachers and administrators absolutely love him. Randi beleives in him and better yet, he trusts her. We're shooting for that 6.3 A1C that I read about from one of the dogs. Also, Randi has another friend here in Texas that is wanting to get a dog like Cooper. He's been keeping in touch with Randi and would like to be part of that. Way to go Liz and Way to Go KY Labs--- merlyn

Chef (Labrador Retriever), SD
Job: Diabetic Alert for an adult

Letter from Michael, Chef's proud owner:

So, what can I say about Chef other than he is just amazing!! He is doing great for me and helping in so many ways even in ways I never imagined. Chef's done great with alerting and continuing to do so, he is alerting at better than 90%. I never thought that I had problems with my sugar during the night, I might wake up high on a rare occasion but was never a big deal. Since Chef has been with me I can't tell you how many times he has alerted for both highs and lows at night. He is so easy to work with and train with. He brings/gets my tester for me on command, he can tell me if my sugar is high or low, and even if it is going in one direction or the other too fast, he is continuing to do better at finding mom or find whatever. He loves to meet new people especially little kids, and the elderly. The only thing that makes him happy (other than helping me) is when he is not working he has to carry something be it a stick, a shoe, anything, it doesn't matter as long as he gets to carry it from one place to another. He couldn't be any cuter when he is trying to carry a stick that is bigger than he is. I couldn't be more pleased with him! And on a personal note, Liz and Ky Labs, Chef is such an amazing little (for now) dog THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Haven* (German Shepherd Dog/ Rottweiler mix), SD
Job: Seizure Alert and Response for Adult in California

From Therapy work with some special needs children to Service Work for mom to Therapy Dog and Companion to my son and his Grandpa who has cancer......Haven does it all and flat rocks!

Their first meeting:
Haven and Laura met this afternoon. They took right to each other, Haven takes to everybody she meets near as I can tell. Steve and I went out to dinner with Laura and Mike so Haven did her first restaurant visit. Haven did fantastic--it took her a few minutes to settle down but once she did she just laid under the table and you'd never have known she was there. I thought she was darned impressive for a dog that has never done anything like that before. Then she got to go to Big Lots and pick out some toys and treats!

Letter from Laura:
Liz, This is another great match up made possible by you and your family of helpers. I can feel the overwhelming joy in that lady's words for Mr. Jennings and all that has happened. I know all to well what kind of peace and happiness you have helped to create for this family as well as so many others. You have a keen sense for making the perfect match with your adoptions, I know that you hit the nail on the head for Haven and I.

I will be forever thankful for all that you have done for me and for saving Haven from doom. I can't help but get tears in my eyes every time I think of how she was sitting on death row when you found her and look at her now!! We are adjusting well into our life together. My son tells everyone he sees on the street about Haven. He is so proud to have her here. She is still very in tune with what is going on with me but I feel like she gets overwhelmed at times. She has taken to being my best friend and service dog as well as trying her best to keep an eye on Chance and even on my dad. She fills with worry whenever she sees him get out of bed and will go to his side and walk beside him. She seems to show concern for anyone who is in pain or not doing well and we have a lot of that in our home with my dad and even his girlfriend being in poor health. I do worry that she takes on too much responsibility in trying to help everyone she comes in contact with, but she seems to really love it. At the end of the day she will get in bed, look at me peacefully and fall asleep in seconds. It melts my heart when she gives me that look of "if it's safe...I will sleep now". She sleeps well as long as I don't move, but if I move she willingly goes right back to "work" making sure all is well before she can sleep again. I know that she misses you and Lori, I even miss being there with you all. It just feels so wonderful knowing so many people who are as wonderful as you, my trip there has changed my life in so many positive ways.

I hold strong to what I said, the world is definitely a better place with you in it. Thank you for everything, Haven and I are forever in your debts!
All my love, Laura Walters

October 16, 2006 - Update Liz, I am crying to the point that I can't even see the keyboard right now. And of course Miss Haven is kissing the tears away!! Tears of joy are something that has not happened much in my life in the past several years, but since I came in contact with you I do this often. I can't wait to hear updates on your new Aussie!! I am delighted to know that somewhere, someone like me will soon get a chance at a life well worth living! I have a new story for you... I had a seizure this afternoon and Haven started letting me know about 10 min. in advance, before I was even feeling bad this time. The funny part of the story is that when I woke up from the seizure I found not only Haven licking my face, but also my son! When I opened my eyes to it Chance said "mommy, Haven helps you and me do too"! I could not believe it, I told him to leave that job to Haven and that he was very sweet but mommy really didn't want him to lick my face. This, he did not understand.. If Haven can.... :) What a kid! Haven and I are off to Sacramento tomorrow for a Dr. apt. It will be my first apt that she gets to go to! I hate that she will be in the car for 8 hrs + though and my dad would rather she stay and help him.. LOL Haven just loves him!! Good night hugs to you and your fur-babies!! - Laura

Hobo* (Border Collie mix), SD, ThD, CGC
Job: Seizure Alert and Response for Child

Pictured: Hobo (bottom right in orange vest) & family at Six Flags amusement park.
Visit Hobo's website at: www.livingforgrace.com

Where do I start this story? I guess the best place to start with our daughter Melorah. As an infant, Melorah developed seizures among other health issues. We were told not to worry; she would grow out of them. By the time she was 4, we realized that not only was she not outgrowing them but she was also experiencing regression. We were desperate to help her.

Service dogs, specifically seizure response, were mentioned to us. We started on a 5-month quest to find a service dog. The first organization we called wanted $25,000 with no guarantees. So we started looking at every organization we could find. We always ran into a roadblock: they did not work with children, the wait was 2 plus years or it was out of our price range. It was very discouraging to say the least. We decided our next best option was to get a puppy and find a trainer. We called multiple trainers, again with no success. No one wanted the responsibility of training a service dog. So we thought (foolishly) we would train a dog ourselves. Our first step was to find a dog. It was off to petfinder.org to research breeds. We spent hours pouring over the different breeds trying to find the "perfect" one for our daughter. On July 1st, I came across a Border collie mix named Castor. Castor’s time was up at the shelter when Lori Woodward (trainer at PUPT) decided to foster him.

He was being trained for therapy work; he was already housebroken and loved people. He sounded interesting. Melorah walked by the computer and announced, “I want he” (now remember this is her grammar not mine). It was time to investigate Castor further. We made a few calls, only to find out that his foster family was out of town for the weekend. On July 4th, we received a call from Lori Woodword, Castor’s foster mom. After talking to her about the possibility of using Castor as a service dog, we decided that our next step would be to meet Castor the following evening. We met Castor on July 5th and he has been with us ever since. Our first step was to catch up to where Castor was in his training.

We signed up for classes with Liz Norris. We also realized that Melorah could not say the name Castor. That is how Castor became Hobo. Hobo immediately started bonding with Melorah. Two weeks after we brought Hobo home, he started to raise a fuss early one morning. I went in to Melorah’s room to check on him only to find that Melorah was gray. She had stopped breathing during a seizure. Hobo is the ONLY reason Melorah is alive today. Within the first month, he started to respond to Melorah’s seizures, spent 3 days with her at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, took a road trip to Iowa and Tennessee. We have now had Hobo a year. Hobo spends his days following Melorah through all her activities. He has started alerting to Melorah’s seizures up to 30 minutes in advance. What an wonderful answer to prayer! Hobo has not only given Melorah confidence during a very difficult time in her life but he has given us comfort to know that there is another pair of eyes (and an all powerful nose!) watching over our daughter. We are so grateful that we were spared making the mistake of trying to choose a dog and train it ourselves. The result would have been disastrous. Hobo has gone from a dog that no one wanted to one who saves the life of a little girl. This is all due to the tireless efforts of Lori Woodword and Liz Norris who were willing to give a death row dogs a chance.

Jerri Rufus* (Dachshund), ThD
Rescued from being set on fire and left to burn alive

My story starts backwards....I want you to see my new home. Aunt Liz and Aunt Lee Anne found it for me. I decided that I liked my new home. Then I gave my Aunt's kisses goodbye.

Here is my life story...who knows but me and I ain't barkin about it. But I will make it short and sweet. My old owners dumped me and my brother Brenden at an abandoned house. The kids next door did not like us (who knows why.. maybe I was being a Doxie or maybe Bren was) and they caught us, put us in a wire cage and set us on fire. Their neighbors heard us and came to the rescue. From there we were shipped to Doxie Rescue and had to undergo skin grafting in several areas and rehabilitation. It took me the longest as I was burned worse.

As for the boys...well, if you don't have an eye witness, a photo or video, you can't prosecute the, "poor little juvies". Not fair to blame them if you don't catch them in the act even if you KNOW who it was....they had a poor childhood ya know.

Anywho, I lived with my foster mom for many long months. My brother Bren made it out into the adoption world sooner...he was a snot and had aggression issues.....he would flat bite you. Aunt Liz got ahold of him because he was giving our foster mom a lot of grief.. ungrateful little bugger. He was starting fights and the whole pack would jump in on him among other things. But after 2 weeks with Aunt Liz, he was much better and she had always wanted one of our breed, so he got to live with her. I won't tell his story..... that is up to him, but it is thru her that I found this wonderful mom and home I have now.

My new mom is a professional artist and can paint anything and taught art class forever. She has some beautiful work hanging all over the house. I love my home. Really tall ceilings, very 1800's and I really love the balconies! Mom had a Shih Tzu before me and it lived a nice, long life with her. Now mom is getting older and having medical issues and she needed someone the same speed as her. She went out and got a Yorkie pup, but it was very aggressive, hard to train and work with, and after spending a fortune on it, Aunt Liz talked her into giving it to PUPT for rehoming (Aunt Liz fixed it first) and then I was recommended to take it's place. She loved me on site and the rest as they say is history.

Many thanks for the wonderful people who helped make this all possible for mom and me!

PUPT members
Sandra Stokley (my foster mom in Somerset)
Liz Norris, Lori Woodward and Lee Anne West (my very own groomer)

Want a fun, clever, playful, lively companion....then adopt a, "Doxie". Easily bored with repetition training (Sit, Sit, Sit, Down, Down, Down...Hey, how many times do you really want me to do this...cause I am done and outa here!) Wonderful city or apartment pets, but can live in any surroundings. Watch out for poorly bred Dachshunds.....they can be very aggressive (biters) and have lots of medical issues. Housetraining this breed is a challenge in itself.

Keegan* (Corgi / Dachshund mix), SD
Job: Autism Assistance & Panic Response for a Child

"Within days of getting Keegan the Service Dog, [our 8 year old Autistic child] slept in his own bed thru the night without waking, for the first time since he was born," said his parents.

Dad had tears in his eyes today and so did mom when telling the story. Week 1 progress report by Liz Norris, Master Instructor Dad looked in bedroom to check on son last night and said Keegan raised up as if to say, "whose there". He is right on the money with this job. Already, the child has become more outgoing and telling everyone about, "his" dog and now when mom is trying to converse with someone and he interferes, as he wants to do, she hands him the leash and redirects him to take Keegan for a walk. KeeKee as he is also being called is very happy and responding great to family and training. Leash work is going great. No pulling and the child can handle him. One goal met. Two goals met with sleeping thru night, no panic attacks and security enhancement for the child. Keegan is doing excellent with, "find [child]" and will now go to look for him. Today when the child was in the kitchen and KeeKee was in another room, mom reported that he hurt his finger and began to cry....Keegan came running in to see what was wrong...went right to him and sat backwards in front of him. We now have him retrieving the ball and he is starting to pick up other things.....for his future work as moms helper. Look for them in group class. Some of you already saw the difference and did not even realize it....they were in one group class with you already and the little boy who could never sit still or focus....sat thru the whole group class and this was after having been to the Dr. earlier in the day. He was better behaved than some non-issue kids. Mom reported that was a, "first" also and that he had never been able to focus and sit still for so long. Keegan was a rescue dog brought in by a fellow Pawsibilities Unleashed client. He was vetted, temperament tested, matched with a special needs child and trained to perform his duties as a Panic Response Service Dog.

Sabrah (Catahoula Leopard Dog), ThD, CGC

Sabra was a tough case, but was finally able to earn her certificates as a Therapy Dog and Canine Good Citizen with a lot of hard work.

Here is Sabrah's story:
My name is Sabrah, (pronounces Say-Bruh) and my Aunt Lori named me. I was at the Shelbyville Humane Society and scheduled for put down. They sent out an e-mail in the hopes of rescuing some of the death row dogs and I caught the attention of Liz. She called and they still had time for her to make it to me before close of business day. My future mom threw on some clothes and came straight to my jail cell. I was cowering in the corner against the cold, concrete wall as you can see in the first photo above. She had to pry me off the wall and carry me to her car. We went straight to the bathtub. I came to a strange place and found out it was to be, "home". There are lots of dogs here and some belong to the Norris family and some are looking for their, "forever family" like I was.

Mom thinks I look like a calico cat and she loves them. Zandra, her blue merle aussie told me this. Cachet is her Great Dane and huge....I was a'scared of her for a long time.....the Malamutes a'scared me too with their unique, "talking"...they wooooooooooo.

Presently I have almost zero drives (things I will work for) and 13 sensitivities (things I am afraid of) and adding. I am still getting sick in the truck after almost 3 weeks of being dragged everywhere. I am not food nor toy motivated. I will get excited about food and once I take a bite, I am like, "is that all you have"? Just in the last week I have started to interact and play with other puppies that are smaller than I am of approximately the same size. Before this past week I was scared of them.....I growl at puppies or dogs when they come near my food bowl or toys and we are working on, "share".....Zandra says mom does not like dogs that guard things and I better shape up. I am also scared of men, women and groups of people or kids. Oh yeah, I am also noise sensitive and new place sensitive. I am very comfortable in my home environment and at class, but new environments make me afraid. I hate the power downs in class and at home and I am just learning that the, "Relax" is not so bad, but I think I should say when it is over........for some reason they think I need to go to school and I am working on obedience commands. M

y, "waits" are awesome, my, "come fronts" flat rock, my, "back up" is like a moonwalk when I offer it, and when mom ask me to, I am all over the place.......my, "sit" and, "watch me" are perfect. Down is not necessary, but I like Stand and could do it forever. If you are standing you are ready to run....and are already ahead of the game. You only have to run faster than the slowest dog or human to escape the dragons. Mom says I need to relax upside down in her arms while she is standing. She picks me up and says, "dead pups don't move"...now what is that about????? I am trying, but it is hard. Trust is very hard for me to give. But mom says I will be fine. She has faith in me. My latest photos are in the 2 right frames above. I am looking much better and have gained some weight. Mom says she was going to get a miniature aussie, but I would do just fine and hopes I stay this size. She just loves the fact that she now has a, "calico cat dog", whatever that means. Look for more news on me coming soon. I am going to be something called a, "therapy dog" like Zandra and the retired Norris dogs. I hope I like being one. Update: It has now been several months since I was adopted by my forever mom. I am doing much better with kids, dogs and new places and I love to trail ride. I adore cats and I want one for my very own. I try with the family cat, Mocha but he blows me off and just freezes and is not much fun. Kiera will not even consider it.....she runs off to be with her Kuvasz. Today, (Sept. 2nd) I actually choose to get into a van with a little girl and let her pet me. I wasn't scared at all and yesterday I got into mom's truck for the first time and lay down in the front seat. Boy was that a mistake......I thought she was going to drive right back to the house....wrong! Once I was in the truck she decided to take me for a ride to see how I would do. I drooled some, but I DIDN'T get car sick:) Yeah!!! I was getting car sick every time I got into the truck and crate or seatbelt and I had started to run from the truck when mom would get ready to leave. I was afraid I would have to go and I didn't want to. But after 3.5 months of making me ride somewhere everyday, I have gotten past it. Finally....... now 10 million other phobias to go:)

Woogie (The Blind & Deaf Pit Bull), ThD, CGC
RIP 2008

Love cannot be seen or heard, Woogie's Story:
Dear Monica & all my friends at Lexington Humane Society,
Just wanted to tell you that I am well and doing just great in my new home! I've been here for almost five months now!! The rest of the canine gang that lives here is tolerating me pretty well...given that I can't pick up on the "doggie" body language and signals. I don't have accidents in the house and I learned the floorplan within just a few days, even out in the big backyard, too!!! I know just how far I can go there and run like crazy without hitting a tree, the porch or the fence!! I also know exactly where the biscuit can is! My "parents" tell me I am soooooo smart!!!

The first few days, I was pretty anxious and nervous....but they slept beside me for the first few nights just so they could reach out and touch me when I awoke and started to cry. When I felt their touch, I knew I was safe and could lie down again......and after a week, I was sleeping just fine through the night, right beside the bed. Such a brave boy am I! Mom & Dad (Bill & Laura Nordan) tell me every day just how much they love me and how I've blessed their lives! That's the way I feel about all of you at LHS.....you gave me a chance at a new life when most others would have considered placing me as too hopeless a task. But you didn't and your efforts helped me find my new life.

You know, even though I'm blind and deaf, I can sense the love they have for me in the way they stroke my head and hold me close...kindness and caring can be "felt" in many ways. I don't have to hear their voices to know it, or see the way they smile at me when I smack my head into a door frame! My tail is wagging all the time. I get to go on long walks, camping trips with their Civil War reenactments (everyone is amazed that gunshots and cannons bother me not, and I'll never tell my secret:) and now I have a job. Mom took me to get my CGC (Canine Good Citizenship testing) and my therapy title tonight. I am officially Woogie Nordan, CGC, ThD. Now I can visit nursing homes, children's centers, schools and all the other cool places therapy dogs can go!!!!!!!! It's no secret, though, that my new family is happy that I will be with them for the rest of my life. It will be a long and happy one and I thank you for that gift. Keep up the good work you guys do there! You truly do save lives. May God bless and keep all of you.

Love always, "Woogie" Nordan

P.S. if you're wondering how I passed my obedience test.....Sit means a hand on top of my butt, Down means a hand on my shoulder area, Heel is easy due to my unusual disabilities (tend to naturally do that to know exactly where mom is so she can help me walk thru an area) and yes, I do this on flat collar and loose leash, meeting and greeting other dogs is a non-issue for me as I am very friendly and my sense of smell works perfectly (as my perfect Recall attest to...mom can come outside and I smell her scent and come to her....from a distance, I can recall on a leash to her scent by the vibration from the leash that tells me she is wanting me to move towards her). Mom going out-of-site for 3 minutes is a non issue. I love strangers and will stay right with them until mom is back and I don't cry for her at all. Grooming is awesome and I'll let anyone run comb over me and yes, I can tell a friendly stranger is ready to pet me by the scent of their approach and mom asking for a Sit and then they pet me all over as I wiggle and wag. Best of all....no one knew I was a "physically challenged K-9" until the test was way over and I had met everyone and then Liz (my evaluator) told them. The whole group was floored. Not one of them had picked up on it even while I was being petted and loved on and tested:)

There are no limitations in life....there is what you choose to do and what you choose not to do....and I choose to live life to the fullest.

More about Woogie's past, in the words of his new mom:
His previous owner used him to breed for his first two years - sad, since his deafness and blindness are genetic defects - deafness from the white coloring (per the vet) and hypoopthalmia (small, underdeveloped eyes). He decided he didn't want him anymore and surrendered him to the Humane Society. The adult children of this man found out and called LHS and said they would come and get him. LHS went ahead and neutered him (praise God!!) and the family never came for him (again!! thank God!!). LHS decided to place him for adoption as a special needs canine since he'd already been neutered. His picture and story were forwarded to me by Mark Kindred at Wolf Run - and we called to foster him. Well, after the first look at that face, I was a goner. I knew as soon as we got him home that he was "home." He's been an absolute joy and no problem at all. He'd memorized the yard and house - within a few days. We have a routine with all the dogs, so he's fit right in with very little adjustment.

Update:
Lori and Venus and Woogie and I went to the mental health center in Paris and visited the adults and kids sections two weeks ago. There was one young man, about 15 or 16, that was there. He was sitting on the floor and Woogie nosed over to him and then swung his butt around to try to sit in his lap. I told the boy that Woogie wanted to sit in his lap, and he allowed him to do so. The boy then stretched out on the floor on his back and Woogie laid right on top of him with all four draped over the sides and proceeded to give him a facial. The boy put his arms around him and just let him go to town. They tried to get the camera and get a picture, but couldn't find one in time.

The boy seemed pleased that Woogie liked him and felt comfortable enough to lie on top of him and be friendly. When I read this from Lori, it just gave me goose bumps. No one said anything to us while we were there and there must have been about 10 adult counselors present during the visit. Strange isn't it, that Woogie would pick that one out of a bunch of about a dozen or more kids that were sitting on the floor.

Update:
Liz, Thanks again for the additional articles . . got some reading to do!! I have some pictures from a nursing home visit at Halloween with Woogie and some of the residents. Also, the visit we had last Friday to the public middle school in Elizabethtown (Hardin Co) went great. We visited 3 classes for an hour each: the first was for a class of deaf and hearing impaired kids, the second was a group of moderate to severe mentally handicapped kids (autism, cerebral palsy, etc) and the third was a larger group of kids with mild mental/physical conditions (ie. Down's syndrome, learning disabilities, etc). They all loved having a dog visit. I was surprised at how well Woogie handled the PAINFUL grabbing of his tail, face, ears, paws and whatever else she could reach by one autistic child of about 12 yrs. I had to keep pulling her off him and telling her to "be nice" - but the Woogster just laid there and didn't make a peep or try to jerk away. He usually will try to move quickly away when he's hurt by someone he doesn't know. Got pics of that visit, but need to get them developed. Will send you some if you'd like for his bio or however else you want to use them.

Saying Goodbye: Woogie died in 2008 due to health complications. Words cannot explain how much he is missed by everyone he touched.