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CNN Live Saturday
Canine Companions for Independence Truly Raises Man's Best Friend
Aired June 23, 2001 - 13:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: You probably heard the phrase, "man's best friend." Well, it's a saying that's especially true for assistance dogs. If you've ever wondered why assistance dogs seem so well disciplined and so helpful, it doesn't happen by accident, it happens by training. And before the dogs are old enough to go to a specialized school, they're raised in private homes.
Right now, we're joined by Kerinne Levy, who's raised several pups through the organization Canine Companions for Independence. Now, that's a group that helps people with physical and developmental disabilities. And Ms. Levy is with us from New York with two future assistance dogs.
Hi, Karinne, it's nice to have you join us.
KARINNE LEVY, TRAINS ASSISTANCE DOGS: Hi, nice to be here.
KELLEY: Tell us what you do with the dogs. What's your job?
LEVY: I'm a volunteer CCI puppy raiser. I raise these dogs. I get them when they're 8 weeks of age and I have them for approximately -- until they're approximately 13 to 18 months of age. And while I have them, I train them about 30 basic obedience commands. And I take them everywhere with me to get great socialization.
KELLEY: Including nap, I see?
LEVY: Yeah.
KELLEY: You trained them to nap.
LEVY: Yes, they're trained to be calm anywhere they go.
KELLEY: Yes, well tell us about the two dogs that you've brought today, how old they are and what they've learned so far?
LEVY: OK, this is Raja (ph). He's 13 months old and he's gone to high school with me every day, with me for the past year.
KELLEY: What do you do with him when you take him to school?
LEVY: He just lays under my desk and just rests and does whatever he would do as a regular service dog working in an office setting or -- and this is Opie (ph). And he is almost 4 months old. And he's just starting his training, his rigorous training.
KELLEY: Well, when Opie is little like this and you say just starting, what does just starting mean? How do you start him out?
LEVY: Well, when we get the puppies at 8 weeks of age, we start to teach them 20-some commands. And as a puppy in very low- distraction environments, we start to train the basic obedience. And as they progress in their training and become proficient at the commands, we move them up into higher distraction environments. And so, Opie is just starting to grow into public settings and getting use to being out in public working.
KELLEY: What are some of those 27 commands that you teach them?
LEVY: Some of the commands are -- is the basic sit down, stand, wait, et cetera. But we also train the dogs to jump up on a wall. And we also teach them to shake, offering their paw. And when we return the dogs to the advanced training, to the CCI instructors, they will take those commands and spool it into light switch up and light switch down, having the dog jump up on the wall and doing that.
KELLEY: And you also socialize them, don't you?
LEVY: Yes, we take them everywhere we go as a puppy raiser and -- to get them used to all different kinds of environments, so that when they're working as a service dog, they'll be used to every kind of -- nothing will come up as a surprise.
KELLEY: Yes. They usually use retrievers and labs, I've read. Now that you've taught them to nap, can you get them to wake up? Would they wake up on your command and start to go?
LEVY: As soon as I said a command, they would wake up.
KELLEY: Let's see; can you try?
LEVY: OK. Raja, come here. Raja, hi. Good boy. Opie, hi; good. Good boy.
Yeah, and they'll just roll over until I say another command.
KELLEY: They're very well-behaved already. I mean, I know -- I realize that they're napping, but I mean, in this kind of environment, you wouldn't expect them to just kind of just nap like this because there's so much stuff going on around them.
LEVY: These dogs are trained to do this. So wherever they go, they just are calm and blend into the woodwork, basically.
KELLEY: It must be very rewarding, but I also think, and a lot of us were talking about this, it must be very hard when it's time for you to give these dogs up?
LEVY: Yes, it's basically the most challenging part of raising a puppy, but it's also the most rewarding because when you return the dog to advanced training, it goes through six to nine months of its advanced training with the CCI instructors. But then after that time, if that dog graduates, you get to go and present the dog to the recipient of the dog and get to meet them.
KELLEY: And that must be terribly rewarding to see who gets the dog.
LEVY: Yes.
KELLEY: Tell us about some of the folks, if you can, real quickly, maybe one in particular that got the dog?
LEVY: OK, one of my dogs works down in Washington. And he is -- works at the National Treasury. And he helps a lady with all sorts of things, retrieving objects, opening doors, turning on light switches, all things like that.
KELLEY: A fabulous service. Karinne Levy, who is a puppy raiser with Canine Companions for Independence. Thanks very much for bringing the dogs and for visiting with us.
LEVY: Thank you.
KELLEY: It was a pleasure to have you here. Thank you.
If you would like to contact Canine Companions for Independence, the group can be reached by phone. Their number is 1-800-572-BARK; that's right, 800-572-BARK. Or you can reach the group on the Internet, and their Web site address is www.caninecompanions -- that's all one word -- .org.
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