Meeting Monday, November 19th, 2007
Pacific Assistance Dogs Alberta Satellite Operation is all about puppies -- puppies that will one day help people with hearing loss or physical disabilities. PADS initiated the Alberta Satellite Program in Calgary in 2001.
Community Presentations
An important aspect of puppy raising is participating in presentations that help to raise public awareness about . The puppies, of course, consider these to be special outings where they get lots of attention and perhaps some extra treats. All of the Calgary puppies have had an opportunity to shine at the presentations they’Äôve given in the past couple of years, for organizations who hear about PADS and want to learn more.
All PADS puppies attend weekly puppy class where their puppy raisers learn how to raise well-behaved, motivated and responsive PADS dogs. Under Trainer, Ray Gledhill's guidance, puppies are taught basic obedience, social manners, and are introduced to as many sights, sounds, smells and activities as possible. Puppy raisers learn how to reinforce those lessons outside of class, plus exchange ideas with each other about public relations, adolescent puppy behaviour, and the latest suggestions for high-value treats.
Potential assistance dogs are chosen for their intelligence, health and willingness to work then they are nurtured and trained for approximately 2 years before they are placed with a client. To this end, PADS seeks out volunteers to be puppy raisers, to provide love and guidance in the first year of their puppies' lives.
New Puppy Raisers and Puppy Sitters are always needed and very welcome, because PADS puppies become available at various but random times throughout the year.
If you are interested in finding out more about PADS because you have thought of applying for an assistance dog or if you are interested in finding out about a very rewarding volunteer job please join us. Everyone is welcome!
For more information please visit the PADS web site at www.pads.ca or the Alberta Satellite web site at www.pads.ca/calgary.
For more information about CHHA-Calgary Meetings and the location, please visit About CHHA.
To read about previous guest speakers, please choose one of the links below:
- November 2009 - Sylvia Bird, currently the part-time Tinnitus Coordinator at Deaf & Hard of Hearing Society (DHHS) in Calgary, Alberta, spoke about tinnitus and some of the treatments available to help in managing this condition.
- September 2009 - Recap of the 2009 St. John's Conference from members who attended.
- June 2009 - Representatives from Phonak shared information about current technologies that help improve hearing for hard of hearing individuals in the presence of background noise and to connect to modern communication devices such as cell phones.
- April 2009 - Dave Evans, the Medical Base Manager and Flight Paramedic for STARS explained how knowing what to expect in an emergency situation requiring transportation by STARS will reduce the stress of a traumatic experience.
- February 2009 - Pauline Mathezer, a trained volunteer for the Canada Revenue Agency and member of CHHA-Calgary, spoke about completing income tax returns.
- November 2008 - Stacie Tidlund, graduate of the Disability Studies program at Mount Royal College, spoke about her CHHA-Calgary sponsored practicum in Malaysia working with people with hearing loss.
- October 2008 - Stephen McKibbon, SeniorConnect Coordinator and services provided by Calgary Senior's Resource Society
- September 2008 - CHHA-Calgary members who attended the Canadian Hard of Hearing / International Federation of Hard of Hearing Congress held in Vancouver this summer presented information from the workshops they attended. The Congress attracted speakers and delegates from around the world and focused on hearing loss management in other countries.
- May 2008 - Pacific Assistance Dogs
- April 2008 - James Zackowski - Executive Director of Calgary Rotary Challenger Park
- March 2008 - Michael Lepitre - financial and tax education
- February 2008 - Dr. Carrie Scarff - researcher and private practice Doctor of Audiology
- January 2008 - No Meeting
- December 2007 - Christmas Party
- November 2007 - Pacific Assistance Dogs
- October 2007 - Marianne Flanagan, Speech/Language Pathologist