Shelter dogs to become service dogs

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Shelter canines from nearly two-dozen facilities across the state of Texas have been rescued and will now be trained as hearing and service dogs.

Director of training Al Kordowski and manager of training Becky McClintock with Texas Hearing and Service Dogs visited the shelters over five days, evaluating mroe than 2,000 dogs.

The trainers with THSD found eight new recruits from six different shelters including, Town Lake Animal Center , Austin’s municipal shelter, Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter in Round Rock, the Humane Society of Central Texas in Waco , New Braunfels Animal Services and San Antonio Animal Care Services .

The new dogs will learn to assist Texans living with deafness or mobility-related disabilities. Hearing dogs alert their deaf partners by touch and lead them to important sounds like the door knock, oven timer, a baby’s cry and smoke alarm. Service Dogs can also help people in wheelchairs by picking up dropped objects, turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, cabinets and refrigerators, nudging paralyzed limbs into position and performing other customized tasks.

“We are so excited to welcome these new dogs to our training center,” said THSD founder and president Sheri Soltes. “One of the best parts of the job is giving dogs someone else threw away a second chance at a life of love and service.”

Kordowski and McClintock were highly selective in the traits they looked for. “We looked for dogs that were calm, very friendly and most of all attentive towards both of us,” Kordowski explained.

McClintock said they train the animals to trust humans.

“A trusting relationship is what sets up the dog to work with you through new challenges. It’s not about dominating the animal. It’s about building a partnership with it," she said.

Texas Hearing and Service Dogs, a nonprofit organization founded in 1988, has adopted and trained nearly 600 abandoned dogs to become working partners for Texans living with disabilities. They invest one year and $18,000 in training each dog. Donations allow them to provide the dogs free of charge.