Table of Contents:

• THSD Sister Organization with Taiwan Assistance Dogs
• Heavy Petting in Houston and San Antonio in July
• You Can't Have Too Much Courage
• Adopt Some Sunshine

THSD Sister Organization with Taiwan Assistance Dogs
by Sheri Soltes, President

This year's Assistance Dogs International Conference in Toronto delivered information, adventure and new friends.

We are proud to introduce you to THSD's new sister organization, officially called

The National Ping Tung University Science and Technology Working Dog Training School Assistance Dogs Training Center

Ming Chin Lin, Taiwan Assistance Dogs and Debbie Randall, THSD

Founded by Ming Chin Lin, pictured here with THSD VP Debbie Randall, the group is one of a very few internationally that uses dogs adopted from animal shelters! We already love them for that.

At the conference, Ming had lots of questions for Debbie about training Hearing Dogs - all things for which we can provide ready answers. See if you know this one: A group of people are sitting in a room. A sound goes off and the Hearing Dog alerts the person closest to it, but this is not the deaf person. How do you solve this training situation? (see answer below).

We have invited Ming and her staff to visit and learn at our training center and Ming has invited us to share our knowledge with them in Taiwan. They are especially interested in learning more about evaluating dogs in shelters. We're very excited about our new lil sis and can't wait to help them turn Strays into Stars in Taiwan, just like you have been helping us do for 23 years.

Answer to Hearing Dog question above:

The other people in the room should ignore the Hearing Dog if it attempts to alert them to a sound. Only the deaf person should react when the Hearing Dog touches him or her. Eventually, the dog will quit alerting those who offer no response and focus on the one who does. Did you get it right?

Heavy Petting in Houston and San Antonio in July
by Sheri Soltes

THSD Trainer Ginny Stover and Cheyenne at our Heavy Petting booth

Live in Houston? Come get some heavy petting July 22-26 at THSD's booth at the Reliant Park World Series of Dog Shows.

It's one of the largest dog shows in the world:

Along with breed judging and obedience, you'll discover agility dogs racing over obstacle courses, flyball teams hurdling to beat the clock, and four-footed athletes catching Frisbees and dancing to music. Then take in the Mari Jon Filla Student Art Exhibit and buy dog goodies galore. There also are practical clinics on dog health, grooming and training, Meet the Breed seminars to find the perfect pet for you. (And I might add you can find nearly every pure breed in a rescue group instead of buying and mix breeds also make lovely pets. But it's always fun to see a new or favorite breed - imagine rows of Bearded Collies, Bloodhounds or Shelties with their owners to tell you all about them!)

We will also have our adorable toy Service Dogs and the latest Mighty Texas Dog Walk t-shirts available.

Snap up a toy Service Dog or t-shirt at our booth!

All you San Antonians, we're coming to your town, too! Join us July 30 at the Pet Expo at the Norris Convention Center.

The San Antonio Pet Expo is a woofing, chirping, and meowing good time for the whole family. Four-legged friends can receive "spa treatments" from local groomers, sample delicious treats, and try on the latest in furry fashions; their humans enjoy interacting with top trainers and learning pet-care tips from animal welfare organizations. Rounding out the list of activities are an agility course, pet talent and costume shows, and an exciting pet/owner look-alike contest. Free admission!

You Can't Have Too Much Courage
by Sheri Soltes

Service Dog Courage in training   Photo Credit: Nicole Mlakar Photography

We adopted Courage from the Houston SPCA. As you may know, black dogs have the lowest rate of adoption, so his chances of survival were extremely low. With a lot of loving care and training, Courage has changed from stray to star – he is one of the most skilled Service Dogs we’ve ever trained!

But Courage is just half of the story.

Stephanie Rancier and Courage meet at our training center.

As a shy little kid who did everything from soccer to tap dance, I never expected to be facing my last year of college with seven surgeries under my belt or to be in my fourth year fighting to get out of a wheelchair. Even though I've been through some very difficult times in my 23 years, I would not change one thing. Stephanie Rancier

Recently, we matched Courage with Stephanie Rancier of Abilene. Stephanie just graduated from Texas A&M with degrees in history and film. Next year, she starts graduate school at the University of Southern California, one of the most prestigious film schools in the country.

Stephanie will not pay anything to receive Courage and 3 months of personalized private training in her home and community. The $17,500 cost of training comes from a $10,000 grant from Mrs. Russell Perry and the rest from your generous contributions. Thanks to your generosity, Stephanie will board a plane in Texas, get off in L.A., drive to her new apartment, unpack, make her way to a brand new campus and start the next big adventure of her life all with Courage at her side.

Texas Hearing & Service Dogs has nearly 20 dogs like Courage at our training center. All of them were languishing in animal shelters. Then, our trainers came along. They saw something special in these cast off dogs. They looked into their eyes and told them, "You're coming home with me."

Now, we're treating their kennel cough, x-raying their hips, feeding them top quality food and teaching them how to be someone's lifeline, just like Courage will be for Stephanie. Help us save and transformg more dogs like Courage.

More than 50 individuals like Stephanie on our waiting list. People from your town and many others in Texas.

We invite you to Become a Pack Leader! Choose your favorite pack of the six and give a gift, or customize your own gift and join us in Turning More Strays into Stars.

Adopt Some Sunshine
By Elizabeth Morgan, Trainer

Sunny is a 2 year old German shepherd mix. She was surrendered to Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter after her foot was caught in a coyote trap. They performed surgery on her foot, and it's now almost completely back to normal! When the THSD trainers found her in the shelter, they were very impressed with her friendliness and eagerness to please, so they adopted her to be a Service Dog.

Sunny has had quite a bit of basic obedience training, where she has learned sit, down, stay, walk nicely on a leash, come when called, leave it, hand touch, name response, crate training, go to bed, and riding in a car. She has also had a regular weekend foster home, who reports that she is potty trained in the house and does well in a crate. She is good with other dogs, but has not been tested with cats. She is also good with kids.

She was released from the Service Dog program because she has a little too much energy, but she would be a welcome addition to a family that can give her the attention and love that she deserves!

We also have several other great "career change dogs" for adoption! You can check them all out on our Petfinder page. If you're interested in adopting Sunny or any of our other dogs, the first step is to fill out an Adoption Application on our website.