SSD Jitterbug's Adventures

Guest post by Sue Knode, puppy raiser

SSD Jitterbug is the seventh puppy I’ve raised for Susquehanna Service Dogs, and I think she’s the happiest puppy I’ve ever seen! Her name is SO appropriate. When her tail wags, her whole body wags! She turned 8 months in October and is a bundle of energy, cuteness, and love!

She did well at her recent evaluation. This semester in puppy class, we worked on solidifying and proofing the basics: sit, down, stay, recalls, loose leash walking, and retrieves. We also worked with the target stick and introduced the heel box. The target stick is a piece of blue tape stuck to the end of a stick. The dog is trained to touch their nose to (or target) the tape. The heel box is how SSD trains “heel.” The dog anchors their front paws on the box and move their hind legs around it.

Jitterbug’s biggest challenges have been “stay” and retrieves. She’s very good at sticking by my side, following me from room and walking close, even when we’re outside. Staying in one place while I walk away is a hard concept for this puppy. We’re working on building distance and performing with distractions. (In our house, that’s her furry buddies!)

Her favorite item to retrieve is a big old duck decoy. We’ve been working on retrieving other objects and making sure she consistently returns them to me.

Jitterbug accompanied us to Chincoteague, VA this summer on a trip in our motor home. This trip presented many new opportunities. We live in a rural area with very little traffic. The campground was busy and we had close neighbors, some with dogs. Jitterbug was shocked to learn that not every family has Labrador Retrievers!

The campground was a great place to practice loose leash walking and recalls. We found a wonderful dog-friendly beach where Jitterbug and our dog Barracks ran and swam until they were both played out. We visited restaurants, an outdoor café, and something that Jitterbug won’t experience in Pennsylvania—a crab processing shack! She remained calm and did some nice long down-stays.

She was surprised to encounter a horse-drawn carriage in Berlin, MD, and I was surprised at how quickly she recovered and gave me her full attention. And of course, when you’re traveling with a cute puppy, there are tons of opportunities to practice greetings!

During this past semester of puppy class, Jitterbug attended two outings. The first was to the Army Heritage Center in Carlisle, PA. We gathered outside with many other SSD puppies and raisers and worked on good attention with power treats and frequent clicks. We spent about 45 minutes exploring the grounds and the various buildings. This outing presented lots of opportunities to walk on new surfaces and practice self-control around other dogs.

The second outing was the Ghosts of Gettysburg Tour. Again, we gathered outside with many other SSD puppies and raisers and working on good attention. Then we walked as a group on the tour. The biggest challenges were the other dogs, the smells, and the traffic.

The common thread for both outings was my music for the drive home—the rhythmic snoring of a very tired puppy!

Jitterbug has just started her journey to become a service dog. She’ll spend the next year with Sue, and then she’ll come to advanced training where she’ll be matched with a person and then trained specifically to assist them. You can help us fund these perfect matches on November 28 for #GivingTuesday. Our goal is to raise $7,500 in one day to fund the perfect match.

You can learn more and donate on our website.

Fund the Perfect Match This #GivingTuesday

There’s a big day coming up in just over one month! On November 28, we’re participating in #GivingTuesday.

If you’ve never heard of #GivingTuesday, it’s one big day of giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It’s a great opportunity to give back to the community! This year, we’re hoping to raise $7,500 to fund the perfect match between a person and their service dog.

With your help, we know we can reach that goal!

A perfectly matched service dog team works together seamlessly. The person and their service dog form a strong bond.

We put a lot of work into creating that perfect match. We want to make sure the dog fits into the person’s life and meets their needs. For example, if someone leads an active lifestyle, we want to make sure their service dog will be active and comfortable with continually changing environments.

We also look at the type of work a person needs to the dog to do so we can match them with a dog that enjoys those tasks. When a dog enjoys their work and their partner knows they enjoy it, the team can really bond and be successful.

You can read more about our matching process here.

Why is it so important to donate to Susquehanna Service Dogs this #GivingTuesday?

The perfect match can change a person’s life!

We’ve seen over and over how a service dog opens the door to opportunity. Someone who may have had to depend on other people can now enjoy their independence because they can rely on their service dog.

Nate and SSD Colorado have been a team for over a year, and not only does Colorado help Nate to be more self-sufficient, but he gives Nate’s mother peace of mind.

“As a mother, I’m now more comfortable leaving Nate home alone,” she says. “When Nate is invited out with friends, I don’t hesitate to let him go because he now has Colorado to rely on.”

We hope you’ll join us this #GivingTuesday and help us fund the perfect match to change lives!

Learn more about our #GivingTuesday campaign.

Thank You for Donating on #GivingTuesday!

What an incredible day! In 24 hours on #GivingTuesday, you helped us raise $8,963 for vet care for our service dogs in training! Thank you for your generosity!

Your donations will go to work almost immediately. Tomorrow, nine puppies are visiting PETS (Pet Emergency Treatment and Specialities) in Lancaster, PA for their CERF eye exams. These eye exams are important for future service dogs. We need to make sure that our dogs are free from heritable eye disease so they can successfully assist their future partners.

Thank you for making a difference in the lives of our dogs in training and their future partners!

Support Susquehanna Service Dogs on #GivingTuesday

Help us raise $5,000 in one day on #GivingTuesday! 

Susquehanna Service Dogs is participating in #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving. All of the money we raise that day will help cover the costs of veterinary care for our service dogs in training. Vet bills are one of our biggest expenses. It costs $100 just for each dog's annual check-up! 

How will your donation help?

• $26 covers an eye exam for one 8-week-old puppy
• $52 covers eye exams at 8 weeks and one year
• $90 covers hip X-rays for one puppy
• $100 covers an annual check-up for one puppy
• $310 covers all vet appointments and vaccinations for one puppy's first year

Why should you donate?

It's so important for our future service dogs to be healthy. When we place a service dog with their new partner, we want that dog to be able to work and perform the tasks they were trained to do. We would never want to place a dog that would only be able to work a few years. Neither would we want to place a dog that's going to need extensive vet care. Service dogs should make their partner's life easier, not more challenging. 

That's why we check our dogs' eyes, hips, and elbows, and make sure our dogs get regular vet check-ups. We want our dogs to make a positive difference in their partners' lives. When you donate on #GivingTuesday, you're supporting healthy service dogs who will one day change people's lives. 

Learn more about our #GivingTuesday efforts and how you can support Susquehanna Service Dogs.