Chopper

Placement | February 2019

My trainers have been working diligently to make me as successful as possible. Unfortunately, that is not by going down the service dog path. The trainers have made the difficult decision to give me a change of career. Fortunately for me, a wonderful new family has chosen to adopt me. We will live our days together carefree, doing just what I was born to do - be his best friend. Thank you to all who helped me get to this point!

Chopper's Journey

Stage 1 Introduction

Hi there! My name is Chopper. I am thrilled to have been selected to enter into the Retrieving Freedom training program. I came from the Retrieving Freedom breeding program. My parents are "Annie," who is originally from Kerrybrook Labradors and is now fostered by the Card family, and "Banks," of Golden Rule Retrievers. During this stage of training I will be spending approximately 8 months with my new volunteer foster, Josh.

Throughout Stage 1, I will learn the basics obedience, public behavior, and a lot of socialization. I understand that it takes a very special dog to complete the program as there is a high standard to become a service dog. I am aware that I may be one of the dogs whose purpose is outside of service work so I will be updating my profile on a monthly basis for all that would like to follow my journey through the program.

November 2017 - 2 months old

This month I said a difficult "cya later" to my wonderful breeding foster home, and entered my new puppy foster home! Josh and I will work together for the next 8 months or so to prepare me as best as possible for the next stage of training. First up, I have to learn my name, potty training, and how to walk on a leash. What a special day I had this month!! In case you didn't know, I'm named after a military hero. So are all the other RFI dogs pictured here with me! "Diesel," "Levi," "JJ," and I are named after men who served with veteran Bobby Henline, pictured here. The fifth dog is named "Henley," after Bobby! Thank you, Bobby, for your service. We hope to make you proud in memory of your buddies!

December 2017 - 3 months old

Merry Christmas! This holiday season, I'm thankful for my foster Josh and all who have been supporting us throughout this journey.

March 2018 - 6 months old

I met up with my brothers JJ and Henley at the annual RFI foster appreciation get-together. It took a few attempts to get this photo, but it was worth it!

August 2018 - 11 months old

My brother JJ, our fosters, and I were reunited with Bobby Henline again! In case you forgot, Bobby named us after two soldiers he deployed with who were killed in action. Here we are pictured with him and his RFI service dog, Daisy!

September 2018 - 1 year old!

The day before our first birthday, my brother "JJ" (pictured) and I traveled to the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility to train with an inmate handler for a few months. Wish us luck! Thank you Josh for all you've done for the past 9 months! I appreciate you so much.

Stage 2 Introduction

Wahoo!!! I have officially been entered into stage 2 training, and I am so excited! Over the past 8 months I have had the opportunity to see the RFI mission first hand, and can’t wait to dig deeper in the mission of changing lives through my training for veterans with disabilities and children with autism. This training stage will be another 8 months of working within the Retrieving Freedom Impact programs. Currently these impact programs include working with college students, at-risk teens, summer campers, inmates, and elementary students. During this Stage, I will also work closely with the RFI professional training staff to solidify my understanding of intermediate tasks and the foundation of future commands to help mitigate a disability. Follow me through this stage learning how I continue to make an impact!

January 2019 - 18 months old

I traveled back to the training facility in Iowa from the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, where I've been training for the past few months. My trainers at Retrieving Freedom will now evaluate me to see where I'm at with progress through the program!