Koda

Placement | January 2021

  

Some find themselves scared of change, but I'm excited for my future! My trainers had to make the difficult decision to remove me from the service training program. Fortunately I was quickly adopted by my wonderful puppy raiser, Rachel. I am looking forward to spending the rest of my days with her! Thank you to all who helped me get to this point.

Koda's Journey

Stage 1 Introduction

Hi there! My name is Koda.  I am proud to have been selected to enter into the Retrieving Freedom training program.  My parents are “Faith," who is originally from Kerrybrook Labradors and is now fostered by the Sanderman family, and "Olaf" from Ridgeview Labradors. During this stage of training I will be spending approximately 8 months with my new volunteer foster, Rachel who is part of the Iowa State University Program.

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.

August 2019 - 2 months old

  

My favorite thing to do right now is find the best places to lay. When I'm not napping I'm busy getting lots of exposure to tons of new things. I've been learning how to walk on a leash, potty training, crate training, and recognizing my name. I am excited to meet my puppy raiser, Rachel, soon!

September 2019 - 3 months old

    

This month I moved in with Rachel at Iowa State University. Together, we attend classes and explore all around campus. By the time we make it to class, I am always ready for a nap! Rachel is one of six students participating in the Animal Science program, where several RFI service dogs in training are being fostered. I am happy and lucky to have so many friends around for play dates!

October 2019 - 4 months old 

  

Rachel says I've mastered giving the puppy dogs eyes when I've decided class is taking too long. We also practice skills like "sit," "down," and I'm working on impulse control throughout the days on campus.

January 2020 - 7 months old

I have attended many basketball games at Hilton Coliseum on campus. This is a great environment to practice patience, impulse control, focus on my handler as we navigate through crowds, and learn to not be startled by sudden loudness.

February 2020 - 8 months old

Rachel and the RFI trainers have decided it's best for me to continue my training elsewhere. I've transferred to the Iowa Medical and Classification Center (IMCC) where I will work with an inmate handler. In this photo, I'm training with my IMCC friends from RFI. I'm pictured right in the front. Look how big I'm getting!

June 2020 - 1 year old!

I was able to celebrate my first birthday with my handler at IMCC. I got extra treats, snuggles, and play time!

Stage 2 Introduction

Woohoo! I have officially been entered into the second stage of training, and I am so excited!  Over the past several 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. 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! 

September 2020 - 15 months old

 

This month I transitioned from IMCC in Iowa to formal training at the Retrieving Freedom facility in Missouri. I'll begin working with the trainer to maintain my tasks and see which path I will go down as a hopeful service dog.

December 2020 - 18 months old

I've been working closely with the professional training staff on some kinks that have come up. On weekends, I travel to weekend foster homes! This is a great way to relax after a long week of training.