Piper

Breeding Career

 

Piper passed all necessary testing - both behavioral and genetic - and qualified to enter the Retrieving Freedom Breeding Program in July 2021.

Piper's Journey

Stage 1 Introduction

Hi there! My name is Piper. I am proud to have been selected to enter into the Retrieving Freedom training program.  My parents are “Faith” who is 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, Kelley. 

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

This month was a big transition - I moved from my wonderful breeding foster home to my new puppy foster home! I trust Kelley will take great care of me for the next 8 or so months. We will learn from each other and she will best prepare me to become a great service dog someday!

September 2019 - 3 months old

Look how cute I am!! Kelley and I have been working diligently on my basic obedience - learning which toys are appropriate to play with, where I can and can't go potty, and I now know what my name is!

October 2019 - 4 months old

  

I enjoy getting my extra energy out by taking long walks with Kelley. After that always calls for a good snuggle session.

December 2019 - 6 months old

Merry Christmas! I'm arguably the best gift under the tree. My foster Kelley brought home a previous RFI foster of hers, Pete, for the holiday break. I am super excited to get to know him more, and learn a lot from him over the next few weeks! Pete is nearing the end of his training, and we have the same parents. We are similar in many ways, yet very different.

February 2020 - 8 months old

 

I have been maturing a lot lately! Kelley caught this rare photo of me sleeping after an exhausting day spent training on Wartburg College's campus. 

May 2020 - 11 months old

This month I had to say a tough "see ya later" to my wonderful foster family. Kelley and her family provided me with so much over the last 9 months! We bonded, learned from one another, and it's safe to say I'm ready to enter stage 2 of training. I can't say "thank you" enough to all who have helped me reach this point! 

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. During this Stage, I will 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! 

June 2020 - 1 year old!

I was able to celebrate my first birthday with a new handler! This month I traveled to Mississippi to enter a correctional facility program with inmate handlers at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. I'm thrilled to see what we can accomplish together over the next few months.

September 2020 - 15 months old

This month I transitioned out of the correctional facility and back to Retrieving Freedom's training facility! My trainers are super impressed with all the progress I made over the past few months. 

October 2020 - 16 months old

  

This month I traveled back to the training facility in Iowa for some testing. I'll be training here for the foreseeable future! I trained at Wartburg College this month as part of an Impact Program. I did great! I ignored all sorts of distractions throughout various new experiences.

November 2020 - 17 months old

     

On the weekends, I spend time in weekend foster homes. I spent a weekend with a foster named Alyssa. We trained in public, played at home, and made plenty of time for snuggles. 

December 2020 - 18 months old

 

I have been working with my trainer on various tasks at the facility and in public. So far, I'm doing great!

February 2021 - 20 months old

This month I began working with student handlers from Wartburg College. They are taught by my trainer how to best handler service dogs in training. Once they pass a test, they're able to take me and other dogs in training out in public and to their classes on campus!

March 2021 - 21 months old

  

I continue to work with students at the local college, where they take me to campus for a few hours at a time. I continue to impress my handlers at how well I ignore potential distractions on campus, such as walking past people and not approaching them, both loud and quiet areas, and waiting patiently before crossing the thresholds of doorways. I am currently working on not pulling so much on my leash when walking around - I just get so excited!

April 2021 - 22 months old

  

During my days at Wartburg College, I visit various environments and tend to perform well in each of them, such as cafeterias, outside in the grass on campus, and in quiet classrooms. The only command I struggled performing a bit was "visit" but I'm working on perfecting this in distracting environments! I went to kindergarten for the first time this month! A teacher foster, Mrs. B., took me to her classroom each Friday. I demonstrated following directions and ignoring distractions. I remained relaxed and very attentive to Mrs. B. I'm such a sweet girl! 

May 2021 - 23 months old

        

I continue to go to Mrs. B.'s classroom and have such a fun time teaching the kindergartners by example. I help to demonstrate patience, kindness, and following directions. I have excellent manners going through doorways, during band practice, in crowded rooms, rested my head on Mrs. B.'s feet during lunch, and although I can get excited at times (like during my daily walk in the park) I still manage to follow commands.

June 2021 - 2 years old!

I turned two years old this month! I was spoiled by the Retrieving Freedom staff with special birthday treats, snuggles, and extra play time with new toys. 

July 2021

  

This month I officially entered the breeding program! This means I passed all necessary testing - both behavioral and genetic - and have qualified to be a breeding dog, to hopefully deliver healthy and smart puppies to become future service dogs.