Raymond

Sponsor Announcement

Staff at Retrieving Freedom have been working closely with Judy Yanover, Franklin Yanover and the Prime Time Foundation to secure my Final Training Stage Sponsorship. I am proud to be sponsored by these individuals, and I am extremely grateful for their generosity! I hope to make them proud!

Placement - June 2020

Some individuals are nervous for change, but I am excited for my new journey! My trainers made the difficult decision to remove me from continuing down the service dog path. I will spend the rest of my days with my puppy foster, Ashlyn! She traveled from Maryland to Iowa to pick me up, and even though I hadn't seen her in one year, I recognized her right away! I let out many happy whines and butt wiggles as we reunited. I missed her, and am so excited to see what our future holds together! Thank you to all who have contributed and followed along with my journey.

Raymond's Journey

Stage 1 Introduction

Hello, my name is Raymond! I am a black Labrador Retriever. 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" of Ridgeview Labradors. During this stage of training I will be spending approximately 3 months with my new temporary volunteer foster Addie before going on to my full-time foster, Ashlyn.

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 an 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 2018 - 2 months old

I am with my temporary foster, Addie. She says that I am the sweetest boy. I get to attend the University of Northen Iowa (UNI) with her. She is preparing me to go with an Iowa State University student named Ashlyn.

September 2018 - 3 months old

I go to class everyday with Addie. She gives me some bones to chew on but I don't pay any attention to them. I would much rather nap during the day. I am a very quiet boy and prefer cuddling and sleeping during the day. After all, walking across campus is exhausting!

October 2018 - 4 months old

I want to thank my first foster, Addie for showing me the ropes. I know my basic obedience skills and I am ready to strut my stuff on the Iowa State University campus. I will miss Addie, and I am looking forward to working with Ashlyn!

November 2018 - 5 months old

I am officially with my new foster, Ashlyn. She tells me that I have the sweetest eyes. I will continue to work on my basic obedience, public work, and attend college classes with her.

December 2018 - 6 months old

I continue to work hard with Ashlyn. She likes to test my patience by putting her laundry all over me, and makes sure that I am okay with that! The other Iowa State University foster dogs and I like to get together to work on our training. We learn from one another! I am second from the right.

January 2019 - 7 months old

One of my favorite things to do is go shopping with my foster! We love to spend our days going from store to store to take a break from studying. As you can see, I show no fear of the famous Old Navy dog.

May 2019 - 11 months old

This has been a big month for me! I got to watch my foster, Ashlyn graduate from Iowa State University. I am so proud of her. This meant it was time for Ashlyn and my trainers to decide if I was ready to enter full-time training. It's bittersweet to announce... I am heading to Stage 2! This is great for my training, but I sure will miss Ashlyn. I hope she knows I am extremely thankful for our time together, and I hope to make her proud as I continue through this journey.

Stage 2 Introduction

Wahoo!!! I have officially been entered into stage 2 of my 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!

August 2019 - 14 months old

This fall I will begin attending school at Charles City Community High School. My teacher foster, Ms. Noonan, already loves me so much! We started to get to know each other over the summer, and I can't wait to see how much we can learn together this school year. I am super excited to meet her students!

November 2019 - 17 months old

Here I am pictured with my teacher foster. I go to school with her twice per week. I am a great motivator in the classroom!

Stage 3 Introduction

Over the last year and a half I have been working diligently to get to this part of training... Stage 3! I continue to work with the trainers at RFI and they have confirmed that I will be working toward becoming a service dog for a child with autism or veteran with a disability. During this stage I will begin to meet potential recipients, learn final training tasks, finish up my role in the impact programs, and complete the 100 required one-on-one hours with my future recipient. This stage is a 4 to 6 month process, and I understand there is still a chance that I might not complete the program due to health or performance. I'm looking forward to sharing with you about my first visits with potential recipients, trips into public, and other highlights throughout my final stage of training.

March 2020 - 21 months old

I have been working hard on my final task training. Over the last few months, my trainers noted that I wasn't engaging as much with children as they'd hoped I would. They decided to focus my attention more on veteran-related tasks. I have been working with various individuals and am excited for the future. Only a few more months of training left!

April 2020 - 22 months old

Quarantine has given me and my friends at RFI lots of time to train (and play!). These photos were taken after a training and playing session outside. I'm loving the nice weather!