Timber II

Placement | July 2021

My trainers had to make the difficult decision to remove me from the service training program, but I'm excited for my future! A wonderful family, Bob and JoAnn, have weekend fostered me in the past. When I came up for adoption, they couldn't say no! I'm thrilled to spend the rest of my days loving on them. Thanks to all who helped us get to this point!

Timber's Journey

Stage 1 Introduction

Hi! My name is Timber. I am proud to have been selected to enter into the Retrieving Freedom training program. My parents are "Annie" who is originally from Kerrybrook Labradors and is now fostered by the Card family, and "Stone" of Oasis Labradors. During this stage of training I will be spending approximately 8 months with my new volunteer foster, Liz.

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.

May 2020 - 2 months old

Puppy life is "ruff!" This month I transitioned from my wonderful breeding foster home in Texas to my new puppy foster home in Missouri. First, I will begin training on the basics - walking on a leash, crate training, potty training, and learning my name.

June 2020 - 3 months old

My foster brother Ralph is showing me the proper way to perform the "under" command. I also made my first trip to Orscheln's!

July 2020 - 4 months old

I am working on commands such as "leave it" and "under." I am well-behaved in public and tend to be inquisitive about my surroundings. This month I made a new buddy! I loved to give kisses and lick toes. Some people are scared of change, but I'm excited for my future! I was able to train at the new store in town, Family Center Farm & Home and I was also able to visit the new Missouri facility and be a model for foster homes at the Grand Opening event!

August 2020 - 5 months old

I'm becoming a professional at training in various, odd locations!

September 2020 - 6 months old

Liz and I visited the Retrieving Freedom facility for our monthly foster training. iI was happy to show off how far I've come in my training! I'm doing better at holding commands for longer periods of time, but there's always room for improvement! The wobble board didn't bother me at all. When I'm not busy training, I like to relax and camp with my foster.

October 2020 - 7 months old

Liz and I attended the monthly training session at the RFI facility. Look how long my legs are getting! I participated in a costume contest that the local animal shelter was hosting. Aren't I cute?! I'm currently working on mastering the "left" and "right" positional commands.

November 2020 - 8 months old

Over Thanksgiving, Liz brought home another RFI service dog in training named Daphne. She is only one month younger than me, so we had similar play drives! It was a bit confusing, though, as to why she thought it was okay to snuggle on Liz's lap with me. That is my spot! Overall, we had a lot of fun together! I'm currently working on my impulse control and walking on strange, new surfaces.

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!

December 2020 - 9 months old

This month I had to say a tough "see ya later" to my amazing foster, Liz. I'm so thankful for all that she's taught me over the past 7 months! We have grown close and I'll miss her so much. It's time to move on to the next phase of training! For the next few months I will work with a Veteran inmate handler at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. I won't be able to give updates while I'm there, but I'll look forward to updating you when I return to the training facility!

March 2021 - 1 year old!

This month I traveled back to the Retrieving Freedom training facility from Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. I was lucky enough to reunite with my foster Liz and her new puppy in training, Tali! It was so good to be together again! I learned a lot at CMCF and can't wait to show the trainers all the progress I've made.

April 2021 - 13 months old

I have been working on task training and ignoring distractions now that I've transitioned to the training facility in Iowa. I'm a very smart dog!

May 2021 - 14 months old

I'm learning to relax in environments that normally would tempt me to walk around or want to play, like laying calmly in a room full of other service dogs in training. I go in public with various weekend fosters to places such as the bank, Menards, and Fleet Farm. I also went to an outdoor church service for the first time and trained at Wartburg College!