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Pup and circumstance: New duo celebrates facility dog training graduation
SANTA ROSA, Calif. – Last Friday, on the stage at Santa Rosa’s Center for Spiritual Living, a moving ceremony took place.
Hundreds of people gathered for Canine Companions for Independence's graduation, watching as the efforts of breeders, puppy raisers and trainers came to their four-legged fruition.
As part of the ceremony, service and facility dogs, and skilled companion dogs were handed over officially to join their new families.
Among the graduates were Lake County resident Mike Curran and his new canine partner, Eddie, a facility dog.
The nonprofit CCI, headquartered in Santa Rosa, offers highly trained assistance dogs to people of all ages at no charge, thanks to the strong support of donors from around the country.
Since CCI was founded in 1975, it has placed more than 3,500 specially trained dogs across the United States, according to Jeanine Konopelski, Canine Companions for Independence’s national director of marketing communications.
Last year alone, they placed 262 service dogs, which Konopelski said was a record for the organization.
They’re also seeing an increase in demand, with many wounded veterans applying to receive the dogs, said Konopelski.
At last Friday’s ceremony, both adults and children came forward to welcome their new companions.
For people whose physical challenges have confined them to wheelchairs, service dogs – with their able bodies and huge, willing hearts – prove critical helpers, offering their new owners freedoms that they may not have had before.
New partners
Eddie is a handsome and gentle golden retriever/Labrador Retriever mix. At 2 years old, he is the biggest dog in his class of service and facility canines.
With his golden good looks and notable blaze mark down his thoughtful face, Eddie would stand out in any crowd.
But he’s special for a whole range of reasons, and it’s Curran’s goal that Eddie’s special gifts will be put to good use here in Lake County.
Unlike some of his classmates, Curran – a longtime member of Lake County law enforcement – doesn’t have physical challenges which Eddie will assist him in meeting. Rather, Eddie is going to be his partner in programs that aid children in need.
First, there are several months of bonding and fine-tuning ahead for the new duo, as well as CCI followup training.
Then, Curran retires in August from his job with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
From there, it’s on to a new career for Curran as a volunteer with the Lake County District Attorney’s Office, with Eddie by his side.
Eddie will accompany Curran during interviews in the county’s multidisciplinary interview center, a special facility located behind the District Attorney Victim-Witness Division in Lakeport.
There, children victims of crimes are interviewed in safe and comfortable surroundings.
Curran, who has spent years investigating crimes against children, said Eddie can help provide a comforting presence for children as they recount traumatic events.
Several District Attorney’s Office staffers attended the Friday graduation to show their support for Curran and to give Eddie a warm welcome.
Curran also is working to establish a “Courtroom Dogs” program to Lake County. That program – which brings dogs into the courtroom to offer comfort to children who must testify in criminal cases – already has the support of some of Lake County’s judges.
Eddie and Curran also will volunteer in local schools, where they be featured in the “Reading with Rover” literacy program.
“Reading with Rover” encourages children to read, out loud, to the dog. As Curran explains, children who struggle with reading excel in the program because they feel comfortable with the dog, who sits and listens, without judgment.
Eddie won’t be the first CCI dog to come to Lake County. John and Katie Eels have had CCI dogs, most notably Nasa, a facility dog, and Patch, a hearing assistance dog.
A special path
Eddie was specially bred by CCI, and then raised by Ted and Carole Oare and their twin daughters Christina and Stephanie Lynn of Everett, Wash.
Ted, Carole and Christina Oare traveled to Santa Rosa from Washington – an area rich in CCI puppy raisers – to take part in last week’s graduation ceremony, going on stage to hand Eddie to Curran.
“It takes a whole family to work with one of these dogs,” Carole Oare explained.
According to CCI, “Assistance dogs aren’t just born, they’re raised.”
Puppy raisers like the Oares take specially bred pups like Eddie into their homes and families, socialize them and take them to obedience class, and give them a great deal of love.
The Oare family worked with Eddie for a year and a half before returning him to CCI last November. The Oares acknowledged how difficult it was to give Eddie up.
For the last six months, Eddie has been in facility training, according to Erin Powers, the instructor in Eddie and Curran’s service and facility class.
According to CCI, the training course includes two three-month semesters, during which they fine-tune basic obedience commands, learn more advanced commands and experience working in different environments, and are screened to make sure they are truly suitable for the work.
The team training is two weeks, during which the dogs and their new handlers learn to work together. That culminates in the graduation.
Curran said CCI did a great job of pairing him with Eddie, who in just a few weeks has started to build a strong bond with Curran.
The newly formed pair spent a few minutes together before the Friday graduation ceremony, then Curran left Eddie with the Oares, who waited in the audience to make the formal presentation.
As Curran walked away to take his place before the ceremony, Eddie turned to watch him go.
Following the ceremony, Curran and Eddie bid farewell to the Oares. Curran thanked them for making the nearly 1,000-mile trip for the graduation. They promised to keep in touch, and exchange pictures of Eddie as he makes his new life in Lake County.
Curran said he was eager to get Eddie home to Lakeport, where wife Denise waited, eager to meet the newest family member.
Already, the work to prepare the next group of service, facility and companion dogs is under way.
As part of the ceremony, matriculating puppies and their raisers were honored and delivered back to CCI to make ready for the next step in their journey.
The Oares themselves may have left a little of their hearts behind with Eddie, their first CCI pup, but they’ve got plenty of love saved up for their second CCI dog, who they’re already in the process of raising.
For more information about CCI, visit www.cci.org .
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Assembly Democrats and Republicans come together in effort to save state parks
Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) joined a bipartisan block of legislators on Monday to support a sweeping state parks rescue bill he has jointly authored in the Assembly.
“It is phenomenal the amount of bipartisan support this bill has,” said Chesbro, speaking of AB 1589, the California State Parks Stewardship Act of 2012, at a news conference this morning on the grounds of the State Capitol. “It is major legislation that will change the relationship between the state and State Parks, making State Parks more self-sufficient and well-funded with sustainable revenue sources. It will stop park closures, with a net long-term savings to the state’s general fund.”
Chesbro was joined by Republican Assemblymembers Kevin Jeffries, Diane Harkey and Kristin Olsen and Democrats Jared Huffman and Roger Dickinson, plus Robert Hanna, a direct descendant of John Muir, at the news conference today, designed to demonstrate the strong bipartisan support AB 1589 has in the Assembly.
“Protecting state parks is not a Democratic or Republican issue,” Chesbro said. “State parks are important to all of California, and keeping them open and accessible is something that we can come together over without dispute. I ask my fellow Assemblymembers in both caucuses to support AB 1589 when it comes the Floor for a vote. I also urge my colleagues in the Senate and the Governor to approve this bill when it reaches them. ”
AB 1589 calls on the Department of Parks and Recreation to develop a prioritized action plan to increase revenues and collection of unpaid user fees at state parks, while maintaining the character and values of the State Park System.
It also creates a State Park Enterprise Fund and states legislative intent regarding the need for a multi-disciplinary independent assessment of ways to ensure long-term management and sustainable funding options for state parks.
Additionally, it includes provisions that authorize the Department of Motor Vehicles to offer special fee-based state park license plates to support the park system and allow taxpayers to redirect portions of their tax refunds to the California State Parks Protection Fund in exchange for an annual state park day-use access pass.
AB 1589 also revises the factors the Department of Parks and Recreation considers when selecting state parks for future closure, requiring the Department to publicly disclose its methodology and rationale when evaluating them, and requires that park closures be considered only as a last resort after other options, including public-private partnerships, have been explored.
Legislators were joined at the press conference by Robert Hanna, a the great-great grandson of renowned naturalist John Muir, who emphasized the cultural and economic significance of California’s state parks.
“In every great accomplishment you’ll find togetherness, and I’m proud to stand in solidarity with California’s elected officials to fight for our park,” Hanna said. “I’ll forever continue my family’s commitment to protect these treasures and will continue to fight the good fight.”
AB 1589 received unanimous support in both Assembly policy committees that reviewed the bill.
It will be heard in the Appropriations Committee this week and will be taken up on the Assembly Floor after Memorial Day.
Experience the pageantry of the Avenue of Flags May 28
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Memorial Day – Monday, May 28 – the flags of our fallen veterans will fly in display at cemeteries throughout Lake County.
Lake County Veterans Memorial-Avenue of Flags Association, with the help of local volunteers, will install the flagpoles and mount the large flags along the avenues of county cemeteries.
These flags once draped the casket of a fallen veteran. Upon the completion of the internment ceremony, the family is presented the flag.
The family has the option of donating the use of the veterans’ burial flag to the Lake County Veterans Memorial- Avenue of Flags Association.
On Memorial Day and Veterans Day the flags are flown to commemorate the memory of veterans who defended our country.
Avenue of Flags will be presented at the following cemeteries: Hartley Cemetery in Lakeport, Upper Lake Cemetery, Kelseyville Cemetery, and Lower Lake Cemetery.
Installation of flagpoles and flags will begin at 7 a.m., weather permitting, with takedown of flags and flagpoles at 4 p.m. Volunteers would be appreciated at all locations.
Further information is available from the following representatives: Upper Lake, Byron Green, 707-275-9515; Lower Lake, Dave Schober, 707-533-5843; Kelseyville, Paul Harris, 707-279-1115; and Hartley Cemetery, Lakeport, Dean Gotham, 707-350-1159.
Express your respect for fallen veterans and experience the pride of the magnificent display of our veterans’ flags. Never forget.
June 2 'Wild West Day' celebrates Upper Lake’s Western heritage
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Upper Lake will celebrate its Western heritage at the annual Wild West Day on Saturday, June 2.
In its 19th year, the celebration features barbecue, Western wear contests, antique tractors, a parade, street dancing and even an opportunity to ride “Rocky” the mechanical bull.
The Blue Canyon Gang will perform their gunslinging Western show at high noon and again on the hour until 4 p.m.
Upper Lake is noted for its authentic Western feel with covered sidewalks, antique stores and a hotel that was a stage stop in the 1800s.
The festival is popular with the community and visitors thanks to the wide array of merchants, as well as the tri-tip barbecue and pancake breakfast by the Northshore Fire Support and the Upper Lake Community Council.
The Upper Lake FFA will have strawberry shortcake dessert and root beer floats crafted by the members of the North Shore Business Association.
Wild West Day was started in 1993 by a group of merchants and community members to help the volunteer fire department with the purchase of the jaws of life while concurrently celebrating the Upper Lake post office’s 135th anniversary.
The event has continued and is now sponsored by the Northshore Fire Protection District, the Upper Lake Community Council and the Northshore Business Association.
