Paws With A Cause connects pups with people

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

The plump yellow puppies run, roll and romp--just what one would expect of 8-week-old Labradors.

Most of these pups will have pretty normal lives as family companions in the Fort Collins area. However, friendly little Drake is destined for a more important role, as a service dog for Paws With A Cause.

The organization, while based in Michigan, has strong ties to Fort Collins through Glenda Jackson and Bob Newsham. The couple, die-hard dog lovers, also love Paws With A Cause, and Drake is their third donation to the program.

Paws With A Cause is a nonprofit organization that trains service dogs for people with disabilities, including wheelchair clients, the hearing impaired and seizure patients. Seizure response dogs can be trained to sense when a patient is about to have a seizure and help them get to a safe place.

Jackson and Newsham's first donated pup was Lloyd, who eventually was paired with a paraplegic named Lucas. Lucas, in his early 20s, can now live independently thanks in part to his canine companion. Lloyd picks things up from the floor, helps to open doors, helps Lucas in and out of bed and can even pick up the phone when it rings. "It's amazing what they can train those dogs to do," said Karl Behnke, who with his wife, Joan, raised Lloyd for the Paws program.

The Behnkes, who live in Galesburg, Mich., became acquainted with Jackson and Newsham in 2001 when they received Lloyd. It was their job to provide basic obedience training for the pup, to socialize him and get him used to many different situations. They then turned Lloyd over to the Paws folks, who evaluated him further and matched him with his client, Lucas. After making the match, Paws With A Cause trained Lloyd to meet Lucas's specific needs.

A month ago, the Behnkes were back in Fort Collins, this time to retrieve two pups from Jackson and Newsham. They will keep one, Brady, as their family pet and deposit Drake with another Michigan family who will raise him for the Paws program. "Lloyd was exceptionally smart," said Karl Behnke, but he predicts that Drake will be just as easy to train.

The Behnkes, loyal University of Michigan fans, like to name their dogs after people associated with U of M athletics. Lloyd was named for Lloyd Carr, the football coach there, while Brady is the namesake of Tom Brady, a U of M quarterback who now plays for the New England Patriots. The couple also have an older golden retriever named Webber, after star basketball player Chris Webber.

Both Behnkes are now retired, but while they were raising Lloyd, Joan Behnke taught in an elementary school. As part of Lloyd's socialization training, the pup went to school with Behnke every day. "It's hard to know who benefited more, the dog or the kids," she said, noting that children, especially those considered at-risk, gain a lot from an animal's unconditional love.

"The school experience was terrific," said Joan Behnke. The couple also took Lloyd to football games, parades and the supermarket in an effort to expose him to as many different settings as possible.

Dogs aren't chosen randomly for the Paws program. When Jackson and Newsham decided to donate another puppy, they had all the pups in the litter "temperament tested." Drake got the nod for the important Paws job.

To qualify, a pup must show a good connection with people, have a calm disposition, be alert and intelligent. It's not surprising that Drake shows all those qualities, because he comes from a good line of service dogs. His mother, Gabby, and grandfather, Breaker, are both registered therapy dogs. Breaker has sired two Paws dogs, including Lloyd, and Breaker's father sired more than 300 guide dogs.

Since Paws is a very demanding program, some dogs don't make it through the training. Canines that don't qualify for Paws may become drug-sniffing dogs or go to another organization that trains service dogs.

The Paws program produces not only great dogs but great friendships as well. "There's a special bond among us," said Karl Behnke, noting that Jackson and Newsham came to Michigan to visit while the Behnkes were raising Lloyd. Paws families are always ready to share ideas, and first-time raisers are given a mentor to help them through the process.

After raisers care for a Paws pup for an entire year, it can be difficult to give up the dog. "There are lots of tears on that day," said Joan Behnke, but she and her husband also felt good about the important role their pup would play.

Paws always needs more dogs, Joan Behnke noted. People interested in raising dogs for Paws With A Cause may check out the organization's web site, PawsWithACause.org or call 1-800-253-7297.