Doggy Do Over

Canine Bridge Do OVER

The Academy recognizes that all students are not a clean slate, which is where ideally we start in our studies. There are many dogs whose lives are derailed by prejudice against breed or the outright ignorance of humans. The McKinleyville shelter currently houses half a dozen dogs that have been there for more than a year. Some of these dogs have as many as three years in the kennels where they wait and wait to be adopted.

Competition is stiff in that context, and it’s to their great credit that the shelter has kept these dogs alive and become their advocates. We know about the dogs’ plight because of the public outreach they’ve tirelessly facilitated. We feel for these dogs and want to save each of them, as do the folks who presently care for them in their cages. You can tell by the way they discuss each dog, who they’ve come to love but simply cannot find proper homes for.

The Do Over Auxiliary will foster one or two dogs for six weeks , the first two will be spent on remediation so they can live among people again and we can gauge their aptitude and skill set to better match them up with proper homes. The second two weeks will be devoted to outreach as we join the world as we know it to acclimate our dogs to activities, social situations and the general business of living and working as a dog with certain duties to his human.
We may or may not understand that dogs are working animals, but whatever your opinions may be, it is undeniable that dogs desire a purpose and without that, he or she can become neurotic. Even when they are humanless, dogs will aggressively seek out social structure and do whatever his or her pack requires to serve their common interests.
We often find that dogs moving through the world adapt and flourish swiftly, making their stories and viability public in a small way, which ironically is usually what makes a difference.

Finding a home for a Do Over dog isn’t going to work unless the dog takes his plight to people and we are people who will let him or her of the leash ( but only in the designated areas and during rest and recreation times at the Academy) so that dog can shine.

During the lessons we will begin to advertise adoption on line and in the proper avenues while bringing the Do Over student along for events, errands, outings and other activities where people and the student interact. Our mission is inherently tied into the service and companion or comfort animal imperative, which we are developing as we move ahead with traditional studies and the future “fix a feral cat traps”and other projects that serve the animals and humans in all of Humboldt County and beyond.

The aspect of this program that is innovative is our program for the people who want to adopt our dogs. To take an ex convict candidate, one must spend time at the Academy learning how to walk, discipline and care for their dog. He or she or they must be committed to consistency above all else. In this goal we ourselves will be consistent in our belief that some people don’t understand their responsibilities much less a dog’s needs and rights. The Academy will require some money to begin our library, which will be available for clients and summer camp participants next year as well as the general public when we are fully functional and have a collection which we assume will grow by way of donations and other funding.

We will also require training tools, leashes, graduate collars, high quality dishes and food storage, as well as other incidental items related to the individual dog ( some may become rescue dogs who save seals with volunteers and others may need some training equipment for serving a disabled person. )The funding for this project as it grows will come through grants, donations and foundations, so we need office supplies, social media and nominal wages for our interns who are wards of the court and live in a home group overseen by Youth Services in Eureka. Our interns are dog lovers who are interested in careers as veterinarian and other animal related work.

Every facet of CanineAcademy is devoted to those who need support. By supporting us now, you are supporting the greater good, which serves all of us. And we are, after all, so much less without each other.

While we are at a time crunch for the first accredited class in our academy who will be born in a couple weeks, we consider this program urgent and plan to get started with McKinleyville candidate by late September, if not sooner. Those who donate will meet him or her when we’ve made the selection and they can receive regular updates if they provide an email address or join us on Snapchat and Facebook when we’ve erected those subsidiary social networks early next month. We also have a CanineBridge Academy Blog

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Our goals for this project are to facilitate the remediation and development of a long term shelter dog’s unique talents then find the right match to each dog’s needs with a person or family’s so that a stable and happy life is available for the dog after his long undeserved incarceration.

We need $5000 to purchase the dog from the shelter, who cannot afford to lose any revenue given their heroic efforts to do what they can for animals in our community. Our vet will give the dog a check and we will do as she advises to ensure his or her diet and exercise are healthy.

The dogs in Do Over, will need to be kenneled occasionally to assure safety and peaceful progress are afforded to the litter on site as they grow. We will need money for the materials and installation of this as well as the food, medical and other needs the dog will have. As the NPO develops we plan to have these things donate or financed by grants or foundations, but we have to start somewhere and need your help doing so.

Nothing we do at CanineBridge means more to us than the Do Over program, where the reigning princess of Do Over dog Sammy Jo Crane will preside as mentor and friend to these students because she is indeed a Do Over dog of the highest rank, proving that a good dog isn’t hard to find, but good humans have to be cultivated and that takes a little patience.

We believe we could re home at least ten incarcerated dogs a year while spreading the word about them in our community and beyond.

These photos are recent . They show the dean of students and doggie do over mentor Sammy Jo Crane interacting with impressionable young recruits who are presently living in precarious circumstances. She’s the noble brindle adult with the puppy.