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Video: Furry graduates - assistance dogs welcomed at Burnaby ceremony

The tail wagging didn't stop.
rainbow
This is Rainbow. She is still in training to become an assistance dog.

Her name is Rainbow and she came to Burnaby to watch her brother Lennon graduate.

Rainbow is called Rainbow because she was born with the rest of the “hippie litter” – another dog in this group is named Patchouli - and Lennon is called Lennon because he’s part of the “Beatles litter” - although Ringo was nowhere to be found.

At 10 months old, Rainbow is still in training with Sandra Koziol, so seeing Lennon graduate the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society program is inspiring because that’s where she hopes to be one day.

PADS, which has a newly renovated campus in Burnaby thanks to Telus, held the graduation ceremony Sunday at the Michael J. Fox theatre and the place was filled with dogs, some still training, some graduating, and others who graduated years ago.

PADS breeds, raises and trains assistance dogs, providing “life-changing independence to those with physical disabilities other than blindness,” according to the society’s marketing and communications manager, Tara Doherty. “Our accredited facility dogs work with community professionals, such as teachers, RCMP and psychologists to help support healthy communities. Our newest program matches highly trained PTSD dogs with veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder.”

In the graduation guide handed out at the event, it included the story of Marnie and Cambria. Marnie is a victims’ services worker with the Surrey RCMP and uses Cambria to provide a calming and supportive presence to victims of crime and tragic events. Cambria, one day, might also be allowed into courtrooms to provide support to anxious witnesses.

It’s important work, but to get to this point takes a lot of training.

Koziol spends 24 hours a day with Rainbow and takes her everywhere. That’s not always such an easy thing to do because PADS dogs are adorable and people want to get up close and person.

“It’s difficult to even just go to the grocery story because people all want to pet Rainbow,” Koziol told the NOW.

But, as Koziol says, if you see a distinctive PADS cape draped on a dog, don’t just assume you can pet it.

“Always ask first,” she says.

The process isn’t cheap. Each PADS dog can cost up to $35,000 to breed, raise, train, place and support throughout their working life. PADS is 100-per-cent funded by charitable donations, Doherty said, and provides its dogs to recipients at no cost. 

For more information on the society, visit pads.ca.