Spring Creek’s Service Dogs & Therapy Dogs
WE DO NOT TRAIN THERAPY OR SERVICE DOGS. WE ASSESS & IDENTIFY AUSTRALIAN LABRADOODLE PUPPIES WITH SUITABLE TEMPERAMENTS AND POTENTIAL ABILITIES FOR SPECIFIC THERAPY and SERVICE DOG JOBS.
This page is dedicated to showcasing a few of the Spring Creek labradoodles that are working guide or therapy dogs, or are currently in training to become guide or therapy dogs. These are just a very small sampling of our dogs through the years, so you can see what kinds of work a wonderful Labradoodle is capable of performing. Our goal as an Australian Labradoodle breeder is to produce puppies with suitable intelligence and temperament and heart for a variety of service dog situations. When we identify a puppy with outstanding qualities and abilities, that puppy is not placed in a pet home only, but is donated to Guide Dogs of America to be trained as a working guide dog for the blind, or placed with a family that will pursue therapy dog training of a specific kind.
SERVICE DOG – “ATLAS”
Abused Children Therapy Dog
Serving in Sweden
Atlas is making us so proud! He lives in Sweden and works with a police officer who interviews abused children. It can be an extremely stressful and disturbing time in a child’s life when they have dealt with abuse and are needing to provide information to the authorities. Atlas has an exceptional temperament and is used with the children to provide them comfort and a reassuring presence while they are being interviewed and during court situations. We are grateful for Ingeborg Hook of Hooks Labradoodles who has an amazing program dedicated to training therapy dogs and who saw Atlas’ potential and helped him develop into the therapy dog he is today!
SERVICE DOG – “OTHELLO”
Guide Dogs of America
Fully Certified Working Guide Dog
Othello was the eyes for a woman names Judy from April 2006 until July ’07. Judy developed some health issues, and Othello was reassigned to a woman in Maine who is heavily involved in blind advocacy work. We donated Othello to Guide Dogs of America in May, 2004. Othello was an outstanding labradoodle puppy with an amazing combination of qualities. It was very obvious from a young age that he had a mission. Othello was raised in Vancouver,WA, by a wonderful women who has been a puppy raiser for Guide Dogs of America for many years. She and Othello had a very strong bond, and we are so thankful to her for all the training and love she provided him. Thank you, Othello, for becoming everything we knew you could and for making lives better and richer because of the work you do.
SILVIO
Guide Dogs of America
Fully Certified Working Guide Dog
Silvio was donated to Guide Dogs of America in September, 2005. After being raised by a puppy raising family in Vancouver, WA, Silvio headed off to his official training at the California headquarters on February 17, 2007. Silvio is a 1/2 brother to both Othello and Ozzie who are featured on this service dog page. They share the same mother, our wonderful Jilin, who has given us many guide and therapy dog potential puppies. As of October, 2007, Silvio has officially completed his training and it has been announced that he will graduate in November 07 or January 08 and begin his job working alongside a special partner. Congratulations Silvio! We are so proud of you!
OZZIE
Ozzie is a Delta Society trained labradoodle, and has his CGC title (Canine Good Citizen). He is a full brother to Othello above. Ozzie went to live with a wonderful woman in California who is a retired medical scientist with an interest in pet assisted therapy. It has been a great pleasure for us to follow Ozzie’s training, and to hear how wonderful he has done. Ozzie has definitely been a loving pet and devoted companion. He and his owner have enjoyed agility training, and are currently involved in Rally-O as well. Ozzie is a working therapy dog.
PEARL
K9-911 Training, Medical Alert & Response Training
Blood Sugar Alert dog
This sweet, little girl showed great promise right from the beginning for the training her family had planned for her. She was clicker trained and breezed through an 18 month program to receive certification as a Medical Alert and Medical Response dog with Paws To Freedom www.pawstofreedom.com . At 14 weeks of age, Pearl was already having alerts to her owner’s blood sugar level changes, before formal training even began. It’s incredible! She learned to open doors, pick up items, and was trained to use a K9-911 phone. We are so appreciative of her owner for sharing Pearl’s stories with us. It is a true blessing to us to hear how these dogs can serve others and touch their lives.
FRIDA
Wheelchair assisted therapy dog
Frida is a lovely F1B goldendoodle training to be a service dog for one of her family members. She has currently passed stage one, two and three of the service dog training and is doing this with flying colors! She now works for her owner by retrieving objects that are dropped, etc. Frida is out of our Whimsy and Trusty. Trusty has been an amazing producer of many guide/therapy dogs. Thank you to Frida’s family for keeping us up to date on how she is doing.
KOKO
“Love on a Leash” therapy dog
KoKo has completed Therapy Dog Level III training and is working on an Advanced Therapy Dog Degree “ThD (c:ed) which is a focus on children with emotional disabilities. KoKo has a wonderful temperament and a unique ability to create a very special bond with children. She loves them, and they love her immediately as well. At this point in her life, she is focusing on her breeding career, but once she takes a sabbatical from that she will launch her career with Love On A Leash “Foundation For Pet Provided Therapy” We are very proud of KoKo and the sweet nature she has towards children and the work she can do to better their lives. Her wonderful family has invested much time and effort into helping KoKo realize her potential. Thank you to Barksdale Labradoodles for giving KoKo such a wonderful home, and for keeping us informed about her training and goals.
ROUX
“Love on a Leash” therapy dog
Roux is CGC certified and working toward a Certified Pet Therapy “ThD” with Love on A Leash “Foundation For Pet Provided Therapy”. Roux has completed level I and II of her training. Her daily mission is to help, befriend and interact with those struggling to put their lives back together on the Gulf Coast. Roux is the 1/2 sister to both Othello and Ozzie above. This line has been one of our best for producing wonderful working guide and therapy dogs. Our wonderful Jilin was the start of this line, and we are so grateful for the offspring she has that are contributing in big ways to people’s lives. Thank you to Barksdale Labradoodles for all the time and love you give to Roux, and for sharing her with the people in your community. We are grateful for you continuing the legacy of this line.
Loverboy
Blood Sugar Alert training
This is one amazing boy out of our wonderful Agape and James Brown. His nose is always working and he follows a scent until he discovers it’s source. His interest in scent, his intelligence, and his overall temperament make him perfectly suited to be trained as a blood sugar alert dog for a child. This little guy has begun his training to alert to glucose level changes and once he has completed his training will be partnered with a child with Type 1 juvenile diabetes. Thanks to Tammy for her heart and compassion for families with diabetic children. We are excited to follow this little guys progress and hope the future holds many more dogs who can serve in this capacity.
HANK
This little man is out of our retired Aleshia. He had a special personality from the very beginning. We knew right away he needed a special job as well. The family he joined to begin therapy dog training with for their daughter with special needs had this to say about him only two days after having him in their home “Oh my goodness! Our puppy is absolutely magnificent. I have never seen a dog with this temperament. He follows the girls around, goes to them when they cry…. . My daughter was eating breakfast this morning. She has trouble swallowing and gagged on some food. He heard the noise and ran to her and licked her face. Later, she was crying because she bumped her arm…. I kissed her arm. I told him that Maya was for kissing when she gets hurt. I put him down and he walked to her and licked her in the arm, right where I kissed her…. I know that dogs do not understand that type of direction, but that was so odd. He is very aware. He watches our eyes and reacts to our expressions. I am amazed. Thank you for doing such incredible work. We will keep you posted and let you know how the training goes.”
GLORY
Glory has the most amazing temperament and easy going personality. She very quickly and easily passed her AKC Canine Good Citizen therapy dog test and her therapy dog test with the Delta Society. She is now part of a therapy organization called “Angels In Whiskers”. Her wonderful nature and sensitivity to people make her an exceptional girl. Everyone who meets Glory, falls in love. We are very proud of her, and of her line. She is out of our Noble Phoenix, who is the grandson to the first labradoodle that began our guide dog and therapy dog lines