Facility trains dogs to assist people with disabilities

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Mickey is a smart, enthusiastic student, always ready to learn and eager to please.

In a recent class, teacher Michelle Woerner asks him to remove a blue pack from inside a red clothes dryer. The dryer opens in the front.

Mickey cocks his head and follows her instructions without question, confusion or delay. He gives her the pack in seconds.

“Good job, Mickey!” she says, offering him a much-anticipated and welcomed treat.

Also in class, Mickey removes Woerner’s jacket and retrieves a smartphone from a window sill, things he likely will do in his future job.

Mickey is no typical student.

The 16-month-old black Labrador retriever with soft brown eyes is learning to help people with disabilities. He trains with K9s 4 Mobility to become an assistance dog.

The nonprofit in Cheyenne trains, places and supports assistance dogs with their human partners.

Woerner trains dogs to perform jobs that their partners with disabilities can’t do.

Mickey can retrieve things and pick up items like pencils and paper from the floor without damage.

The dog is named for the late Mick McMurry, a Casper man who provided land for the program and sponsored the canine.

Some dogs used for training are raised as puppies for the work; others come from the Black Dog Animal Rescue and the Cheyenne Animal Shelter.

Bob and Jill Jensen of Cheyenne; Callie Yeater of Kansas City, Kansas; Jill Sifers of Granby, Colorado; and Woerner founded the organization three years ago.

Jill Jensen has multiple sclerosis and has an assistance dog.

Woerner and her family moved to Cheyenne to start the group.

The program recently opened a new training center east of Cheyenne that will let Woerner train dogs in a home-like setting. The interior looks like a house.

There is some furniture, a desk, bookcase and hutch. A couch, a kitchen with cupboards and a refrigerator will be added later.

The group has trained and certified 10 dogs.

Woerner trains according to Assistance Dogs International rules. The affiliation means the dogs are trained a certain way with higher standards. She trains dogs for different jobs.

Mickey, for example, is learning about balance so he can partner with an older woman who has those problems.

Another dog, McCoy, is expected to go to a 10-year-old boy who has muscular dystrophy and is in a wheelchair.

When kids at school see the dog with the young boy, they will look past the wheelchair, Woerner says.

Training is a long process and involves work in Cheyenne with the dog and its human partner as well as a trip to the person’s home.

Woerner trains dogs at people’s homes to help the animals adjust to new settings. The dogs do make a difference in the lives of the disabled.

Cheryl Crawford of Cheyenne recently was paired with Tucker through the program.

Crawford is blind, and she took Tucker home March 11 after a month’s training.

“He’s wonderful,” she says.

Tucker helps her avoid obstructions. He stops at curbs and heeds traffic.

Crawford is a service claim specialist at Allstate Insurance in Cheyenne. The dog helps her get to the lunch room and other parts of her workplace.

“He’s more than a friend,” she says. “He’s an extension of you. He becomes a part of you.”

Callie Yeater, 33, of Kansas City, Kansas, has cerebral palsy. Her partner is Elf, a yellow lab.

Woerner trained the dog when she worked with another company before starting the Wyoming program.

Yeater says the dog stands still and braces for her to help when she moves out of her wheelchair. Elf also helps with retrieving and picking up items, like quarters.

Yeater is in a wheelchair, but she also can walk some with braces.

“He’s my best friend,” Yeater says.

Woerner says she has the best job in the world.

“Everyone thinks this business is about dogs but it’s really about people,” she adds. “Training the dogs is the easy part. Matching them up with the right person and making sure they fit into every aspect of that person’s life is what’s hard and takes a lot of time and experience.

“It’s about people. You have to love people to do this job. Every person where I’ve placed a dog becomes my friend and my family.”

___

Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, https://www.wyomingnews.com