Kaleb Van Adelrik:
Certified Assistance Dog

Johnathan en Kaleb: Partners for life.

In the picture on the left you see Kaleb with a pulling harness. He has got 2, one for when he pulls me in the wheelchair and one for when I walk. I think Kaleb is the coolest dog their is. We started to do some basic trial training of him pulling the wheelchair. The actual work part is not hard for him, he thinks it is fun and we can really move when we get going. He learned to pull me in the wheelchair. I accidentaly ran over his paw 2 times, he didn't yelp, snap at me, or seem upset. He just let it slide by. I think that is a great testimony about his temperment. That is huge to me since I am a big guy. I weigh 225 pounds. Our sizes match up well and he is not too big for me to handle. I love his size and I think he is an awesome dog. I am really honored to have a dog you bred and he has such a noble purpose in life.
He is a very happy dog and has quite a sense of humor. His "fun" is continually waking me from my nap. He does this by bumping his nose into the back of my head until I wake up. I of course could not be mad and just laughed at his antics. Kaleb is a dog who is not only going into assistance work, he is also a model.

I made friends with a woman named Kathy Moacanin, she owns Top Dog Designs, a German Shepherd Dog apparel company. She is going to make a t-shirt depicting an assistance dog and the disabled partner. This is all a result of me telling her about Kaleb and I. Well Kaleb and I got enlisted to be her models, I just sent a bunch of photos. Her artist is going to use us for his sketch and this may take some time.

Assistance dogs are hearing, service, or guide. The average wait for one of these dogs is 2-5 years. Training is estimated to cost $15-25,000 per dog. There are over 50 million disabled people in the US and only 15-20,000 assistance dogs! Under the ADA , or A merican's With D isabilities A ct these dogs can accompany their partner anywhere.
Kaleb is learning extensive basic obedience, he will be house broken and well socialized. Kaleb has a great attitude, nothing much phases him and he just kind of goes through the world making friends. He has learned to back under tables and do a down stay. He has also learned to open and close cabinets. And pulling me in the wheelchair is getting better. We both had to learn a good pace and we found when his front paws are even with my feet works best. I have my arm extended holding on to a harness attachment so when he drifts too close to the chair I can just tighten my arm and gently push him away. I am not too sure on the details, but it seems Judi is a miracle worker. We live on the coast of NC, so to go see him is a 5 hour trip. I can go visit him during training whenever I like. For the last month of training we will work together as a team , 2 weeks where he is training and 2 weeks here. , I am not his master or his ruler, he will make my life easier and in turn I will take care of him and give him affection. I also used the word team, there is no "I" in team, we will work together to get through daily task.

TO SERVICEDOG 3