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It's time to build Austin Dog Alliance's Forever Home! 

Debi & therapy dog LeviDear Friends, Family, Supporters and Dog Lovers, 

 

Last night at Travassa Spa and Resort, Austin Dog Alliance announced it's plans to build a forever home on 7.1 wooded acres at 1321 West New Hope Drive in Cedar Park.  About half of the project's $1.3 million budget has been secured and we are looking to the community to pitch in and help fund raise the rest.  Ground breaking is scheduled for September 2012 and grand opening is planned for early Spring 2013.  

Property with swingset
1321 West New Hope Drive

 

This announcement is the culmination of 20 years of life events that have driven me to believe in this project with my heart and soul.  Destiny, karma, God's will... I don't know what to call it, but the journey to build a permanent home for Austin Dog Alliance is very personal.......

 

It all started with the adoption of my Golden Retriever named Riley.  Riley is an extremely affection and perceptive dog that became my saving grace when my children were young.  My two older boys were what people politely called "challenging". I remember a day picking up my son from preschool and hearing AGAIN how he had hit a child during free play time.  If that wasn't difficult enough to hear, the teacher said I must be hitting him at home; otherwise he wouldn't be doing that.  If you have spent any time with me, you would know that I would never physically or verbally hurt someone.  Never.   As a parent, hearing that comment was mortifying and it influences how I work with parents today. 

 

As my children grew, we learned that my very physical child is bi-polar.  When my older child was 13, we finally figured out that he had Asperger's and thus did not understand social cues.  We had a diagnosis, life finally made sense.  Unfortunately, at the time, social skill classes for 13 year old boys simply did not exist.  So, I read every book ever written about both bi-polar disorder and autism/asperger's. And through those painful years of parenting, I really depended on Riley for comfort. She just knew when I needed a friend, someone to touch without being judged or second-guessed.

 

In 2003 my family moved to Austin and I discovered the joys of fostering dogs. But fostering wasn't enough.  Every day I witnessed how much positive reinforcement Riley and my foster puppies provided to my own children and the children in my neighborhood.  I started to realize I could use dogs to make a difference in the community. 

 

In 2006, Joyce Martin, Megan Kazda and I formed the Austin Dog Alliance, to combine adoption, training and community programs. Working out of our homes, we began to find our way into schools with the Bow Wow Reading Dog program and we began to offer after-school enrichment programs called K9 Kids Club. 

 

Once we opened our first official facility in 2009, volunteers came forward by the dozens. We began to train more dog handlers and offer more school programs, library programs, summer camps and visits to nursing homes and hospitals.

girl with Riley
During the summer camps, we began to notice that shy and socially awkward children seemed to benefit most from interacting with the dogs. They came out of their shells, and many times parents told us that it was the first camp their child actually looked forward to.   About the same time, the teacher of a self-contained class for children with autism told me she saved her more difficult lessons for the "dog days," because it helped the children stay calm and attentive.

 

A light bulb went off.  What if we offered social skill classes for kids with autism and Asperger's?  Working with Carolyn Honish, an amazing special education teacher and two professors from the Autism Project at UT, we began to put together small social skill classes using Riley and other dogs - and something wonderful happened. Parents told us that their children, who were usually uncomfortable in public, were excited about coming to class, that they were learning and practicing what they learned at home. And I knew we'd found a way to help kids struggling to fit in - and their parents, who were coping with the stress of raising special-needs children.

 

Today, Austin Dog Alliance reflects the passion, talent and energy of 427 volunteers. We are an organization that accepts everyone, all abilities and unique characteristics. We strive to be as nonjudgmental as our canine role models.

 

Life is funny sometimes. I certainly didn't see this as my future when I studied to become an accountant. However, I feel this is my destiny - and I feel so very, very blessed that hundreds of volunteers join me on a daily basis to make a difference in lives of others through the powerful connection we have with dogs.

 

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Please contribute to our capital campaign. If you have ever had the honor of owning a dog, you understand. If you've never owned a dog, it's time you talk to our adoption manager, Judy.

 

What is your personal connection with Austin Dog Alliance? We would like to share your stories in our upcoming newsletters. And please share your story on your personal fundraising page, so that your friends and colleagues can better understand why you believe this is an organization worthy of their support.

 

To learn more about the project site plans, fundraising events, sponsorship levels, current sponsors, in-kind items needed and our expanded programming plans, please visit our Capital Campaign web page.  

 

Thank you for joining me, the board of directors and all our volunteers in this journey to build a community resource that will benefit generations of dog lovers.  Please donate today and join me in building something that all of us are proud of.  

 

Sincerely,

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Debi Krakar

Founder and Executive Director

Austin Dog Alliance

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