How could I not love an organization that builds up the self-esteem of my daughter?   Middle school and high school are much meaner places than they were when I attended (especially if you have any kind of disability, or can't handle sports). The Austin Dog Alliance Youth Association grants my sweet girl a place where she can shine. They taught us how to train our dogs, and a well-behaved dog is almost as good as a well-behaved child! 

The training classes alone are better than hours watching situation comedies. (If you haven't been to one, you are missing out on some real fun.) It was through one of the training classes that Debi Krakar identified our knuckle-headed Brittany Spaniel as a good candidate for a therapy dog.   After a few more Alliance training classes, my daughter and my dog qualified as a pet therapy team.  

The work my daughter does going to nursing homes and libraries with our therapy dog redeems many of the hurts she has felt from the world.  Her best friend has now joined the Youth Association, too.    She came to a meeting and heard about how they are serving children with autism.   Her brother has autism, and I think she was amazed to find a place that valued and understood autism so well.

Another thing I notice about Austin Dog Alliance is that it brings together folks of different ages, cultures, and religions.   There's just something magic that happens when people work together with dogs or for the benefit of the people who need them.   I highly recommend it.

And so it was easy to open up my checkbook when I realized that the organization would need funding in order to be able to embrace more folk that want the joy of working with dogs, and help more dogs that need training and homes.   Sometimes you just have to make the world a better place.  

 --Chris Rhoads, supporter, volunteer and proud parent of Lizzie, a Bow Wow Reading Dog Handler and Youth Association Member