 Friends and Supporters:
Well, we have been at our new location for about a month now. It feels like home, like we have always been there. I encourage everyone to stop by and check it out. We now have regular office hours (11 - 6 Monday thru Thursday, 11 - 5 Friday and 9 - 1 on Saturday), so we are easy to visit. For all of you that think Cedar Park is far, I encourage you to try 183 A, exit New Hope Drive, go West. Many of our students are arriving a half hour early, which leads us to conclude that the drive is a lot quicker than folks realize. Besides, once you get here, it's beautiful. Our volunteers have planted flowers all around the buildings and mother nature has provided us with a beautiful natural landscape for the remaining 6 acres.
While you are visiting, check out our list of summer camps and dog training classes. We are now offering agility and Nosework in addition to our puppy socialization, dog manners and pet therapy classes. All of our trainers are Certified Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT) or are apprenticing to take their exam. All training is positive - for humans and for dogs. Families are welcome to attend and if you want to drop off a child in class, you are more than welcome to hang out in our Welcome Center and enjoy free coffee, water and wi-fi. The Welcome Center also has toys for young ones and dog magazines to read! Come make yourself comfortable on the big leather couch or at the kitchen table.
In honor of National Autism Awareness Month, I'm delighted to announce our formal partnership with ABA Today. ABA Today will provide Board Certified Behavior Analysts for all our therapeutic autism intervention programs. We are busy working out the days and times for our Fall schedule. New to our line up will be the K9 Tot program for ages 3 - 5 and our K9 Club for ages 6 - 8. We are quite excited that our new home can physically handle the demands of working with younger children. Please contact us for an application. Lastly, our new home has provided us with the opportunity to develop and grow a wider variety of programs that harness the powerful connection between humans and dogs. We are looking for a few more board members that can help lead us through the next leg of our journey in providing programs for our community. If you are interested in learning more about joining our board, please contact me. Sincerely, Debi Krakar, CPDT Executive Director and Founder Austin Dog Alliance |
|
Why I Volunteer
By Laura P. Wright
|
 | |
Therapy dog Riley at K9 Club - Autism
|
Just in time for Autism Awareness Month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimates 1 in 50 U.S. school children have some form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).* That would mean at least one million children with ASDs across the county and in many of our own homes. While there is some controversy over the study's findings (the previous estimate was 1 in 88), the point is clear: we desperately need new resources to assist these - our - children as they navigate the social, educational and working world.
This is why I value the Austin Dog Alliance's work so highly. I have an adult child with Asperger's, and while we are lucky that she is very high-functioning and is now successfully navigating college, how I wish the Alliance had been around to help me in the early years.
A child living in her own little world, my daughter's weak social skills meant trouble getting and keeping the friends she needed so badly, ultimately making Girl Scouts a disaster for us both. She also had trouble concentrating on her school lessons and even staying in the classroom. I remember my little Aspie's first grade teacher calling me to say she'd left the classroom and was found exploring the other side of the school.
 | |
Therapy dog Levi helping kids learn social skills
|
The Alliance's K9 Kids - Autism/Asperger's program successfully teaches social skills to kids with ASDs using very powerful tools: mellow, affectionate therapy dogs. Dogs keep the kids' attention, help them relax, give them something to talk about and provide a visual learning environment that makes it possible for them to better remember and practice what they learn.
Perhaps if we had been able to send our daughter to K9 Kids - Autism/Asperger's as a child or youth, she would have had more experience with her peers and had a happier childhood. It would also have been nice to know that she was with adults who understood and appreciated her different way of seeing the world.
 | |
Buzz interacts with kids at K9 Club - Autism
|
Watching the Alliance bound forward into its amazing new space has been wonderful. Knowing they are now able to expand their programs, including a new K9 Tots program for preschoolers with ASDs and a new program for 15-19 year-olds with ASDs focusing on career options, is thrilling.
Some of our smartest and dearest heroes are believed to have or to have had some form of autism: Albert Einstein, Alfred Hitchcock, Bill Gates, Charles Darwin, Thomas Jefferson, Michelangelo, Mozart and more. There is so much potential in our kids with ASDs, and classes like those now being offered through the Alliance can help them bloom. Who knows how our next Thomas Edison or Beethoven may evolve? Maybe sitting in the company of a gentle dog.
Y ou can learn more about Austin Dog Alliance programs for children and young adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder on our Autism page.
|
|
Summer Camps!
Enrollment open now for camps June-August. Space limited!
|
 Bring your dog to camp, or borrow one of our dogs to be your canine companion for the week!
This year we are very excited to hold summer camps on our new 7.1-acre New Hope Ranch. Campers will have fun learning about dogs, training dogs in basic manners, rally, agility and other fun activities, doing crafts, heading out on trail excursions, and more!
We have two types of camps this year:
K9 Kids Camps: Summer camps for typically developing kids. FIVE different kinds of summer camp experiences available beginning in June, for ages 7-16. Get all the details and reserve your spot here.
NEW! K9 Club Autism Summer Camp: All About Dogs - summer camp for children with autism spectrum disorder. Details here.
Class sizes are limited to ensure we have the proper ratio of instructors to campers. Sign up now!
Learn about other classes (Manners, K9 Nose Work, Agility, and more) on our classes page. |
Purchase a Supporter Tile & Honor Your Pet!Supporter Wall Planned for Permanent Display
|
  Here's a way to honor your pet in a permanent way and support our efforts in the community at the same time!
Purchase a fundraising/supporter tile for display at our New Hope Ranch! We plan to have a Supporter Wall prominently displayed on our New Hope Ranch site.
Several sizes of tiles and levels of donation are available. To learn more about this project and honor your pet, a business, or a loved one, please visit our Show Your Support page. Thank you! |
|
Pet Therapy News
|
 | |
Carter
|
 | |
Branigan
|
Congratulations and a big WELCOME to the pet therapy teams that have joined the Alliance this quarter: Jennifer Baade & her dog Branigan, Jen Machajewski & Carter, Micah Prine & Sophie, Cassandra Hollifield & Maggie, Michaele Lindemann & Tanner, and Sarah Deal & Maggie. Think your dog has the right temperament for animal-assisted therapy? You can learn all about pet therapy, our training programs, and sites we visit on our Pet Therapy page.
Your tax-deductible donations help fund Bow Wow Reading Dog outreach programs in schools and libraries, as well as visits to rehabilitation centers, hospitals, nursing homes, crisis centers, and many other sites. Thank you
for your support! You can help us serve more sites currently on our waiting list by donating here.
|
|
Next Volunteer Orientation - April 13
|
 | |
Volunteer Rob Graham in action
|
The first phase of our Austin Dog Alliance New Hope Ranch is complete. We're up and running and we need YOUR help in 2013. Volunteer with us and make a difference in our community! Attend an information session at the Ranch to learn about our programs and find a match for your interests and skills.
Our next volunteer orientation is scheduled for Saturday, April 13 (2:00-3:30pm). Learn more and sign up on our Volunteer page. Let's have fun and work TOGETHER to make a difference in 2013. |
|
Where You Can Find Us in April...
|
 | |
Buddy
|
In addition to our existing community outreach programs, you can find Austin Dog Alliance volunteers and therapy animals at these special events in the greater Austin area in April: |
|
|
|
|
| Mission | |
Austin Dog Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Our mission: To improve the health and well-being of individuals and families through programs incorporating the powerful connection between humans and dogs.
|
| Contact Us | Board of Directors
Board Chair
Secretary, Volunteer Outreach
Pet Therapy, Newsletter, Social Media
Capital Campaign
Fundraising & Events
Founder and
Executive Director
Adoption Program
Office Manager Pet Therapy Director
Training Director
Pet Therapy Volunteer Coordinator
Foster/Adoption, PR
PR, Marketing
Youth Association
|
|
|
