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As another busy year quickly winds down, I’d like to take time to stop and THANK all the fantastic people who have made Canine Helpers a success, including:

• Our many VOLUNTEERS who help in all phases of our work, including exercising and grooming dogs, fundraising, collecting tapes and labels, doing yard and office work, as well as helping to spread the word about our program.

• Our growing list of MEMBERS and CONTRIBUTORS whose generosity helps keep us going.

• The STAFF who tries their best to give the dogs and clients everything they need (and keep the boss happy and sane!)

• My FAMILY who stands behind Canine Helpers and me all the time.

• The BOARD of DIRECTORS who are always searching for ways to increase our income to allow for growth and improvement.

• THOSE WHO DONATE so many things including dogs, supplies, money, crafts and bake goods, raffle items, tapes, time and talent.

• The DOGS who give their love, devotion and help to all those deserving people who need them so much.

A special thanks to Deena Croston for saving the day more times than I can count! Because of her devotion and determination, Deena has become a "Trainer Plus" in an amazingly short time.

Hello! My name is Victoria. I was born the middle child of four and a twin. As an infant, my mom noticed that I was not responding to sounds like my twin. Eventually, she discovered that I was born deaf. This, however, did not stop me from being a mainstream student during my school-age years. Because of years of speech therapy, I fool many people. They don’t believe that I am deaf until they either call my name when I am not looking or ring my doorbell until my kids come running telling me, "Mommy, someone at the door wants you."

A few years back when my twins were about on year old, there was a major fire in my apartment complex. I became nervous. What if the fire was in my apartment? I would not have heard the fire alarm in time to save children. I have asked the complex to provide fire alarm strobes, but they have refused. I became more nervous as time went by and started searching for help. Then I came across the concept of a hearing dog. Who had ever heard of a hearing dog? I have heard of seeing eye dogs, but never a hearing dog. Someone told me that a Monroe Community College offered a program in training for hearing dogs, but you had to have a dog first. So we went out and got a puppy thinking this was the right way to start – wrong! The program closed down and I was stuck with this beautiful dog "Sheba" and a landlord telling me I had to get rid of her. I most definitely did not want to get rid of her, and I really did want her to be my hearing dog.

I contacted the county hall and they referred me to Canine Helpers for the Handicapped, Inc. Finally I was getting somewhere. I called Bev Underwood and we talked about training "Sheba" to be a hearing dog. Now I am happy. After "Sheba" completed obedience training, Bev took her to Canine Helpers for a few months where she was trained to be a certified hearing dog. "Sheba" has only been home since August and is doing a great job. She is not just an ordinary pet, but also a great helper to me. I am less concerned about missing phone calls, someone at the door, someone calling my name, and especially the fire alarm. I thank Canine Helpers for the wonderful work they have done and for helping me whenever I have a question. I would especially like to thank Deena Croston and Jeff Butterman for working and training "Sheba" and me. We are both doing great and "Sheba" is still the wonderful playful dog that she has always been.

Donated by the Hansens and Fostered by the Kimble Family

I would like to thank Canine Helpers for matching me with my Multi-Service Dog, "Indy". "Indy", short for Independence, is a Smooth Coated Collie donated by the Hansens and fostered by Holly Kimble and her family in Rochester. I enjoyed the time I spent at Canine Helpers, getting to know "Indy" and training with the staff.

"Indy" and I have become wonderful friends. He lets me know when there is a sound by placing his paw on my leg and then leading me to the sound, whether it’s a doorbell, the alarm clock, the telephone, or someone calling my name in a store. As a multi-service dog, "Indy" also picks up items that I drop, as I am legally blind as well as hearing impaired. I no longer have to worry about missing a call or oversleeping – I can take my hearing aid off at night.

Canine Helpers for the Handicapped and "Indy" have brought a new sense of "Independence" and confidence into my life. THANK YOU CHH !

Tom Smolinski & "CJ", Service Dog – Labrador Retriever, Hamburg, NY

Donated by the Peytons and Fostered by Bev Underwood

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THANKS to ALL of YOU for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend our Summer Open House in June. We hope you found it to be time well spent, and we greatly appreciate your support! Hope we see you again on December 2^nd!

~ And, special thanks to the sponsors of our Chinese Raffle including ~

Adelphia

Body Sense

Clement Theater Company

Finnigan Restaurant

Kathy Gibson

Montana Mills Bread

Orazio’s

The Schmidts

Sears Portrait Studio

Apple Granny’s Restaurant

Bucolo’s Greenhouse & Farms

Damon’s – Buffalo

Firth Jewelers

Florence Greene

Murphy Orchards

Austin Park

The Store Front

Steve’s Wonderful World of Pets

Upper Mountain Fire Hall

Beutel Greenhouses

Buffalo Blizzards

Delta Sonic

Garfields Restaurant

Lufts Greenhouses

Niagara Labmaster, Inc.

Ridge Road Produce

Shataf Kennels

Special Friends

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Winter Reminder! Beware of car antifreeze! It tastes sweet and even small amounts can be deadly to your pets. All kinds of chemicals and compounds are used to melt ice in the winter. Make sure to wipe you pet’s feet and any other part of them that may have come in contact with it.

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With help from our many caring friends, Canine Helpers is able to take advantage of the fundraising opportunities these companies offer. We have tape and label savers in many communities. New names are added to our list each month. Many people have been sending their collection of tapes and labels to us for several years. THANK YOU to each and every one of you! As you may know, we receive:

Tops - $1.00 for each $600. in tapes; Quality - $1.00 for each $400.

Campbell’s labels – a wide variety of products including office supplies

A couple newsletters ago I said I would let you know when we were able to turn in $500 worth of tapes in one month. Well, in July we turned in enough tapes ($600,000 worth) to receive almost $1000 ! Now THAT’s a lot of cutting, adding and bundling!

Thanks to all who are mailing their tapes to Canine Helpers Training Center in Lockport, or to Hilde Henricks in Niagara Falls. We couldn’t do this fundraiser without your help. We always have a collection container in front of the Center just in case you’re out for a drive and wish to drop them off. Or you can bring them to our December 2^nd open house.

END