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A Special Gift ā€” Donating a Service Dog to Honor One of our Local Veterans

Recently, we had the honor of donating a service dog to a local veteran through the Okotoks ā€˜Dinner For A Dogā€™ fundraising dinner. Our dedication to producing dogs with exceptional qualities for therapy and service also extends to creating the ultimate family companions.

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A Gift to a Local Veteran

We had the honor of donating one of our specially bred dogs to a local Veteran, Parris Douglas. This gesture is part of our ongoing commitment to giving back to our community and supporting those who have served our country. This Veteran has been working closely with a local service dog trainer, Barb Graham, to coach his new little hero. They’re growing a wonderful, bonded relationship together.Ā 

Big Rock's Royal - Service Dog in Training
PTSD Service Dog in Training, Big Rock Labradoodles’ Royal

This was such a feel good experience for us that we’ve already signed up to donate another service dog at next yearā€™s event.

Words from Parris Douglas

We’re thrilled to share a heartfelt message from our Veteran recipient about his experience thus far with his new companion, Royal.

ā€œRoyal is now 18wks old & has reached 39.2lbs. He is an amazing boy and is doing very well at being my shadow. I often canā€™t move from one room to the other without having my buddy right next to me wherever I go, which is awesome. Royal has been extremely great on our outings where, so far, heā€™s accompanied me to – the grocery store, coffee shops, restaurants, doctor appointments, the cinema, and even Jubilations Dinner Theater. Every time his behaviour is exceptional.Ā 

Training Royal has been both joyful and overwhelming. Training a dog isnā€™t exactly my fortĆ©, although Barb, our service dog trainer, has been great with her lessons. Royal definitely does well carrying the heavy load of helping me out during our daily training sessions.

Being a puppy, Royal gets very excited when he sees other dogs and he loves to play, play, and play some more! He is getting better at being more controlled with his reaction when other dogs are nearby though. Royal does have a couple of play mate dogs in the family where he gets to let his hair down with numerous play dates. We donā€™t attend the public off leash yet, but he loves attending another closed in grass area where he gets to chase his squeaky ball. When he gets tired he just stops returning the ball to me.  Hint, Hint.

Royal is great at giving hugs, and if Iā€™m away from him for any period of time, heā€™ll greet me with lots of those, as well as non-stop face washing from all his kisses. However, the washing isnā€™t received as well in reverse – we took him for his first dog wash last week and he was not very happy with me as we washed him down, but his coat was amazing afterwards.

Up until this point, this journey with Royal has been amazing & Iā€™m looking forward to the next chapter as we move forward together.ā€

Breeding for Purpose and Companionship

Our program is designed to prioritize the traits necessary for a successful therapy or service dog. We carefully select our breeding pairs to ensure that their puppies inherit the best temperaments, intelligence, and trainability. This meticulous process allows us to provide families and individuals with dogs that are not only loyal and loving but also capable of performing essential tasks for those in need.

The Journey Ahead

Hearing stories like this from Royalā€™s dad reaffirms our mission to breed dogs that truly make a difference in people’s lives. Whether it’s a therapy dog bringing comfort to those in need, a family pet along for a lifetime of joy and tail wags, or a highly specialized service dog performing vital tasks, we’re committed to excellence in every aspect of our program.

We invite you to follow our journey and learn more about our breeding program, the amazing dogs we produce, and the incredible people and families they go on to help. Together, we can continue to make a positive impact, one paw at a time.

Happy Tails,
Alana

Author

Alana Holst
Australian Labradoodle Breeder &nbs