The Villages - June 2022 - 28

{ FOR THE
OF PETS }
GOLDEN STANDARD
OF SERVICE
STORY BY JOSEPH SIRIOTIS
It could be argued that service dogs have one of the
most important jobs out there. It may be hard for observers
to understand why, but to those who have a handicap of
any capacity, there is no doubt. These selfless four-legged
heroes who are on duty for 24 hours, seven days a week for
their human partners have one job only--to perform tasks
directly related to their partner's disability. Behind these
amazing canine companions are a wide array of devoted
trainers like Villagers Kenny Kaye and Peggy Coston, puppy
trainers in the New Horizons Service Dogs program. Kenny
and Peggy are good friends working together to train Emme,
a five-month-old golden retriever.
" Anybody can be a puppy trainer, " Kenny said.
" Anybody that's sane, normal and has a house that has
facilities. They do weekly online training and once a
month in-person training. "
Kenny discovered his love for training service
puppies through a tragedy he experienced with his
own dog, Mango, over two years ago. Mango passed
away due to unforeseen circumstances and left a
gap in Kenny's heart. Time passed and Peggy still
saw him grieving. She introduced him to the
New Horizons Service Dogs program, but
he was hesitant at first; it sounded like too
much work.
" I made a proclamation to myself, " Kenny
said; " I'm never going to outlive another dog
and I stuck to that. " Peggy was persistent
though and Kenny eventually gave in.
Service dogs start training from the time
they are only 8-weeks-old. Kenny is the first
of five trainers Emme will spend six months
with over her next two years in the program.
When she moves on to her next trainer, Kenny
will get another puppy and the training process
will start over again.
Kenny's primary job is to get Emme
used to as many different outside
distractions as possible. This is
to make sure her attention
is focused completely on her
human partner 100% of the day.
28
JUNE 2022

The Villages - June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - June 2022

Contents
The Villages - June 2022 - Cover1
The Villages - June 2022 - Contents
The Villages - June 2022 - 1
The Villages - June 2022 - 2
The Villages - June 2022 - 3
The Villages - June 2022 - 4
The Villages - June 2022 - 5
The Villages - June 2022 - 6
The Villages - June 2022 - 7
The Villages - June 2022 - 8
The Villages - June 2022 - 9
The Villages - June 2022 - 10
The Villages - June 2022 - 11
The Villages - June 2022 - 12
The Villages - June 2022 - 13
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The Villages - June 2022 - 18
The Villages - June 2022 - 19
The Villages - June 2022 - 20
The Villages - June 2022 - 21
The Villages - June 2022 - 22
The Villages - June 2022 - 23
The Villages - June 2022 - 24
The Villages - June 2022 - 25
The Villages - June 2022 - 26
The Villages - June 2022 - 27
The Villages - June 2022 - 28
The Villages - June 2022 - 29
The Villages - June 2022 - 30
The Villages - June 2022 - 31
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The Villages - June 2022 - 33
The Villages - June 2022 - 34
The Villages - June 2022 - 35
The Villages - June 2022 - 36
The Villages - June 2022 - 37
The Villages - June 2022 - 38
The Villages - June 2022 - 39
The Villages - June 2022 - 40
The Villages - June 2022 - 41
The Villages - June 2022 - 42
The Villages - June 2022 - 43
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The Villages - June 2022 - 45
The Villages - June 2022 - 46
The Villages - June 2022 - 47
The Villages - June 2022 - 48
The Villages - June 2022 - 49
The Villages - June 2022 - 50
The Villages - June 2022 - 51
The Villages - June 2022 - 52
The Villages - June 2022 - 53
The Villages - June 2022 - 54
The Villages - June 2022 - 55
The Villages - June 2022 - 56
The Villages - June 2022 - 57
The Villages - June 2022 - 58
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The Villages - June 2022 - 61
The Villages - June 2022 - 62
The Villages - June 2022 - Cover3
The Villages - June 2022 - Cover4
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