PRESIDENT & CEO
LETTER FROM BRYAN WILLIAMS
The saying goes that every overnight success takes ten years. In August, I celebrated my third anniversary with Dogs for Better Lives and as we enter the fourth year of my tenure, the seeds of success have begun to spring. This year, we opened a second facility in Massachusetts, a historic accomplishment for an organization that has been operating out of southern Oregon since 1977.
Currently, the first puppies are on the ground in the northeast, and we’ve established several partnerships that will provide dogs for training, including a new rescue relationship. Soon, Dogs for Better Lives will be training the first Assistance Dogs outside of southern Oregon, allowing us to serve individuals waiting for Assistance Dogs in a more effective and fiscally responsible way.
A couple of my favorite quotes come from Simon Sinek who says, “Working hard for something is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion…” but, “Passion alone can’t cut it. For passion to survive it needs structure. A WHY without a HOW has little probability for success.” Our WHY is clear. Serving more people with the amazing dogs we train because of the way they change people’s lives forever. That’s always been clear. The team at Dogs for Better Lives is among the most passionate I’ve ever worked with. They are committed to the mission and moving it forward every single day.
What we needed to establish was the HOW. We developed a strategic vision for the future of the organization, one that involves significantly scaling the number of dogs we place each year. A vision of 10X growth and more.
The next few years will see many more accomplishments and milestones for the organization and I’m excited for the future. I hope the next seven years of Dogs for Better Lives’ overnight success is as exciting as the first three. None of this would be possible without the incredible support of our board, volunteers, donors, ambassadors, and staff. Thank you for believing in the mission and giving your time, treasure, and talent to see the long-range vision begin to come to fruition. I hope you enjoy reading this edition of the Canine Listener.
FOLLOW UPS
KIMBERLY & HHD FINLEY
Kimberly W. and HHD Finley from NJ have been together 10 years and are doing great! Finley alerts Kimberly to the door knock, doorbell, microwave, and oven buzzer. Finley just turned eleven and while retirement is on the horizon, he continues to work hard to bring the security that Kimberly needs. Kimberly says that Finley is her shadow. He is always there for her, and she gets such joy from being around him. He sleeps touching her and she knows that he will wake her if something happens in the middle of the night.
Kathleen & CHD Harper
CHD Harper lives in Costa Mesa, CA and has been with Kathleen for over 5 years now. He alerts Kathleen to the oven timer, door knock, doorbell, smoke alarm, phone, and teams messages! He is ten years old and loves chasing lizards. Both Kathleen and Harper are doing very well!
Phoebe & HHD Indy
Phoebe and HHD Indy of Oregon. Phoebe is still just smitten with Indy and says he is her whole world. Indy is working the door knock, doorbell, and home phone. They are also working on adding a few other sounds. They moved from NY to OR about a year ago and Phoebe says Indy was the perfect travel companion.
PLACEMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Allison & HHD Weston
Home Hearing Dog Weston was placed with Allison in Virginia. The team bonded quickly as Allison’s childhood pet was also a Westie mix. Weston was quick to transfer to Allison as his person and is working the door knock, phone, oven timer, and smoke alarm for her. Allison is thrilled to have Weston as her first hearing dog and newfound companion.
Jane & FD Audie
Jane in Bellingham, Washington was placed with Facility Dog Audie. Jane is a school counselor and utilizes Audie to help her students learn to communicate and cope with complications that may arise as they go through their day at school. Jane says Audie is better than she ever imagined, and they were a great team from day one. Audie will be utilizing these tasks: visit, lap, settle, pass, touch, spin, wave, shake, roll over, and fetch.
DBL NEWS
Charity Navigator Recognizes DBL with 98.12 Score, Along with Top Four-Star Rating for Record 8th Consecutive Year
In early July, Dogs for Better Lives (DBL) received Charity Navigator’s highest level 4-star mark, for a record eighth consecutive year. This 4-star rating is the highest mark a 501(c)3 nonprofit can receive from Charity Navigator, America’s largest and most respected independent charity evaluator.
In addition to the annual star rating, Charity Navigator also provides a score of up to 100, recognizing a nonprofit for its strong financial health and a high commitment to accountability and transparency. DBL received a score of 98.12 (out of 100) for its most recently completed fiscal year, 2020-2021, which runs July – June. For FY 2018-19, DBL had received a score of 96.88.
“This recognition at the highest level is especially meaningful as it signifies DBL’s adherence to best practices for fiscal stewardship while executing our mission in a financially efficient way,” stated President and CEO, Bryan Williams. “10% of the 10,000+ non-profits reviewed annually, receive this top 4-star score, which speaks volumes for how fiscally responsible DBL is and continues to be, while being great stewards of our donor dollars.”
Imagine Dragons’ Bassist Ben McKee Rocked DBL with Gift
Imagine Dragons’ bassist Ben McKee made a surprise donation to Dogs for Better Lives, as part of his year-long commitment to donate $1,000 a day to a different community organization.
“The past year has been a particularly challenging time for a lot of people,” McKee wrote back on February 16th on Twitter. “The organizations that fight to support and protect the most vulnerable of us have been pushed beyond their limits. I have set aside $365,000 and over the next year I will be giving away $1,000 a day.”
“We were stoked by Ben’s generous gift to Dogs for Better Lives,” stated CEO Bryan Williams. “It’s impressive when someone with a public platform uses it to create visibility for a cause they truly care about.”
EXPANDING BETTER LIVES
By LACY PRIESMEYER & HARVEY POTTS, Staff
On Wednesday May 15th, 2021, Dogs for Better Lives (DBL) closed on two properties in Falmouth, MA, including a pet boarding facility and a veterinary clinic, which will become the future Northeast Campus and DBL’s first east coast campus..
Originally launched in Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley in 1977, DBL now encompasses two campuses and four satellite offices across the country. Over the last two years DBL has been actively searching for an east coast location, to augment its national operations, while better supporting east coast clients, donors, and volunteers.
As part of DBL’s 2020 Vision and four-year strategic plan, growth and expansion are critical to acquiring, professionally training, and placing more Assistance Dogs across the country. In this case, ultimately placing more Assistance Dogs along the east coast from the Northeast Campus and relying less on cross-country transportation from the west coast.
“This is a monumental moment for Dogs for Better Lives, and one more step toward executing our four-year strategic plan, that supports the long-range vision in growing this organization into a national footprint,” stated CEO Bryan Williams. “I’m so proud of everyone who put so many hours into making this project a reality.”
The new Northeast Campus will also open new opportunities within our shelter dog program with the creation of new partnerships with shelters and rescues along the east coast. Having a campus on both the east and west coast will help alleviate cross-country transportation costs as well as improve staff time management while helping decrease the amount of time and stress a dog may experience while traveling for professional training or placement with a client. All these opportunities enable DBL to not only serve more clients but do so while also increasing support to clients and volunteers and remaining fiscally responsible.
BOARD SPOTLIGHT
DBL Family Mourns Recent Loss of Board Member Jeff Rhoden, Recognizing His Dynamic Leadership
Board member and longtime southern Oregon resident Jeff Rhoden passed away on August 4th from COVID19. Truly a shock and saddening to all that knew him within the Dogs for Better Lives’ (DBL) family, including staff, Board of Directors, and volunteers, among others.
“He brought a level of empathy, love and wisdom to Dogs for Better Lives that was respected and cherished by all....as well as a good laugh daily. He will be missed, but never forgotten,” shared Board Secretary, Matt Dunbar.
In honoring Jeff Rhoden’s commitment and compassionate support for DBL, leadership and the board of directors have decided to name one of the (west side) running yards at the North Kennel, in Jeff’s honor. A permanent plaque will be placed on the chain link fence, to include his name and photo.
BOARD NEWS
WELCOMING OUR NEWEST MEMBER
Patty Jensen – Joined July 2021
Patty Jensen is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan and attended the University of Michigan, majoring in communications and marketing. She started her career in Chicago but ended up finding herself in Southern California. While working as a manager of a large publication design department, she headed over to Epson to work as a merchandising manager. She met her husband, who is a Creative Director, and owned his own marketing and design agency, in the early 1990s. Jensen joined his agency and added many more clients, mainly in consumer electronics industry.
DBL RECOGNIZES LONGTIME BOARD MEMBER AL LANE
During the July quarterly meeting of DBL’s National Board of Directors, outgoing member Al Lane was recognized for his service, with a brief presentation. During Lane’s six years on the board, he served as vice president, following that up with serving as board president. The suite inside the North Kennel’s whelping room has now been recognized in Al and Kimberly Lane’s honor.
“Al has certainly experienced significant change in Dogs for the Deaf, now Dogs for Better Lives, during this tenure,” stated Board Chairman David Hollingsworth. “We are forever grateful for his service, leadership, and commitment, and we look forward to his future engagement with DBL.”
FOSTER PUPPY PROGRAM
Foster Puppies in California
By LAURA ENCINAS, Staff
At one point a few months ago, California had 5 puppy raisers. Unfortunately, the first pup placed in Merced was career changed due to allergies. We cannot give a client a dog with medical problems so “Joy” was released from training and placed in a pet home in the Southern Oregon area. The remaining 4 pups are ranging in age from 8 months to 14 months. They are still young dogs but are looking more and more like adults.
ALBUS
“Albus” the Goldendoodle is now 14 months old and residing in Fresno, CA. He will be returning for formal training in October. He has been with his raiser Hanna since he was procured from 4E Kennels in September 2020. It is very bittersweet for her, but she is looking forward to him helping someone better their life.
CEDAR
“Cedar” the black Labrador is part of our “C” litter and residing in Camino, CA. They have been prepared to evacuate for the past two months due to fires in the Lake Tahoe area. He is a whopping 75 pounds at 12 months old! He spends his days with his retired raisers, going on outings and spending time in their wood shop. He also spends lots of time with their grandchildren
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Andrea Woodcock
On April 30, 2020, I left Central Point Oregon in my RV with my three dogs and my sixteen-year-old cat. It was peak pandemic, and I was relocating to the East Coast. Dogs for Better Lives had a need for a Program Field Representative in the east and I had been wanting to relocate there for several years to be closer to some very good friends. It was a quick trip, due to the pandemic. I made it across the country in about five days, staying at rest stops and only leaving the RV to walk the dogs.
Once I arrived, I stayed on my friend’s property in New York. One of the biggest challenges I saw for our clients was the lack of opportunities to train their dogs now that they were stuck at home. I created the client Facebook page, and I would post several training challenges a week, so that the clients would have something to work on. I also hosted client cocktail hours to create a sense of community among the clients during a time when many of us were isolated.
CLIENT’S CORNER
How We’ve Grown
By DR. DANIELLE ROSE, Client/Board Member
I had the pleasure of talking with my namesake Danielle Kempe, Dogs for Better Lives’ new Development Manager Northeast Region, about the history of Dogs for Better Lives. Since I have progressed to “old timer” status now on my third dog from DBL, I was relaying to her what we did when I received my first dog, Chuckie. He was funded by the Good Sam’s Club chapter in Tifton, Georgia.
Opening an East Coast center has long been a dream of mine, and now we have it! The Northeast Center in Falmouth, MA is open. What a major milestone met from all those “seeds” of connection planted over the years. This a wonderful time to celebrate the collaboration of so many who have helped DBL grow.
It is these frequent reminders and connections both “electronic” and in person that are important in helping those seeds of contact grow into new partnerships. Relationships that support our clients and dogs while providing for our mission to make more teams possible. So here I offer you a little Mardi Gras parade visual of all of those connections dancing across the infinite screens of contact that make up our lives today to celebrate our gratitude to all of you who have helped Dogs for Better Lives grow.
PUPPY RAISERS CORNER
Massachusetts Puppy Raiser Jackie Koller’s Story
By JACKIE KOLLER, Puppy Raiser
Why did I decide to be a puppy raiser for DBL? It’s complicated. Dogs have always been an important part of our family, but when my husband, George, and I lost our black Lab, Tess, in 2019, George was battling Parkinson’s and another dog seemed too much to handle. Then came Covid, and in spring of 2020, George contracted it and passed away. I spent the rest of 2020 and the early months of 2021 isolated, trying to come to terms with his passing. After fifty years of marriage, it was hard for me to envision life without him. It was tempting to just give in to the sorrow and sit around all day, reading or watching TV, but I knew George wouldn’t want that and I worried about the example I’d be setting for my kids and grandkids. I finally pulled myself together began to move on. I signed onto a service called Volunteer Match, which sent me lists of local volunteer opportunities, and as soon as I was fully vaccinated, I volunteered at a local charity where I could use my artistic talents to help people in need.
It gave me new purpose, and I began to see a path forward. I threw myself into the work and began to think about getting a dog again. I was in my seventies, though, and I worried about another fourteen- or fifteen-year commitment. I decided it wasn’t a wise move, gave up on the idea, and settled into my new routine. Out of curiosity, I continued to read the messages from Volunteer Match, and one evening, there was the call from Dogs for Better Lives for puppy raisers. I was immediately tempted but told myself that I shouldn’t rock the boat. “Don’t do it. Don’t do it.” I told myself when I went to bed that night. And then, my first thought the next morning was, “Do it!”
YOUNG PROFESIONALS BOARD
By JO CABALLERO, YPB Board Member
The Young Professionals Board of Dogs for Better Lives has been small but mighty. This quarter we have added FIVE members to our pack!
The Young Professionals Board of Dogs for Better Lives aims to “be a leader in our communities in education, awareness, elevation and support of Dogs for Better Lives and its mission.”
We want to support DBL, but more importantly, we want our work to further educate and inform about the organization and its mission. For instance, the importance of the human/animal bond and how we as an organization work to achieve that with each of our dog/human partnerships.
We mention being a leader, because we want the DBL YPB to be ubiquitous with the assistance dog industry.