Oxford resident Richard Nelson shares a cute moment with Spanky, a 10-month-old German Shepherd mix, at the K-9 Stray Rescue League’s ‘Wag & Walk? event held Saturday at Powell Lake Township Park. Spanky’s been with the Rescue League since February and is still waiting to be adopted into a loving home. Photo by C.J. Carnacchio.

Scappoose is not the first puppy to be raised by Carol and Tom Thompson to be a future Leader Dog for the Blind. She’s number 24.
‘We have been involved for 24 years,? said Carol Thompson. ‘My husband was a teacher in Brandon and one of his friends up there was raising puppies. They were on their 17th puppy at that time and I thought I really want to do that, so we signed up to get a puppy. We waited about a year and got our first one.?
They have been getting a puppy about every year since.
Thompson says she enjoys taking the puppy everywhere.
‘We always have her in church with us and we take her to restaurants, the mall, and the kid’s soccer games,? she said. ‘It’s always fun to have them with you.?
Socializing is one the most important things for the dog, along with getting her used to everyday things such as elevators, traffic,
wheelchairs, walkers, and many types of stairs , as well as other animals and pets.
‘The more places we take them, the more things they see and hear, the better acclimated and the calmer they are,? said Thompson.
She said the puppy is like a magnet of attraction.
‘Don’t think you’re going to the drug store to buy a gallon of milk and think ‘I’ll be home in 10 minutes and take the puppy.? It
will be at least 40 minutes because 10 people are going to stop and talk to you,? she said. ‘You can’t do anything in a hurry.?
Scappoose is also given basic training of ‘sit,? ‘stay,? and ‘down.?
‘They are supposed to sit and stay or down and stay and not get up until we tell them,? Thompson said.
They also teach the dog to walk on the left side of a person.
‘Their hip is supposed to be even with our hip,? she said. ‘They are not supposed to pull out, but they are supposed to lead a little bit.?
She also noted that when the dogs are wearing their ‘Future Leader Dog? bandana or jacket, it means they are working.
‘They are not allowed to go to the bathroom when they have their bandana or jacket on,? Thompson said. ‘We teach them ‘park? and they
go to the bathroom when we say ‘park.??
Why the name Scappoose? Thompson said her daughter’s husband is in the Army, and while stationed in Iraq, he had a friend who was traveling to his hometown of Scappoose, Oregon.
‘I thought, I’ve got to remember that because that would be a cute name. I don’t like to name my dogs people names,? she said. ‘We try to think of names that are a little bit unusual because it can lead into a conversation about an inspirational or meaningful thing.?
The Thompsons have lived in Independence Township for 35 years and have five children, Jeremy, 34 Shawna, 32 ,Mindi, 30, Josh, 27, and Aaron, 9.
When they first started the program, dog raisers were not allowed to meet or talk to future dog owners after graduation, but over the past few years, the program is starting to allow it.
Their last dog went to a man in Canada. Thompson said she received an e-mail from his mother about the value of puppy raisers and how appreciative she was.
‘When you read that, you get emotional about how much you’re helping somebody,? she said.
A love for puppies and helping people is a combination that works out well for future Leader Dog trainers, she said.