The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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November 11, 2008

Assistance dog to live with Enid woman

By Kasey Fowler, Staff Writer

Garth Brooks has come to live in Enid.

Garth Brooks, Brooks for short, an assistance dog, came Tuesday to live in Enid with Lee Ann Breshears.

Brooks, named after the country singer from Yukon, is a 17-month-old mini Labradoodle, a mix of Lab and poodle.

Shelia Ford, a dog trainer with A New Leash On Life, brought Brooks to his new home with Breshears.

Brooks immediately took to Breshears and his new home. He sat at Breshears feet and put his head in her lap.

“It is an exciting day,” Ford said. “He likes her already.”

Breshears suffers from seizures, and Brooks is trained to assist her if she has a seizure.

“When I am having a sei-zure, he can get the phone and stuff,” Breshears said. “He will give compassion and comfort if I have a seizure.”

Breshears has been on a waiting list for about a year to get an assistance dog.

“She is getting a great dog,” Ford said. “He was made to be a seizure dog. He is caring and affectionate.”

Brooks began his puppy days being raised by a volunteer family, before he moved to a prison for training. He then was trained by Ford.

“I’ve had him about eight weeks. Another family raised him,” Ford said. “He spent 12 weeks in a prison program; they started the behaviors we like. Then one of the trainers takes the dog and finishes him.”

Brooks’ training will continue in his new home.

“He gets the phone at my house, but he will be retrained to find and get the phone here,” Ford said. “I will come here to work with Brooks and Lee Ann.”

One of Brooks’ jobs is to pick up anything dropped.

“He will pick up about anything,” Ford said. “He likes to pick things up. He likes to feel needed.”

Besides picking things up, Ford said Brooks likes to play ball and loves to be petted.

Ford said A New Leash On Life is special because it is a state dog placement agency.

“We only place dogs in Oklahoma,” Ford said. “A lot of national agencies, you have to go to their facilities for a few weeks to do training, and then you don’t have any help when you get back.”

Brooks is the first assistance dog A New Leash On Life has placed in Enid.

“Brooks is allowed in public. He is allowed to go anywhere Lee Ann can go,” Ford said.

For information about A New Leash On Life, call (405) 224-7715 or visit www.traineddogs.org.

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