On Wednesday December 14, Riverside was visited by two Golden Labradors named Ari and Dorotto, as part of the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society assessment.
Everyone at Riverside is familiar with the famous P.A.D.S dog, Liege, but what exactly is P.A.D.S? This association breeds, raises and trains dogs to assist with a variety of tasks, such as working in schools with students and helping those in need with various handicaps. On Wednesday, Riverside hosted two dogs so that they could experience a busy, high school environment as a part of their training in becoming service dogs.
According to the official website, their service dogs are trained to do tasks including pulling manual wheelchairs, carrying items such as groceries, or even retrieving items such as medication, and providing balance and stability to clients with mobility issues. The dogs that visited the school were both Labrador Retrievers, as are many other service dogs due to their intelligence, loyalty and strength.
People looking to adopt a service dog can visit their homepage for more information, otherwise, the P.A.D.S center is located in Burnaby at 9048 Stormont Avenue and is open weekdays from 9am to 4:30pm.