Text Box: Golden Paw Assistance Dog Club Bringing Teams Together for Support and Companionship Golden Paw is a community of assistance dog partnerships, their family, friends, trainers and supporters. Assistance dog partnerships coming together in a positive environment to learn, teach, share, support, and encourage. Thank you for your interest. Assistance Dogs Change Our Lives In Ways That Are Beyond Words.   Assistance Dogs    Guide Dog:  Blind and visually impaired partners rely on their guide dogs to safely negotiate the unseen environment.     Hearing Dog: Deaf and hard-of-hearing partners rely on their hearing dogs to alert them to unheard sounds in the environment.     Service Dog: People with disabilities other than blindness and deafness rely on their service dogs to mitigate the disabling condition in a variety of ways. Service dogs are trained to perform many physical tasks including but not limited to pulling a wheelchair, lending balance support, picking up dropped or requested objects or providing assistance in a medical crisis.    What do we do?   We gather for discussion, field trips, speakers, public education, training, first aid issues, health and feeding, Access, ADA states and local law, support and much more!    When & Where do we meet?   We meet monthly.  We meet in a variety of venues to fit the meeting goal for that month.  Time and date may vary to suit the subject matter and availability of the venue.  These venues will be in the Reading, Pottstown, Royersford, Phoenixville and King of Prussia areas of Pennsylvania for the most part.  Membership is not limited to these areas.    Mission   Golden Paw Assistance Dog Club will work in a positive manner in all it’s endeavors to enhance the lives of assistance dogs and partnerships individually and as a part of the community in which we live.  To foster positive relationships with our neighbors and to work with the community in which we live to positively effect the changes that are needed to live independently and productively.    My Inspiration For The Golden Paw Assistance Dog Club    The inspiration for the formation of the Golden Paw Assistance Dog Club was a cream colored standard poodle who’s full name was DLS Guardian Angel.  She was my first service dog who was born January 30, 1991, and entered my life in April of that year. A long and careful search for a dog that would be my owner trained service dog took me to the door of Joda Kennels. After many visits and testing I had chosen her to be by my side. On the drive home she became sick,  while I cleaned up the mess, I heard my husband comforting her.  I heard him say to her “so you are mom’s new guardian angel”.  That is how she got her name.  She lived up to all the meanings of that word over the years she was my service dog.  We were the first service dog team in our area.  We used the uniqueness of our presence to educate the community and be the best representatives we could be as a team.  My Guardian Angel helped me train her successors with love and patience.  When she passed away on Thanksgiving Day of 2004, after a long illness, I thought my heart and life would never be the same again.  After a period of grieving, I realized Angel had taught me and many others what a blessing and partner in independence a assistance dog is as a member of the community.  In her memory and in honor of her dedication, service and devotion I formed this club to help and support all the other “Angels” there are in our community now. In this way I can keep the golden moments we shared together alive.  Thank you, Angel…   Designed by Dream Land Specialties Copyright © 2003 Golden Paw Assistance Dog Club. All rights reserved. Revised: 12/21/05