RADFORD – Story, the Radford Public Library’s St. Francis Service dog-in-training, turned one year old in March and is halfway finished with her training journey before she heads to a home to be in service to a person who needs her.
“She is coming to the end of her intermediate training, and she’ll be tested by designated Saint Francis Service Dog (SFSD) staff on these skills to ensure that she can consistently follow the necessary commands and skills needed of her,” the library announced.
“SFSD dogs are usually involved in training for the first two years of their lives before being matched with their partners. As a volunteer with SFSD, a library staff member will continue to work with Story until the next step. Story has benefitted from the attention and socialization from all library staff, and we’ve had so much fun spending time with her. We’ll keep our patrons posted on Story’s next chapter.”
Story recently went on a tour of spots of interest to test her skills and manners.
Saint Francis Service Dogs is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to help children and adults with disabilities become more independent and self-sufficient through partnership with a professionally trained service dog and to promote “the use and acceptance of service dogs through public and professional education, providing advocacy for service dog partners, and supporting the growth of the service dog industry on a national level,” according to the SFSD website.
