Adopting Alfredo

A golden-lab mix zooms into the kitchen, jumps into Jamie Axelrod’s lap and leaves a streak of slobber on her cheek. Alfredo, the energetic, 21-pound puppy, is excited to see one of his owners after a long day.

Dunkin, a bearded-collie mix rescue is nearby, barking in jealousy of the 10-week-old puppy getting all of the attention. Audrey Axelrod is preparing dinner and making sure her children are doing their homework. Alfredo is given treats for listening to a command and lies down in the living room to take a nap. It’s just another ordinary day for Alfredo. But his life? Well, that’s far from ordinary.

“My daughter, Jamie, has been volunteering with dogs since she was about 7 years old,” Audrey Axelrod said. “We volunteered at Last Hope together, cleaned out cages and kennels at the local shelter and participated in a dog walk for multiple sclerosis.

“She saw something on Animal Planet about this puppy program and we decided to do it,” she added. “We went to the orientation, filled out the application in August and I got a call from the coordinator.”

With the blessing of her husband, Alan, and a few phone calls, the family had officially adopted Alfredo at only 8 weeks old and brought him back to their home in Wantagh. The family will care for him, feed him special food and teach him more than 50 different commands. The catch? Alfredo won’t stay with his family for long.

Alfredo is a puppy in training for Canine Companions for Independence; a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs. After one year and six months, Alfredo will leave the Axelrods and go off to advanced training for six more months.

“We were supposed to have a puppy from the ‘Y’ litter,” Axelrod said. “But we ended up with Alfredo from the ‘A’ litter. He is my Fettuccini Alfredo!”

Although the family will be sad to see Alfredo leave in February of 2017, they know that that he will go on to bigger and better things.

“I thought it would be a good thing to help people who have disabilities, or have certain limitations,” Axelrod said. “When they leave here, they can become a training dog for a particular person and that training becomes very personalized depending on what the person’s needs are. If, for whatever reason, he washes out, or doesn’t succeed in the program, he can become a facility dog or they can try him out as a bomb-sniffing dog.”

Although many of the puppies that go through Canine Companions for Independence have a lot of experience, some dogs just don’t make the cut. About 40 to 60 percent of the dogs that participate go on to other training or are adopted by their previous owners.

“They send you updates about how he is doing,” Axelrod added. “If all the training has failed, then we get dibs on him.”

The Canine Companions for Independence program is designed to help change and better lives. The program has already impacted many people on a local level.

“They have given one or two dogs to kids in Massapequa who have ADD and Autism,” Axelrod said. “One young lady in the temple has anxiety issues and she brings her dog to classes at Nassau Community College to help with that.“For the community, it shows that dogs are more than just pets,” she added. “My hope for the kids is to show them that you can do something selfless for somebody else and feel good about it. For the family, it’s a bonding experience.”

After adopting Alfredo and many other dogs, the Axelrods know the true meaning behind dedication.

“You have to have time for a puppy because they are a lot of work,” she said. “You also have to have the commitment because it’s like a second job. You need to attend classes and teach him specific commands.”

Although the Axelrods won’t have to say goodbye to Alfredo for a while, they are considering the possibility of adopting and training another puppy through the program.

“Having adopted many dogs, they come with so much baggage,” Axelrod said. “But adopting Alfredo is different. For such a little guy, he has a pretty good temperament.”

The Axelrods look forward to training Alfredo for a potential training career and helping people who are in need of his assistance.

“If he were my dog, he would get rice and treats,” Axelrod added. “But you have to take the perspective of a disabled person. I won’t feed him anything other than his specific food.

“Alfredo has ‘sit’ down pat. My other dog is 12 years old and is still learning how to sit,” she added with a laugh.

For more information on Canine Companions for Independence or to fill out an application, visit www.cci.org