New Horizons Service Dogs

New Horizons had the fun opportunity to walk in the DeLand Dog Parade yesterday! A big thank you to our volunteers that joined our parade group and to our supporters who came to watch us walk.

As always, we are so proud of how our dogs compose themselves in public. Large crowds, pet dogs, loud music, horses mere feet away, and stilt walkers - all things found along the route but yet our dogs didn't make a peep.

We look forward to a bigger group with flashier costumes next year (and maybe puppies)!

Happy National Golden Retriever Day! 🐾💛

This may be the most perfectly fitting holiday for our organization.

We are so blessed to work with these dogs - whether as puppy raisers, breeder caretakers, dog sitters, clients, adopters, or in the office. Golden Retrievers are one of America's Top 3 popular dog breeds, and with good reason. They’re friendly, loyal, and (mostly) smart, with personalities as big as their hearts. Even non-dog people tend to soften the moment they meet one of our Goldens.

Now they do have two downsides - how much they shed and the fact that they don’t live forever - but we won't hold those against them. Living with, and being loved by, a Golden is more than worth a fur-covered existence and the eventual heartbreak.

Today, we’re thankful for every Golden Retriever we’ve bred and deeply grateful for each Golden we’ve trained for service or therapy work. We ask them to step up and commit to the job and they give it 150%. Their assistance changes lives and we understand just how lucky we are to work alongside them.

Please feel free to honor your New Horizons golden, or any other golden you've had, by sharing stories in the comments!

Last month, Timbercrest Elementary invited a few of our dogs to join their after-school Book Club and help the students practice their reading skills.

This week, Polar, Lindbergh, and Mango stopped by to share some cuddles and listen to stories. The visit was a huge hit with both students and teachers, and we’re excited to make an appearance at future Book Club sessions.

A big thank you to Steve, Katie, and Robin for spending their Tuesday afternoon on the library floor with pups and kids and, of course, another thanks to Timbercrest for welcoming our teams into their school!

We in the New Horizons community love to find ways to help the greater community experience the love and friendliness that our dogs bring wherever they go, so events like this are always special to be able to do.

Happy Halloween from New Horizons! 🦇🧙‍♀️

Today is a fun holiday, and costume-clad dogs can be very cute, but some of what makes Halloween so fun can also end up being scary for our pets.

Halloween Dangers

•Candy/Treats 🍫– Chocolate is the main culprit found in tonight’s delicious candy, but xylitol is a common sugar substitute that is highly toxic for our dogs. Make sure any treats are dog safe!
•Glow sticks 🧪– While it may look fun to chew on, ingesting these is obviously not safe. Although the liquid is less likely to cause issues, we don’t want a blockage from swallowing pieces.
•Jack-o-lanterns and candles 🎃 – An open flame and animals is probably self-explanatory but also make sure that dogs don’t have access to tasty pumpkins because even a small snack can upset their stomach. They’ll survive it, but your rugs might not!
•Anxiety 😨– The costumes, decorations, and influx of people can be startling for animals! Holidays like this see higher rates of lost pets after they’ve dashed out of the house or yard to escape the commotion. That’s something no one wants; however, as service dog trainers we also have to watch that our dogs aren’t feeling “only overwhelmed” but developing a fear that could affect their placement. Don’t force them to interact with anything they’re unsure about!

We hope everyone has a fun but safe time tonight with family and friends! Feel free to share any pet costumes, if you've gone that route, in the comments below. 🥸🤡🤠

We are saddened to hear about Diane Keaton's passing. She had a prolific career spanning almost 60 years with numerous iconic films. Diane also had a huge heart and a love for animals, especially dogs.

New Horizons and she became acquainted when Diane adopted one of our career change dogs, Regatta, in 2020. Reggie's antics were often featured in her social media posts. She was deeply loved by Diane and able to get away with anything, including sneaking off with her shoes or favorite jeans.

We are keeping Diane's family, friends, and her sweet Reggie in our thoughts.

New Horizons would also like to honor Richard Kane, CEO of VeriJet; NHSDI board member; and breeder caretaker, who passed last month. His daughter was also a recipient of one of our service dogs. Richard so graciously flew Regatta to Diane, as seen in a photo below.