Training dogs is a labour of love for Stratford couple

Two retired educators have found a calling raising puppies to help the lives of autistic youth. 

Kent and Wanda Cleland are currently training their fifth dog, Lui, for Autism Dog Services.

It's a labour of love for the Cleland's, who spent part of a recent morning training Lui in a city grocery store, just one of the busy spots that the Yellow Labrador Retriever will have to stay calm and navigate through when he joins his new family after 12 to 18 months of training. 

"It's a wonderful thing to meet people and hear all of their stories," Wanda said of the training journey and the people they encounter along way. 

The charitable organization 'fosters the integration of children ages three to 18, with autism and related disorders by training, placing and supporting service dogs that offer safety, companionship, and independence'.  

Lui, with a red jacket, was patient and quiet while making his way through the aisles of the grocery store and sat still when Wanda asked. There are many potential distractions, Wanda said, that the dog must ignore, instead keeping his focus on his trainers, and in the future, his new family members. 

Despite that, "everyone wants to meet him," she said. 

In addition to a busy community, Kent said one of the biggest challenges in training is flights - the Clelands have taken Lui to Calgary and he did an amazing job, they said. 

Over four years of volunteering, the Clelands have taken dogs on more than a dozen flights.

Lui got his name from Dr. Lui Redigonda, owner with wife, Dr. Mariela Anderson, of Stratford Orthodontics. They sponsored Lui for Autism Dog Services, which has no government funding and relies on donations and a number of volunteers to compliment a handful of staff. 

Wanda said they were on a waiting list for another volunteer opportunity when, as fate would have it, they bumped into someone affiliated with the organization at a coffee shop in Stratford. 

"It's like it was meant to be," she said. 

The Clelands started out their puppy raising journey with Mylo, who was later partnered with a Guelph family. It was difficult for them to spend a considerable amount of time with Mylo and then have to let her go, but they were aware the dog was contributing to the bright future of a young person. 

"Saying goodbye to the puppy is the most challenging part but we know going into it that the dog has a higher purpose than to be out pet," Wanda said. 

"With Mylo, when we met the little girl and her family, it made it all worthwhile," added Kent. "Everyone was in tears. It was a gift they thought they would never get. They went out as a family for the first time in 12 years...went out to the grocery store. The everyday things that we take for granted, they are now able to do that. "

Mylo has become the mascot for the little girl's hockey team, Kent said. 

Wanda wrote a book complete with photographs, entitled, 'Always By My Side. The Journey of ADS Mylo'. 

The dogs are helpful to autistic young persons who may be shy or non-communicative, Wanda said. They act as an icebreaker in social situations and help build self esteem and start conversations. Overall enjoyment of life increases. 

The vast majority go to autistic youth, however, one of the Cleland's dogs, with bundles of energy, was placed with Canada Border Services Agency and is one of their top detection dogs. Another is currently in advanced training before a placement. 

Kent said it can cost tens of thousands of dollars to raise and train a dog through its lifetime. 

Autism Dog Services has 135 dogs placed, 85 dogs adopted, and currently has 138 volunteers. The organization purchases Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and Standard Poodle Cross Breeds from reputable breeders.

"It is a small organization that does amazing things," Wanda said.