National service dog, Oakley, training at City of Waterloo

Oakley, a black lab in the National Service Dog (NSD) program is beginning the first part of her training at the City of Waterloo. Oakley is currently being cared for by Colleen, known by most as “Cook”, a volunteer puppy raiser who works at the City of Waterloo. 

Each day, Cook and Oakley go to work together at the City of Waterloo, where Cook is the Forestry Supervisor within the Community Services Department. While Cook works, Oakley gets valuable exposure and training. Their day together starts with a short walk through the building to greet colleagues, before some quiet time for Oakley where she practices settling down amidst distractions and Cook catches up on emails. At lunch, the two take a break that includes some playtime. Oakley is involved in all aspects of Cooks day, including attending meetings, supervision of the job site and conducting site inspections on the city’s urban forest canopy.

“Oakley and I have been overwhelmed with support from the staff at NSD, our co-workers and management at the City of Waterloo”, says Cook, volunteer puppy raiser and City of Waterloo employee. “She has become such a valued member of our team, brightening the day of everyone she meets. Her colleagues have given her the nickname of ‘Oak Leaf’, fitting since we work in forestry!” 

Under Ontario Legislation, service dogs in training do not have any public access rights. National Service Dogs relies on the support of local volunteers, businesses and employers to complete each dog’s two-year training. Employers like the City of Waterloo who embrace service dogs in the workplace play an important role in championing accessibility and making the community more inclusive. 

“The real-life experience Oakley is gaining going to work with Colleen every day is going to be extremely beneficial down the road. Socialization is a very important part of a service dog’s training and the more exposure a puppy has, the easier they are to be matched with a client!” — Rochelle Barber, Director of Operations, National Service Dogs.

Oakley is not the first service dog to receive training at the City of Waterloo. In 2021, NSD Echo also ‘worked’ at the City of Waterloo, in recreation services. After his puppy training, Echo was selected for NSD’s breeding program and fathered 4 litters of future service dog puppies. Echo is currently enjoying a well-deserved retirement with his puppy raiser. 

National Service Dogs is currently looking for 15 to 20 volunteer raisers to welcome a puppy or adult dog into their home this March. Anyone interested in this opportunity is invited to visit nsd.on.ca/volunteer-opportunities

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Media contacts:

Shirley Luu
Communications Consultant
City of Waterloo
shirley.luu@waterloo.ca 

Emma Bluhm
Communications Coordinator
emma@nsd.on.ca
519-623-4188 x114