Arora’s Hero Dog is Growing and Learning!

Last year we were proud to announce that as part of Arora’s ongoing employee-led charity initiatives, our employees raised $5,000 to become a Puppy Sponsor with the Hero Dogs program. Hero Dogs raises and trains puppies to become service dogs and places them, free of charge, with our nation’s Veterans to assist with daily living tasks and improve their quality of life.

We sponsored a yellow lab named Clara Barton, named after Clarissa “Clara” Harlowe Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. Clara was placed with a puppy raiser/trainer in the Hero Dogs program to learn house manners, basic commands, and the necessary foundational skills to become a service dog.

Over the last year, Clara’s Puppy Raiser has diligently provided photographs and updates on Clara’s training and adventures. She is very well behaved and has gained a lot of experience at staying calm in various public environments. Her Puppy Raiser has given her a lot of exposure to different people and situations, much like she would experience every day as a service animal. Clara has also been working very hard on her service dog tasks, including: touch, wait, stay, place, take it, bring, give, leash, heeling, under, and ignoring distractions.

In a few months from now, Clara’s health and temperament will be evaluated to see if she will make a suitable service dog. We are very excited about the progress she’s making and have very high hopes that we will see her placed with a Veteran later this year.

We invite you to learn more about Clara’s progress and activities on her blog here.