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Middleburg
woman
trains dogs
to work with
disabled
By Haley Huie
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
Colleen Hayduk combines her love of dogs with her desire to help people; she’s a puppy raiser.
Hayduk, a Middleburg resident, nurtures puppies for Canine Companions for Independence, a national nonprofit organization that provides assistance dogs to those with disabilities.
She currently has two yellow labs — Katie IV who is 14 months old, and another 10week-old puppy, Freda IV. Katie is much larger than Freda, but anyone can see that the pintsized puppy makes up for ter small stature with her energetic, playful personality. She likes to initiate toy tug-of-war games with Katie in Hayduk’s kitchen.
Hayduk said puppy raisers teach the dogs 30 core commands they may need during their service. Although they are obedient and perform commands when she calls them out, the labs roll around in the floor and behave like any other pets when they have leisure time.
The two gregarious puppies also have canine companions on the large farm. Hayduk has two border collies and describes herself as a dog lover. She trains horses and explained that her flexible schedule allows her to spend as much time as possible with the puppies, which makes training much easier.
Hayduk cited an average expense of $2,000 to $3,000 finraising a puppy, but said the Middleburg Animal Hospital and Journeyman Saddlery donated supplies and services to help with her finances. She said there are resources and mentors involved with the program that can make the process much eas
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