Mr.Vitale has 2 service dogs named Darius and Jefferson that are golden retrievers, and his wife goes around to schools helping kids with both dogs.
There are many different types of service dogs. Some examples are guide dogs, hearing dogs, mobility assistance dogs, medical alerts dogs, and autism service dogs. There are also many different types of breeds. The most popular breeds are Labrador retriever and Golden retriever.
Mr.Vitale’s dogs have been getting trained since they were one year old. Dogs cannot start getting trained until they are one year old because of puppy claws. When the dogs are not in training they need to keep training at home so they become consistent.
Vitale’s dogs were in training for about 6 months. Even though they were finished training, he and his wife were constantly training. Different dogs have different amounts of time to get trained, but because of Vitale’s dog breed it was only 6 months.
Vitale said, “They are trained to do certain things both on and off the leash. Like stay, sit, and wait.”
He has had the dogs since they were puppies, which is usual with most service dogs. It is usual because most service dogs start the journey of helping people at a young age. Vitale’s dogs are 4 and 7 and both the same breed.
Darius and Jefferson actually have meanings behind both of their names. Jefferson is named after Thomas Jefferson who is a president who Mr.Vitale loves to learn about. Darius’s name comes from the music artist Daruis Rucker. Rucker is a lead singer in a band from the 90s and also a country singer that he and his wife both enjoy.
Before thinking of the idea of training his dogs to be service dogs, he just got the dogs to have in his family. Vitale and his wife both decided to start training, and ever since they have been going around to different schools giving back to the community. This process has been going on for 10 years now.
He isn’t just interested in golden retrievers, he also likes Burmese Mountain Dogs. Those dogs are also very famous for being service dogs but golden retrievers are more common. If he would ever get a new dog it would be a Burmese Mountain Dog.
Vitale and his wife trained the dogs all on their own. It could have taken up to 2 years, but since they were consistent it wasn’t as long. Daruis and Jefferson are trained to be on and off leash dogs. When his wife takes the dogs to schools, the dogs will be kept on a leash.
His wife comes to IMS on Discovery Day but doesn’t usually bring both dogs. Whenever Mr.Vitale is available he will also take the trip to an elementary school in the area to help out his wife. The dogs will help the students bring down stress and learn more about what service dogs like Darius and Jefferson do.
