Fidelco Presentation - Windsor Woman's Club

The Windsor Woman’s Clubs January meeting began with an interesting and entertaining presentation by Ken Whiting and retired Fidelco dog, “Ollie”. The members learned that Ollie had been fostered by the Whiting family and returned to them upon her retirement.

The dogs are trained by foster families in common obedience commands, exposes them to people, sights, sounds and smells that they will have to ignore when they are “working”, but as fosters, can investigate and satisfy their curiosity. At four months of age, the dogs receive their red working dog jacket. This gives them access to most buildings and businesses that their final recipient may need to enter and navigate. When 18 months old, the dogs begin their formal training to become a working dog. This can be an emotional time for the foster family - most are eager to take on a new foster. During this time, the Whitings had an opportunity to observe Ollie, in training, hoping to do so without her being aware of their presence - but that didn’t go very well; her nose knew they were nearby and immediately went on the hunt to find them. It was a nice reunion and then, it was back to training for Ollie. At 24 months of age, the dogs go to their recipient - after a 2 week “get acquainted” time period where the In Community Placement Fidelco Dog employee helps the recipient and the dog become comfortable with each other. This is a very critical time for the dog and recipient, the volunteer needs to make sure both are comfortable with each other and are not at all hesitant in any of their interactions.

During the Q&A period, Ken advised that foster families are not reimbursed for their expenses. When his family began fostering, the food had to be purchased from Fidelco; fosters no longer need to do this, they just need to make sure the ingredients meet Fidelco’s strict dietary requirements. Any vet bills while the dog is being fostered are paid by Fidelco; now that Ollie is retired, they are not.

The Windsor Woman’s Club is part of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. The GFWC, started in New York in 1890, GFWC is distinguished from other service organizations by the breadth of our outreach. Our programs span all areas of the lives of our members, their families, and communities.

Please go to our webpage: gfwcwindsorwomansclub.orgprt; (for easier access, scan this QR code with your “smartphone”),or our Facebook page (GFWC Windsor Woman’s Club of Connecticut). Twitter users, type #GFWCWWC@WindsorCTWC to learn about the club’s activities. If you prefer the human touch, call 860-219-1185.

Picture caption: Ken Whiting getting and keeping Ollie’s attention.