The Hawk Eye Newspaper

In Training
By Gretchen Cleland
The Hawk Eye

Danville - When Bob and Margie Sink began breeding Labrador retrievers sever years ago, they had no idea how bid their operation would become.

The Sink's breeding business, Jimtown Kennels, located just west of Danville began simply enough when a friend of Bob Sink offered him the pick of a litter produced by his dog Bud and a chocolate female lab.  Bob Sink, who'd always wanted a chocolate lab he could train as a hunting dog, was thrilled with the offer.

But when the litter arrived, there were no chocolate labs, only black and yellow.  Sink told his wife he'd decided to pass on his friend's offer.

But Margie Sink was partial to yellow labs and urged Bob to take one.  After his friend insisted the dogs excellent pedigree and distinguished bloodline were not to be passed up, Sink relented and picked out the largest yellow lab of the bunch to bring home to the Sink's house on 145th St.  They named the pup Weiser, a play on the pup's father's name, Bud.

A year after they brought Weiser home, the Sinks purchased Hannah, a female lab to breed with Weiser.  Weiser and Hannah produced their first litter and the Weiser legacy was born.

The Sinks didn't know then that one of Weiser's pups would become a search and rescue dog in Iowa.  Another Weiser pup is a drug dog for a police department in Illinois.  And Frank Lorenzo, the former CEO of Continental Airlines, flew Margie Sink to New Jersey to deliver one of Weiser's pups.

Now yet another of Weiser's pups is preparing to take on an important role.

On Saturday, the Sink's traveled to Cedar Rapids airport to pick up Sister Theresa Lynch, a nun from Los Angeles.  Lynch, a member of the Sister of Saint Joseph, flew to Iowa to pick up one of Weiser's newest puppies, an 8-week-old black Lab that Lynch will call Levi.  Lynch found the Sinks through an ad in Dog World magazine.

While many people may find it strange for someone to fly halfway across the country for a dog, the Sinks find it quite normal because it's been happening to them for seven years.

"Everyone wants a Weiser pup," Margie Sink said.

Weiser, who has sired 70 puppies in this six years on the job, isn't the only sire at Jimtown Kennels.  There are two other male Labs with equally distinguished bloodlines who share duties breeding with the six female Labs at Jimtown Kennels.  But Weiser pups are highest in demand because they are at the same time mellow pets and high-performing hunting dogs.

"Weiser comes from a long line of field champions and is a natural at obedience," Bob Sink said. "The same is true for his pups."

But Sister Teresa won't be training Levi to be a hunting dog.  She'll be taking him to a women's prison in Corona, Ca., where he'll be trained to assist the disabled as part of a program called Canine Support Teams.

Canine Support Teams, a non-profit organization that provides specially trained dogs free of charge to people with physical disabilities other than blindness, has been operating in California for a number of years, but Levi will be one of the first dogs to be trained for the program by prison inmates.

Lynch said she applied to begin the prison training program after watching a Lifetime television movie called "Within These Walls."  The movie was based on the story of Sister Pauline Quinn, a nun who started a similar program in Maine.

"I called her as soon as the movie was over to tell her I wanted to get this started in California," Lynch said.

So Quinn began e-mailing John Dovey, the warden at the Corona prison, and eventually flew in California for a visit with Lynch, Dovey and Carol Roquemore, the wheelchair-bound founder and CEO of Canine Support Systems, Denise Perry, CST's lead trainer.

Now, months later, Lynch has the go-ahead to start the program.  Levi, who the Sinks donated to the program, is one of four dogs that will be the first graduates of the prison training program.

The dogs, all golden or Labrador retrievers, will live in the prison for two years where they will be trained by selected inmates with the help of Lynch and Perry.  More than 400 inmates at the women's prison have applied to be trainers.

"These dogs break down barriers for the disabled," Lynch said.  "Not only because of what they can do for them, but because instead of just seeing a disabled person, people see their dog first and strike up a conversation."

Lynch said the program also is a benefit to the Corona inmates, no only because training the dogs will give them a life skill should they be released from prison, but also because of the emotional bond a relationship with a dog creates.  During Quinn and Roquemore's visit to the prison, they brought dogs with them, including Roquemore's own dog, Marty.  Lynch said many of the inmates cried as they held and played with the dogs.

"A lot of these women don't have love in their life, but these dogs offer unconditional love," Lynch said. "This program is so effective with inmates because it creates an emotional transformation.  The rate of inmates involved dog programs in prison of ever returning to prison is zero."

Margie Sink said it warms her heart to know Levi will be doing such good on so many levels.

"It amazes me they're going to train him to turn on lights, pull a wheelchair, retrieve things that are out of reach, open the refrigerator.... it's wonderful," Sink said.