Triangle area’s only assistance dog organization to hold open house

Eyes Ears Nose and Paws will hold an open house with training demonstrations on Saturday, Feb. 18, from noon until 2 pm. Members of the public are invited to come to EENP’s training facility at 209 Lloyd St., Suite 320, in Carrboro to learn more about how EENP’s assistance dogs change the lives of individuals with disabilities.
The open house is an opportunity to get to know this young assistance dog organization. Demonstrations from our dogs-in-training will happen at 12:30 and 1:30 pm. Visitors will get to meet some of our dogs in training; see our training facility; talk to staff, Board members, and volunteers; and learn about our client placements, volunteer opportunities and how to become involved.
Eyes Ears Nose and Paws was started in 2008 to make assistance dogs more available to local residents and remains the only nonprofit assistance dog organization in the Triangle area. According to Executive Director Maria Ikenberry, “nationally, there is a two-to-four year waiting list to receive a service dog, and it can be nearly impossible for NC residents to get a diabetic assistance dog that has been trained by an organization.”
Kayley Thorpe was partnered with her EENP service dog Mack in August 2011, and she recently said, “Mack and I are in our second semester of high school together. I am doing so much with him that I could never do without him.”
EENP placed its first two dogs with clients in August 2010 and made a third placement in August 2011. The group has nine dogs currently in training to become assistance dogs and is planning the next public graduation ceremony for June 23. It takes up to two years to train an assistance dog.
For additional information, contact Maria Ikenberry, Eyes Ears Nose and Paws, 209 Lloyd St., Suite 320, in Carrboro; (919) 926- 0457; maria@eenp.org.
Eyes Ears Nose and Paws trains and places assistance dogs with individuals with disabilities. Diabetic assistance dogs use their noses to detect changes in blood sugar and alert their human diabetic partners before those changes become dangerous. Service dogs assist with a variety of tasks for individuals with mobility impairments. These tasks include opening doors, retrieving dropped items, flipping light switches and helping with balance. EENP was started in 2008 as the first assistance dog organization in the Triangle area, with the intent of making assistance dogs more available for local residents.