DogFest Walk ’n’ Roll to offer fun, funds to provide assistance dogs

By JESSICA D’AMICO
Staff Writer

 Javier Robles with Delbert, his assistance dog. Robles, an advocate for people with disabilities, is one of the top fundraisers in the Oct. 11 Candine Companions DogFest Walk’n’Roll to be held in Roosevelt Park. Javier Robles with Delbert, his assistance dog. Robles, an advocate for people with disabilities, is one of the top fundraisers in the Oct. 11 Candine Companions DogFest Walk’n’Roll to be held in Roosevelt Park. Javier Robles knows firsthand how important assistance dogs are to those with disabilities.

Delbert, his third assistance dog provided free of charge from Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), knows, too.

So it’s no wonder that the Edison resident is among the top three fundraisers for the upcoming Canine Companions DogFest Walk ’n’ Roll that is set for Oct. 11 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Roosevelt Park.

“It’s … great to help fundraise for something that’s going to help somebody become independent,” said Robles, who is a board member for CCI.

It has been a long road toward independence for Robles, who became a C5 quadriplegic after an accident when he was 16.

Determined not to let his disability hold back his life plans, Robles went on to become a Juris Doctor graduate of Seton Hall Law School and a graduate of Rutgers University, where he serves as an adjunct professor at Cook College’s Department of Exercise Science and Sport Studies.

A leader in advocating for others with disabilities, Robles previously served as deputy director of the state Division of Disability Services, among other roles. Still, Robles requires the help an assistance dog offers, he said.

“Anything I drop, I can’t pick it up,” he said. “Delbert can pick it up for me.”

Picking up items is only one of the roughly 50 commands Delbert, and other dogs like him, carry out each day for their human companions. Robles said Delbert also knows how to fetch things from the refrigerator and open doors, among other tasks.

“With a service dog, they’re not only there to … love you and do what any other dog would do,” he said, adding that assistance dogs know that providing help to their companion is their job. “It’s a very special bond.”

Forming such bonds is at the heart of CCI’s work. With locations throughout the country, the nonprofit organization breeds Labrador retrievers and golden retrievers for the purpose of becoming assistance dogs. The pups are born at the homes of volunteer breeder caretakers, who provide permanent homes for breeder dogs and care for newborn pups until they are 8 weeks old.

Volunteer puppy raisers take the dogs into their homes for about 16 months, teaching them a multitude of commands.

“One of the things that really drives an organization is volunteers like that,” Robles said. “They’re really amazing.”

Depending on a dog’s strengths, CCI places them in one of four capacities — as a service dog for adults with disabilities; as a skilled companion for children and adults with emotional, developmental or physical disabilities; as a hearing dog; or as a facility dog, helping professionals by advancing healing and providing therapy, according to John Bentzinger, a spokesman for CCI.

Once a puppy is raised, it moves on to six to nine months of professional training in one of CCI’s six centers nationwide. After that, successful dogs are ready to be matched with a human partner.

Once matched, the pair takes part in a two-week training to learn how to work together.

Despite Robles having been through the process twice before, his training with Delbert was no walk in the park.

“They’re constantly updating commands and updating things that work and don’t work,” he said. “So it’s pretty difficult but at the end of two weeks, it’s worth it.” Robles’ wife Amy attended the training with him, learning alongside him. Only four of every 10 dogs make it through the rigorous training as graduates, according to CCI.

The whole process costs $40,000 to $50,000, but the dogs — and the lifetime of follow-up support services from CCI — are provided to those who need them at no cost. According to Robles, the organization’s costs have grown as it has expanded.

That’s precisely why he and others are seeking to raise funds and awareness for the organization through the DogFest Walk ’n’ Roll.

“We’re expecting a pretty decent crowd for our first year,” Robles said. “Anybody can participate; you can bring your dog if you have a dog.”

While the Walk ’n’ Roll is a 5k, there’s no pressure to make it to the finish line.

“If people want to do half of that, that’s fine,” Robles said.

Individuals and teams are welcome to register in advance or on the day of the event. Those who raise $100 or more will receive a DogFest bandanna.

Attendees and their canine pals will also have plenty of other activities in which to take part, like a Doggie Costume Contest, agility course, trainer demonstrations and face painting.

And while assistance dogs typically can’t be petted while they’re working, the DogFest will be an exception, according to Robles.

“It will be the one time when you can actually pet and interact with them,” he said. “So it will be a good opportunity for the public.”

Robles explained that assistance dogs are cognizant of when they’re working and not working, mostly determined by whether or not they’re wearing their capes.

“When we get Delbert home and take his cape off, he’s like, ‘I’m out of here,’” Robles said. “At the end of the day, they’re still dogs.”

But to Robles and others with disabilities, they are also so much more.

To learn more about DogFest Walk ’n’ Roll, visit cci.org/dogfestnewjersey. For more information about CCI, visit www.cci.org or call 1-800-572-BARK.