Breeding more than puppy love Aug 15, 2007
Cayden, the black labradoodle who joined Moehlman's canine family when he was 9 weeks old as part of the Service Dogs for Self-Reliance Good Puppy Academics Program, has learned how to pull a wheelchair, open and close doors and retrieve items ... "He has her as a companion to attend all of his therapy with. She helps him in public to give him independence. It's work, but the rewards are so great for both my son and the dog."In June, the Badillas took in Nova Celeste, an 8-month-old miniature... (Fresno Bee -- Lifestyle)
In the Ring with the World's Youngest Bullfighter Aug 7, 2007
"But if I don't turn just right when a bull is charging at me--that's more exciting." No exact box-office figures are available, but experts like bullfighting writer Juan Antonio de Labra say kid toreros are raising formerly flat attendance at many of Mexico's 300 bullrings. "When a youth has such amazing talent, be it bullfighting or golf," says De Labra, "it's good for the show." The revival comes as welcome news to Aguascalientes, an otherwise quiet provincial capital where bullfighting has... (Time.com)
Clinics 'adopts' families for Christmas Dec 25, 2006
Carmela Munoz from the Vista Community Clinic, right, presents Christmas gifts to Carla Labra, 2, and her sister Ariana, 5, as their mother, Angelica Chavez, watches at their Vista home Tuesday ... The father, Juan Labra, earns the family's entire income, making as much as he can by flipping burgers and cleaning bathrooms at a fast-food joint ... But this Christmas morning, there were packages under the tree, thanks to donations by staffers at the Vista Community Clinic who "adopted" 12 families... (North County Times)
Christian Labra speaks to Pawling High Honor Society Jun 2, 2006
Labra received an enthusiastic standing ovation from the auditorium full of the entire student body, as he completed his keynote speech at the induction ceremony for the Mary F. Taber Chapter of the National Honor Society at Pawling High School on May 26 ... Labra is a captain in the U.S. Army, and he has been accepted to study medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda Maryland. (Pawling News Chronicle, NY)
OK, BOY: HEAL! May 28, 2006
" Joey came from the famous Australian kennel Tegan Park, which created the labradoodle as a nonshedding guide dog for blind people with allergies. But instead of working as a guide dog, Joey lends a paw as a therapy dog. Certified in pet-assisted therapy by the Good Dog Foundation, Joey and Dr. Strauss make weekly visits to patients at Mount Sinai, where the doctor is chief of orthopedic trauma and reconstructive surgery. The hospital ID attached to the dog's collar reads, "Joey Strauss,... (New York Post -- Living)
