By Emily Gilbert
Special to the News-Times
Tails wagged and eyes welled up during Summit Assistance Dogs’ recent graduation ceremony on July 19 — the first to be held at its new facility on Jones Road on North Whidbey. The event marked an emotional milestone for clients, volunteers and the dogs now ready to begin their lives as skilled assistance companions.
Based in Oak Harbor, Summit Assistance Dogs has trained and placed more than 130 assistance dogs with individuals living with disabilities, providing greater independence and daily support over the past two decades. Four dogs — Freya, Usher, Teal and Valko — graduated this month, each walking up to the stage alongside their human counterparts.
The dogs begin their journey with volunteer “puppy raisers” who foster them and teach them how to behave in the human world — like how to stay calm in grocery stores, ride in cars and navigate everyday human interactions. Once ready, the dogs transition to specialized training with Summit staff and begin working directly with clients to learn the specific skills needed to become full-fledged assistance dogs.
Graduation day marks the end of years of preparation and the start of a powerful partnership between dog and human.
“Ten years ago I had a different life; 10 years ago I was walking,” said Jon Palmason, who graduated alongside dog Valko. Palmason gradually lost his mobility due to muscular dystrophy and now uses a motorized wheelchair. Valko is his first assistance dog and has helped him live more independently — with the added joy of canine companionship.
“I didn’t realize how much we would fall in love with each other,” he said.
The event also celebrated a major organizational milestone: the near-completion of Summit’s new training campus, expected to be fully operational by the end of September.
“The biggest benefit to the facility is that we can now house and care for many more dogs than we could while relying entirely on foster homes and staff homes,” CEO Sue Meinzinger said. “This means we can gradually bring more and more dogs into our training program and increase the number of people in our community that we are serving.”
Meinzinger said the building was designed for maximum efficiency, with play yards connected directly to kennel suites, and grooming, laundry and food prep areas all easily accessible.
“Currently, we spend a lot of time coordinating various foster homes whenever our puppy raisers need a vacation break,” she said. “With the new building, we’ll have a place these dogs can come to.”
Looking ahead, Summit will expand its prison-based dog training program at Monroe Correctional Complex and begin reintroducing shelter dogs into its pipeline. The new facility was designed with an observation wing to allow staff to quarantine incoming dogs to make sure they’re healthy before joining the pack.
Summit is also preparing to offer more job and volunteer opportunities as interest grows.
“We look forward to becoming more and more a part of the Whidbey Island community,” Meinzinger said.
For more information or to get involved, visit summitdogs.org.
(Photo by Emily Gilbert) Volunteer puppy raiser Alana walks with an assistance dog-in-training through Summit Assistance Dogs’ new facility on Jones Road in North Whidbey.
(Photo by Emily Gilbert) Jon Palmason and dog Valko demonstrate how the canine can help with daily tasks — such as picking up dropped reading glasses — to help him live more independently. Summit Assistance Dogs staff trainer, Lindy Langum, right, worked with the pair to train Valko to be an assistance dog.
