The Good Life – September-October 2018

LOCAL HERO | PATRIOT ASSISTANCE DOGS
A LIFE OF SERVICE
PATRIOT ASSISTANCE DOGS OFFERS HOPE AND HELP
FOR DOGS AND VETS
HHad it not been for
her daughter’s idea for
a 4H project, Linda
Wiedewitsch may
never have ended up
in the profession of
training dogs to serve others.
Twenty years ago, her daughter Laura
wanted to raise a puppy to become a
service dog for the blind. Soon after,
her other daughter Jess decided to
raise a service dog as well, and just
like that, Wiedewitsch was “hopelessly
hooked”, and the seeds for Patriot
Assistance Dogs were planted.
But she didn’t start right away.
Wiedewitsch, who’s originally from
Detroit Lakes, spent 31 years in law
enforcement in Minnesota. After
retiring in 2006, she decided to turn
a hobby into a retirement job and
opened Lucky Dog Boarding and
Training Center.
>
“I just love dogs, and I enjoy helping
people learn about their dogs and how
to handle their dogs,” she said.
After opening the kennel, she received
a request to assist with training
a seizure alert dog. Then another
request. Then another. One request
involved training a service dog to assist
a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) patient. She’s also assisted in
training dogs for hearing, for children
on the autism spectrum, mobility.
WRITTEN BY: DANIELLE TEIGEN • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA
30 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com