Breeders
NSD Liberty
Woof! Woof!
(Hello!)
Breed: Labrador Retriever
Gender: Female
Date of Birth: March 25, 2021
Sire: PADS Robbie
Dam: PADS Devon
Litter: Donation
Breeder Sponsor: Friends and Family of the Ottawa Police Service
Volunteer Team: Nadia Mohamed and John Challinor, Marilyn Nijboer, Kathryne McIntyre
Sponser Future NSD Puppies
Help Our Service Dogs Change Lives
Donate
At NSD, we do not receive any government funding to support our mission. Instead, we rely entirely on the generous support of individual donors, community partners, corporate sponsors, service clubs, and through annual fundraising events.
Help us empower people to achieve their full potential. Show your support and donate today.
Volunteer
NSD would not exist without the tireless efforts of our dedicated volunteers. Their commitment to our mission and the individuals we serve is truly inspiring, and we are honoured to have them as part of our family.
If you are interested in joining our outstanding team of volunteers, we encourage you to submit an application.
Liberty's Updates
July 2021
Liberty has been doing very well with her foundational skills. She is eager to work and learn. She has tons of energy and is working on channelling that into positive behaviours. Once she learns a new skill, she loves to rock it all the time always (like her sits, downs and eye contact). We are excited to see how she continues to progress!
September 2021
Liberty has been making great strides in her training. She is getting more and more comfortable with public outings and she is a very social dog and loves to meet animals and people when she has the chance. We are very much enjoying working with Liberty and getting to see her progress.
March 2022
Liberty has come leaps and bounds. She is a hyper pup with lots of love and cuddles to give. We are still working on accepting pets from strangers while keeping our cool (how can she stay calm when it’s so exciting!). Liberty has really improved with her loose leash walking. She is eager to learn and loves training sessions.
May 2022
Liberty is the sweetest girl. She loves everyone she meets – adults, kids, animals. She is very social. Liberty has been coming to the office a ton (see picture) and is doing so well. We are so proud of her. We are continuing to work on her excitability. Her socialness is her biggest strength and her tricky spot :), but we know she will continue to mature and develop her working skills.
September 2022
Liberty is progressing nicely with all of her skills, although we are working on showing less enthusiasm when greeting new friends. Liberty loves walks, visiting the local market and walking with the neighbourhood children to school.
August 2023
We are pleased to welcome Liberty into our breeding program!
October 2023
Liberty welcomed 3 healthy girls on October 6th with LFCDG Calder. They will be the R litter.
Everything You Need to Know
Program
Health Clearances
Volunteer
Ensuring Access to Quality Dogs
Since 2019, NSD has been a member of the Assistance Dogs International Breeding Cooperative (IBC). As part of this partnership, NSD also utilizes and is a member of the International Working Dog Registry (IWDR).
All IBC members track their dog’s health, training and placement data through the database across the life of the dog. This data informs our breeding decisions by allowing us to review in depth background information on a potential breeder’s:
- Year over year health; including the health of their siblings, parents and offspring
- Temperament testing and training assessments; including the number of puppies produced to successful deployment by them, their parents, siblings and offspring
- Placement ratios by program type (i.e Autism, PTSD, Hearing, Facility etc)
- Possible mates: using Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs), we can match dogs online to see their estimated production values for hip and elbow health, eye health, and genetic disorders
Breeder Health Clearances
- Annual eye exams with a board certified ophthalmologist (including post-retirement)
- Penn Hip screening with a certified Penn Hip veterinarian
- OFA Elbow screening
- Echocardiogram with a board certified cardiologist
- Genetic screening
- Breeding soundness exam with a reproduction veterinarian
- Temperament screening with qualified NSD training and breeding team members
Become a Breeder Caretaker
Provide a loving environment for a breeding dog in between litters. As a Breeder Caretaker, you get to help the next generation of Service Dogs begin their journey. In this role, you welcome a breeding dog into your home and provide a safe and loving environment in between litters. You bring the dog to all of their appointments and care for them until retirement from the breeding program; females typically retire after 4-5 litters or at 6 years old. Preferably, Breeder Caretakers for female dogs also welcome litters of puppies! With support from staff and our whelping program, you would host the litter of puppies for about 7 weeks. This includes keeping the puppies’ area clean and stimulating for both mom and her puppies. The main goal at this stage is to care for and socialize the puppies until they are ready to start training with their Puppy Raisers. As a Breeder Caretaker, you are the first step in raising confident Service Dogs. A volunteer must:
- have a flexible schedule
- live within 45 minutes of NSD (1286 Cedar Creek Rd)
- have no children under the age of 5 living in the house
- have a maximum of 2 dogs in their home that are over one year of age