Yogi’s Assistance Is Helpful For Harold

[Baby Dragon]

HE MAY look like your average labrador but Yogi the assistance dog has an important role to play for Caulfield North resident Harold Hartfield.

The two-year-old can fetch the newspaper and cordless phone, turn off light switches and close doors for Mr Hartfield, who has been in a wheelchair since a car accident 16 years ago.

He is also trained to bark in emergencies to raise the alarm.

But above all, Yogi is a great companion.

Mr Hartfield, 60, found Yogi through Assistance Dogs Australia, a non-profit organisation that trains labradors and golden retrievers to give independence to people with physical disabilities.

He said they were bonding nicely.

“It does take a little while but he’s just a wonderful dog,” Mr Hartfield said.

“When I take him to (Caulfield) park he loves other dogs and people.

“He’s a bundle of energy.”

Mr Hartfield’s first assistance dog Lani, also a golden labrador, died last March.

Yogi was trained by men in Kirkconnell Correctional Centre in Bathurst for the first 18 months of his life as part of the Pups in Prison program.

ADA spokeswoman Krystina Pecorari said not only was Yogi helping Mr Hartfield but he’d also helped men at the correctional facility.

“He’s made an impact on more than one person’s life,” she said.

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