Fidelco client SSgt Michael Malarsie, USAF (Ret) with his Fidelco Guide Dog “Xxon”

Heroes will again be honored at the fourth annual Ride for Independence to benefit the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation in Bloomfield, Connecticut on Sunday, July 20th. This family-friendly motorcycle fundraiser celebrates the freedom and independence that Fidelco Guide Dogs bring to men and women who are blind across North America, especially blinded military personnel.

The family-friendly event begins and ends at Fidelcos beautiful Bloomfield campus. Riders enjoy a scenic, police-escorted 50 mile route through the Farmington Valley and return to Fidelco for a gourmet barbeque lunch by Black Eyed Sallys, a live concert by the Southern rock band SHOVELHEAD and more. Non-riders are encouraged to attend to cheer on the riders and enjoy lunch, vendors, entertainment, on-site K-9 demonstrations and Fidelco puppy visits.

The 2014 Ride for Independence Grand Marshal is a blinded military hero and Fidelco client, Staff Sergeant Michael Malarsie, USAF (Ret). Malarsie was blinded in an IED attack while serving in Afghanistan in 2010. One year later, with his Fidelco Guide Dog Xxon leading the way, Michael returned to work as the only blind airman on active duty in the Air Force.

Fidelcos Field of Flags — a tribute featuring more than 500 American flags planted in honor of fallen military heroes, first responders, veterans and personal heroes — will be on display. For a $ 10 donation, a flag will be added to the Field of Flags on the day of the event or online at http://www.fidelco.org/honoryourheroes.

WHO: Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, blinded military hero SSgt Michael Malarsie (interviews available) WHAT: 2014 Ride for Independence motorcycle event to benefit Fidelco WHEN: Sunday, July 20, 2014; Registration 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; ride leaves at noon, lunch served at 1:30; K-9 demos all day Day-of registration: $ 40/bike (includes passenger) Non-rider: $ 15 each (includes lunch) WHERE: Fidelco, 103 Vision Way (formerly Old Iron Ore Road), Bloomfield, CT 06002 WHY: To support Fidelcos mission of promoting increased freedom and independence to men and women who are blind, especially blinded military personnel, by providing them the highest quality German Shepherd Guide Dogs

ABOUT SSGT MALARSIE: On January 3, 2010, in the remote mountains of Afghanistan, then-Senior Airman Michael Malarsie was blinded and severely wounded by a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) that killed four team members and blew him off a bridge. Blinded and broken, Michael stayed in the fight loading ammunition for his comrades. He was later awarded the Bronze Star with Valor for heroism on the battlefield.

Exactly one year later, following months of determined rehabilitation and painful facial surgeries, Michael was partnered with his Fidelco Guide Dog Xxon. Michael returned to active duty status as the only blind airman serving in the United States Air Force, leading a Wounded Airman Recovering Mentorship Program to help other wounded veterans transition to civilian life.

About Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation The Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Bloomfield, CT. Fidelco is an internationally accredited organization and an admired expert throughout the world for its highly valued German Shepherd Guide Dogs.

Each Fidelco Guide Dog takes two years, 15,000 hands-on hours and $ 45,000 to produce. They are given to clients at no cost. Fidelco provides 24/7 client support for the entire working life of its guide dogs typically 10 years. Fidelco relies solely on the generosity and financial support of individuals, foundations, corporations and civic organizations to help Share the Vision.

Fidelco has trained and placed over 1,350 German Shepherd Guide Dogs throughout North America in 41 states and five Canadian provinces. Fidelco pioneered In-Community Placement in the United States a process that allows all guide dog users to be trained in the communities where they live and work.

Fidelco also has placed hundreds of its German Shepherd Dogs with law enforcement agencies, first responders, search and rescue, and missing child recovery organizations to help protect our fellow citizens and keep our communities safe.

For more information, please visit http://www.fidelco.org or like us on Facebook at facebook.com/fidelcoguidedog

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Pets are always special to us. Dogs are the most wonderful pets that a person can have. There are certain qualities in this animal which attracts our attention and makes us love them more.

When you decide to keep a pet in your house you need to make sure that you train him. Without proper training the dog would not be able to perform his tasks and might even make your home dirty.

There are certain commands for the dogs which helps them to understand what they ought to do at that point of time. Your dog might be a good and obedient pet who listens to all your commands. But one day suddenly he might pretend to turn deaf to your commands and start ignoring you.

It can be quite frustrating to deal with a dog that is unruly. People who love their dogs more than anything might also find it quite irritating when the dogs start ignoring all his words and only stares at him.

At this point of time you need to find a plan which will help you turn your dog to the obedient pet once again. First of all it is important to find out the reason why your pet is ignoring your commands.

Some of these reasons are intentional while others are unintentional. People who want their dogs to be obedient cannot tolerate the ignorance of the dogs and hence they get angry and scold them.

This can have an adverse effect on the dog and he might turn out to be more disobedient. Your dog might refuse to hear your command just because he does not understand them.

If you want to teach a command you need to repeat it in short training sessions. Always make sure that he has grasped a particular command before you move to a new one. Once he gets one command right give him some rewards.

You need to make sure that your voice is firm while giving the command and it must not vary every time. Some of the common commands for dogs are sit, come, and play and so on.

One of the most important training which must be given is to go out for toilets. You can start the training with the command sit and then move over to lie down and finally over to the tough ones. Try not to begin with the tough commands.

For those of you interested in using this CRM system, you should know that a SalesLogix training can and will be organized. By attending the training, you have the opportunity to discover what CRM is all about and learn how to use it inside your company, only to increase your productivity and level of efficiency.

If you have decided on the CRM training, you should know that there are different opportunities available. First of all, you can choose between onsite and online group SalesLogix training, or between onsite and online one-to-one CRM training. The last option will be to discuss matters with a trainer over the phone, asking the questions you want and refreshing your memory about this CRM software. The advantages of going through such trainings are numerous but they are certainly related to making you more aware of the concept of business productivity.

For example, by learning how to use the CRM program, you can increase the quality of the data that flows through your organization, increasing the level of accuracy. New technologies are on the rise and concepts like sales force automation are becoming essential. The SalesLogix training is trying to bring you up-to-date with new technologies, so that you know the benefits of using the sales forecasting software and also learn how to use SalesLogix in the context of your own business. Its not for nothing that the training is so well organized, presenting so much information, as these are the requirements of the present day.

As it was already mentioned, you can attend the CRM training as part of a group or as an individual, discussing things personally with a trainer. The second version is preferred by a lot of people who are interested in the SalesLogix training, as they are often too shy in order to ask the questions they want within a group. As for the training, you should know that there are two types of training offered for SalesLogix. The first is recommended to beginners, introducing them to the CRM software and presenting the way the program should be used. The second is for advanced users, people who want to discover new things about SalesLogix and perhaps understand the latest updates.

The last type offered is the refresher training, a special type of training which is organized for those who have already completed the SalesLogix training. This is just to refresh peoples memory, to make sure that the basic notions have been understood and that no uncertainties have appeared on the horizon. Regardless of the type of training that you decide to attend, it is guaranteed that you will discover lots of useful information, information that you will be able to use in the future, in order to increase the level of productivity and success in your organization. The CRM software will become a partner that you cannot work without.

Even the best dog in the world, a.k.a. your dog, will from time to time exhibit behavior that is unacceptable. The thing to keep in mind is that the bad behavior or bad habit is not done to annoy you. There is usually something specific that triggers the behavior. Finding out the cause of the unwanted behavior should be the first step. If the cause can be identified, you can begin training to change the unwanted behavior. Whether you want to get rid of bad behavior or just want your dog to learn something new, it will take some time, effort, and patience. Whatever the reason, training should be an enjoyable experience for you and your dog,

The earlier in your dogs life you start training the better. You can start training as early as 6 to 8 weeks and maybe even earlier. However, remember that dogs are intelligent and it is never too late to train your dog. Your dog needs strong but kind leadership. It is important that your dog always knows that you are the leader in this relationship.

Training Tips:

1. This is a learning experience for your dog but is also a time of bonding between you and your pet. The time you spend training your dog should be fun for both of you.

2. The training sessions should be fairly short, between 10 and 15 minutes. It is better to have short, frequent training sessions rather than long, infrequent ones.

3. Training should be a good experience for your dog so you should not use negative reinforcement. Determine whether food or praise is the more powerful reward for your dog. If food is the main motivator, try to schedule training sessions before meal time. If praise works better, try to train at a time when your dog is craving your attention.

4. Use short one or two word commands. A good place to start would be with some basic commands sit, stay, come, and heel. Reward your dog immediately after a correct response to make sure your dog makes the connection between correct behavior and reward. Gradually increase the amount of time your dog has to obey your command, for example, in the STAY position before you give a reward.

5. Initial training should be in a quiet place free from distractions. Once your dog has progressed, you may want to move the training to an environment with more distractions.

6. Use a leash when you start the training. As your dogs responses to your commands improve, continue to increase the length of the leash between you and your dog until your dog obeys your commands without using the leash.