Service Dog of the Year - 2007

A service dog from Laurel, Maryland was awarded the Omega Tau Sigma "Service Dog of the Year" award during recent ceremonies held during the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine's annual "Open House" on the Virginia Tech campus.

"Judge," a 3-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever trained and placed by "Fidos for Freedom" was honored for 2007.

Judge is the first service dog for Roberta "Bert" Shipp, who requires help with balance and retrieving things she has dropped.

In her nomination, Shipp explained how Judge has made her life easier. Judge not only assists with Shipp's balance, but also helps her remove her coat and shoes at the end of the day and helps her get up when she has fallen.

Shipp recalled one particular incident when her "canine angel" tugged her ten feet to her front porch after she had slipped on ice.

"Sharing my life with Judge has removed many barriers to my independence," wrote Shipp. "No more meaningful relationship exists then between me and my ever faithful companion, Judge."

The Omega Tau Sigma service organization at the VMRCVM and the St. Francis of Assisi Service Dog Organization annually recognize the dog of the year from a field that includes police dogs, search and rescue dogs, and assistance dogs.

The award honors Booker, a service dog that was named the American Animal Hospital Association's Service dog of the Year in 1988. Booker was owned by and worked with Carol Willoughby of Roanoke. Willoughby is the founder of the St. Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation.