Introducing the Gabby Jack Ranch, Service Companions

[Jacque Reynolds]

GABBY JACK RANCH SERVICE COMPANIONS is ready for prime time! I have hinted for some time about a non-profit business that I would be launching and the time has finally come to introduce you to it. I’d like to walk you through the various aspects of the business focusing on where we are today and where we want to be in the future.

First and foremost, we are a non-profit dependent on volunteers to maintain momentum for day-to-day activities and on grants and sponsorships to sustain Gabby Jack Ranch today; and to follow our dreams into the future! Please join me on a tour of Gabby Jack Ranch Service companions and please give me feedback and ideas. And of course, you are welcome to become a part of Gabby Jack Ranch by participating at any level you are able!

I’m going to give you a brief business overview and I invite you to visit our Website: http://www.GabbyJackRanch.org.

Our logo and our Website were designed by Goodchap Brand Identity, http://www.goodchap.com. I would like to extend a heart-felt thank you to James Goodchap for all the time and creativity he devoted to create our very special logo and tag line--I hope you love them as much as I do!!--[and to give our Website such a warm and special look!

And I would like to thank Tim Robb, http://www.practicaluse.net and Rishi Jain for adding the technology to turn James’ design into a functioning Website! And I want to acknowledge two very special “forum” friends who are part of our Board of Directors, Diane Magetts and Vicky Lentz.--We will be adding a special "Thank You" page to our Website to recognize all the wonderful help that keeps coming in!

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About Gabby Jack Ranch Service Companions

Gabby Jack Ranch Service Companions matches people--children and adults in need of physical, social or emotional assistance and encouragement--with a Labradoodle or Goldendoodle puppy that they raise and train, with the assistance of Gabby Jack Ranch staff, into a service dog that meets their unique and specific needs.

We believe that the Gabby Jack Ranch program is different from conventional service dog programs on many levels:

• We plan to combine in-home training with innovative on-line assisted training, using such technologies as Webcams, for regularly scheduled training sessions and to immediately address training or behavior issues.

• Our program recognizes social and emotional needs equally with physical needs.

• We recognize that a training program needs to address unique life circumstances, such as native languages.

• Our program values the dogs' natural instincts, and will only temper these instincts when necessary.

We see dogs as equal partners in the program. Our clients rely upon their dog, and the dog relies upon the client—we call this interdependence.

And, very near to my heart, we provide all of our dogs with a sanctuary for life, should they ever need it.

Because of these unique program characteristics, we believe we can provide more dogs to more people for less money. Our dogs will be made available, to anyone meeting our need criteria, at a sliding scale fee based on financial need . . . No one needing a dog will be denied a dog, restricted only by puppy availability . . . but to achieve this very important goal, we are reliant upon the generosity of businesses and individuals for donations and financial contributions.

We also need volunteer help. We have gotten where we are today based on the help of others, and we need more help to move our program forward.

We are in need of people with special skills, for example skills in information technology for continued Web development and to help develop and implement our online training component. We are looking locally for trainers, but we can also use people with training experience to contribute ideas for our online training program and to potentially be a part of our virtual online training community. We need people to help promote our program to potential business sponsors and people with writing skills to help us secure grants. As you can well imagine, our needs are as endless as your valuable ideas.

We have already had tremendous help from advisors that have taken a special interest in Gabby Jack Ranch. Foremost among our advisors is Dr. Barbara O’Conner, Professor of Communications, CSU, Sacramento. Barbara continues to work with us on every aspect of the business. And, most recently, she was instrumental in getting Gabby Jack Ranch accepted as a “client” for an advanced communications class project at CSUS beginning this spring. The class will take Gabby Jack Ranch on as a client and act as our “Public Relations Agency”. They will assist us in:

• developing and implementing a strategic public relations plan;

• producing targeted messages the media; and, based on our specific needs,

• negotiating contracts, maintaining client relations, and developing timelines and budgets
I would sincerely appreciate if you could help spread the word about Gabby Jack Ranch. I have set up a PayPal account and made this option available through our Website. Any level of donation will be very, very appreciated.

--I am very excited about this unique opportunity and I am thrilled to finally be launching Gabby Jack Service companions and invite you to stay with us as Gabby Jack Ranch grows!

Jac

[Kathy Wilson]

LOVE what you do, Jac! Hope I can donate puppies in the future!