Organization For Service Dogs

Honoring America’s Warriors, an Oklahoma City veteran organization, was awarded a portion of a $10 million dollar federal grant to provide placement and training of service dogs for disabled veterans.

The Wounded Warrior Service Dog Grant will be funded by congressional appropriations to the Department of Defense and the program is administered through the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

“It is heartbreaking that 20 veterans take their own lives each day,” said retired USAF Major General and HAW board president Rita Aragon. “We must do more to help those with physical, mental, and other service-connected forms of trauma”.

The service dogs are trained to help the veterans with things they may not be able to do because of a disability.

The dogs are able to pick things up, guide veterans with vision impairment, or help if they fall or lose balance easily.

1st Female Police Dog

San Bernardino has had nearly three dozen police service dogs since the Police Department’s K-9 Unit was established about 42 years ago. But for four decades, the department never had a single female police canine.

Until now. The Police Department recently welcomed K-9 Bella, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois from the Netherlands. She will be working to detect illegal narcotics as a member of the Narcotics Unit, according to a police news release.

K-9 Bella was certified last Friday after she and her handler finished a 120-hour training course on narcotic detention, as required by the state, the release read.

The police dog wasted no time putting her training to good use, helping officers find illegal drugs and recover money during a stop on the evening of her graduation.

“This was a great evening for K-9 Bella, as she already started her career with a find on her first shift,” Investigations Capt. Adam Affrunti said in the release. “I know she will be a great asset to our department and a huge benefit to our community.”

Since being established in 1978, the department’s K-9 unit has had 33 police service dogs, primarily consisting of working breeds such as Belgian Malinois, German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, Irish Wolfhounds, and American Bloodhounds.

Typically, law enforcement agencies choose males to serve as police dogs because of the high costs of female canines, as well as temperaments for breeding, the release stated.

“But K-9 Bella is here, and she is ready to serve San Bernardino!” police said.

When she’s off duty, K-9 Bella will be living with her handler and his family.

Stolen Service Dog Returned

A week ago, things were looking pretty grim for Bobby Linville. His van with his 8-month-old husky mix service dog inside had been stolen from a parking lot at the Oceanfront early in the morning Friday, June 12.

His dog, Baby Girl Blue, was nowhere to be found.

Our sister-station WAVY-TV met up with Linville Wednesday, June 17, so he could tell his story and make a public plea for help finding his service dog, which provides him with emotional and physical support.

“I don’t care about my van. My boss owns a car lot, I can get another vehicle. A vehicle is a dime a dozen, but my dog, you can’t replace that. My dog was my right-hand man or woman, you know what I’m saying? Like, my best friend, my everything, I’m trying not to cry as we speak,” he said as he spoke with WAVY’s Tamara Scott on Wednesday.

However, the story has a happy ending. On Friday, June 19, after a long week apart, the pair was reunited.

A Norfolk spokeswoman said Wednesday that a local shelter had custody of the dog.

Linville and Baby Girl Blue met back up in Virginia Beach just after 7 p.m. Friday.

Puppies In Coventry

Does looking after a puppy sound like the ideal way to spend the next 12 months? Then this dog charity could have the perfect job for you.

Dogs for Good is appealing for volunteers in Coventry  for ‘puppy socialisers’ to assist in training service dogs.

The charity provides highly trained assistance dogs to people with physical disabilities and families who have a child with autism.

They are looking for Warwickshire volunteers to look after a puppy for 12 to 16 months, and getting them used to everyday situations.

The role involves taking the pooch to supermarkets, on public transport and visiting restaurants after lockdown.

Puppy socialisers are also tasked with getting the puppy used to traffic, crossing roads, visiting crowded and rural areas – plus anything else they may encounter as a working dog.

The charity is searching for people with lots of time on their hands for the next year and a half to help with this vital training. Helen Townsend from Lighthorne, Warwickshire, started as a volunteer puppy socialiser with Dogs for Good and socialised six puppies.

She went on to become a full-time puppy socialising coordinator for the charity and looks after 31 puppies and their socialisers in the West Midlands.

She said: “There’s a real sense of pride when you see your dog that you’ve had from eight weeks going out and giving somebody independence. It just makes you really, really proud.

“During the first year of a puppy’s life you have all the fun and get the chance to meet lots of new people and find out what the charity is all about.

“It’s nice to feel you are part of the bigger family at Dogs for Good and to know you are doing something worthwhile. It’s also great to see the end result.”

Helen’s children were five and seven when she began puppy socialising but she says they always understood they couldn’t keep the puppies forever.

She added: “Socialising puppies has been a good life lesson for my children. They saw they were part of a bigger picture and felt good about doing something to help people who really need an assistance dog.”

“They loved the cute puppy stage but knew they would leave one day to become working dogs.

“We’ve always had other pet dogs so when the puppies left we had other dogs which made it easier for them.”

Although no experience is necessary, puppy socialisers are required to meet the following criteria:

You should live within one of Dogs for Good specified puppy scheme areas

You have a fully-fenced safe and secure garden

You are away from the puppy for no more than two hours (in the first few weeks) and four hours (for the remaining time you have the puppy) per day

Have no more than two existing pet dogs

Able to spend some time every day on activities to socialise the puppy

You are able to provide the puppy with regular contact with children, other dogs and cats.

Pensioner Jean Darlaston, from Sutton Coldfield has been socialising puppies for 24 years – and has just taken on her 20th pooch.

The 73-year-old said: “The house felt empty after my children went to university so when I found out about the puppy socialiser role I thought this is something I could do.

“It gave me a purpose in life, got my brain back into action, and keeps me active.

“Handing them back is never very nice but in your head it’s never your dog and you’re doing it to help someone else who needs them much more than you do.

“I really love doing it. I feel privileged to have these gorgeous puppies and to see them being partnered with people who really benefit from having them.”

Due to current social distancing rules Dogs for Good is unable to give its usual face-to-face support but they will need to conduct a home check via video link. Telephone and online support will also be available with videos to demonstrate certain activities.

Hearing Guide Dog

Shay’s suit has two components: a red vest with “Lion’s Foundation of Canada Dog Guides [LFCDG] Hearing Dog Guide” written on it and a head harness called a Halti. The Halti looks a bit like a muzzle but doesn’t prevent Shay from opening her mouth as widely as she wants. With the leash connected to the Halti and the collar, I can feel where Shay is turning her head even when I’m not looking at her. Thus, I am aware of her reacting to sounds beside and behind me—even when I cannot hear them—and this gives me a sense of security that I have not known since my first hearing loss when I was four years old.

Gaining more confidence in moving through the world is an aspect of having a Dog Guide that I never anticipated. Having coped with my disability since I was small, I thought I was fine. I did not realize how very constantly I was on the alert, always trying to use my other senses to compensate for the enormous gap where hearing ought to be. When I was a child, I saw a poster at the Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing that showed the words “Silence is golden.” “Golden” was crossed out and replaced with “lonely” and “isolating.” Even then, the truth of this correction struck me viscerally.

Since I learned to speak before my hearing loss (no hearing in my left ear, moderate to severe loss in my right ear), my voice does not reflect that loss. People therefore tend to assume the loss is minor and treat me accordingly, even when I tell them that I’m hearing impaired. Naturally, this leads to misunderstandings. Much more emotionally challenging for me, though, is the everyday experience of feeling excluded and isolated. For 55-odd years, I’ve relied on lip-reading and guesswork and this extra layer of effort is literally exhausting.

With Shay dressed for work and by my side, people actually believe me when I say that I can’t hear. When I tell them that I need to read their lips, they remember more often to look at me when they speak, and they’re more accommodating when I ask them to repeat something for the third or fourth time. They’re also less likely to think me stupid or rude for not understanding them the first time. For me, the difference is astounding and somehow liberating. And it’s all because of Shay.

The bulk of Shay’s work, though, happens at home where she remains on duty even though she’s not in her suit. She alerts me to sounds like the doorbell, door knocking, timers, my morning alarm, my phone, the fire alarm, and someone calling my name. For all but the fire alarm, she gets my attention by placing her paw on me, then leading me to the sound’s source. For the fire alarm, since I wouldn’t want her to lead me into a fire , she instead spins around three times. Now I’m more comfortable in my own home, another thing that I hadn’t realized was possible. Sometimes we play a game where I or someone in my family hides the timer in an unexpected place and Shay has a wonderful time searching it out. She’s so proud of herself when she finds it! And of course she gets big treats. As our wonderful instructors at Dog Guides Canada said, “We work for money; they work for treats,” which really isn’t so different when you think about it.

Shay does love her treats and is very clear about her favourite ones. The ball—a particular ball that’s chewable but bounces well—is up near the top. And grooming is a frequent highlight, since she must be as clean and presentable as possible when we’re out in public.

We share work and playtime and walks and Shay loves her Shaymobile, the bike trailer in which she rides. Only when Shay is in her crate a couple of times a week does she have complete time off. In this way, Shay’s life is a bit different from some of the other Dog Guides trained at LFCDG, like the vision ones whose primary work is outside the home.

In addition to Hearing Dog Guides, LFCDG trains Vision, Seizure Response, Service, Autism Assistance, Diabetic Alert and Facility Support Dog Guides. Their policy is no force-based training, and this gentle, loving, consistent approach is reflected in all the people who give their time and love to breeding, fostering and training the dogs, who grow into happy, enthusiastic canine citizens whether they graduate from Dog Guide training or become family dogs instead. LFCDG relies on corporate and private donations to fulfill its mission of assisting Canadians with a medical or physical disability by providing them Dog Guides at no cost. Since the actual cost of training a Dog Guide is $25,000, this is quite a feat. This year, LFCDG’s main annual fundraiser raised one-sixth of what it normally raises, so the deadline has been extended and the goal revised dramatically downward. If you’re able and interested, please do donate to support this work which makes such a very great difference in the lives of so many people. Shay and I are registered as a participant, so you can donate via us if you wish.

Since Shay and I go everywhere together, our lives are now so intertwined that we know each other’s rhythms intimately. It’s an interesting partnership in which Shay knows that, when it comes to sound, she takes the lead and I follow. Her confidence in her hearing and my trust in her build upon each other. Yet, close as we are, Shay is not my dog. Remember that $25,000 cost to train a Dog Guide? LFCDG retains ownership of its dogs so that they can re-home a dog should they judge that its skills are not being used or it is being ill-treated. Oddly, for me, this fact is a reminder of how very lucky I am to love and work with this tremendously talented canine companion whose skills and devotion expand my world.

Sovereign Dog Training

Lockdown, in wake of COVID-19, has brought pets and their owners closer than ever. As the society gets accustomed to the new normal, our pets are trying hard too, to adapt to the world that is changing every single day. Now with the Unlocking 0.1 underway, while you are getting ready to get back to your life, as it was before the Corona outbreak, have you thought about how your pet needs to be trained to adapt to the new normal? The best way to care for your pet’s mental wellbeing and to train them well for the post-COVID-19 world is to take him to the Sovereign Dog Training School. The School’s motto is “You & Your Dog deserve the best!”

The Dog Training School

Sovereign Dog Training School is a full-service dog training facility that specializes in obedience training, agility and behavior modification. The man behind this school is Sandeep Lad. Sandeep is the Training Director, Founder and Owner of the School and he possesses 18+ years of extensive and diverse experience of training dogs. He trains dogs in the privacy of a dog owner’s home/surroundings with minimal distractions and at a convenient time. Sandeep has worked with renowned dog trainers from the US, Europe, which helped him learn new techniques and keep himself updated in this field. He also attends various seminars to keep adding to his knowledge trove. Sandeep’s calm & cool approach, coupled with his patience and a good sense of humor, makes the training sessions a breeze for your pet.

Guidance & Structure

Sandeep has trained more than 1800 dogs of different breeds and has solved more than 10,000 small or and big behaviour related issues in his career. He has also educated more than 25000 pet owners. This experience has led him to develop a personalized, creative and distinguished program to motivate & stimulate your dog. The dog is trained to learn commands in a gentle, relaxed, and unhurried manner. Sandeep can train dogs of any age and breed. His training sessions are customized, enjoyable and fun for the furry friends and focus on its mental, physical and emotional stimulation. The training program contains private dog training sessions too. The main purpose of Sandeep’s training schedule is to create effective strategies to help dog owners as well as the whole family to feel comfortable and confident around their pet.

Dog Training Certifications

Sandeep is the first Indian trainer whose trained dog was adjudged “Canine Good Citizen” with a certificate from the FCI (Kennel Club of India). He is also the first Indian dog trainer whose trained dog participated in the International Sport Dog called B or BH Begleithunde – a combination of temperament & obedience tests. This is a preliminary, perquisite test for a dog, who passes it to get his/her IGP/Schutzhund titles. So, if you are interested in working the man’s best friend and train it as well, the Sovereign Dog Training School also provides comprehensive Professional Dog Training Certifications.

People With Disabilities

An online webinar on upholding the rights of people with disabilities during COVID-19 sparked discussion about the unique impact of the pandemic on the community. On June 16, over 100 attendees participated via Zoom.

The two-hour discussion was held by Jewelles Smith, the Kwantlen Student Association’s policy and political affairs coordinator.

“As a woman with a disability and the past chair (two days now) of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities … and as a trained human rights monitor — this is a personal issue to me,” Smith wrote in an email to The Runner. “I have 15 years of working in human rights and policy especially focused on legislation policy for people living with disabilities.”

One of the panellists was Heather Walkus, the co-chair of the National Coalition of People Who Use Guide and Service Dogs. Eileen Davidson, a rheumatoid arthritis patient advocate, also spoke on the panel.

Senior Policy Analyst Miles Stratholt was also a guest panellist. He works for the Targeted Learners Support Unit of the Provincial Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills, and Training.

Smith says that there has been a lot of conversation online in the community of people with disabilities regarding the extra costs they will have to expend to adjust to social distancing rules.

“One of the costs that I am already thinking ahead to is the retraining aspect of my animal when things start to open up,” says Smith.

Stratholt says COVID-19 has also disproportionately impacted university students with disabilities.

“With the social distancing involved and the lack of mobility for students … students may not have access to disability support staff at the institution level,” he says.

Stratholt has been actively working with institutions and service providers to try to develop strategies that improve students’ working conditions during the pandemic.

Smith says she has heard from KPU professors who are trying to learn about offering accessibility and support because many of them are not used to teaching online.

“How do we support professors in order to teach in an accessible manner from their homes?” she asks.

During the discussion, Walkus mentioned how historically society isn’t built with all people in mind.

“Certainly cross-disability, we were not supposed to be in public, you know? There was almost a shame … of the family system if they had a child who had a disability,” says Walkus.

She says the disability community is working to unlearn this way of thinking and to dismantle negative biases against people with disabilities.

People with disabilities do not have a specific section of accomodations in the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. On June 11, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer accused one another of blocking the emergency disability benefit, but no new initiatives have been announced.

According to the Canadian Press, Trudeau promised a one-time, tax-free benefit of up to $600 for people with disabilities.

When the pandemic hit, Walkus says support immediately went to people without disabilities,  “but no one started to think about all the people who are pushed to the margins.”

“People with disabilities didn’t fit [into] the system already but were even more disenfranchised from the system of support,” she says. “And all these months in, we still are.”

Rescue Dog And First Responders

Service Dogs Dealing With Covid

The pandemic has interrupted training for dogs for people who have visual or hearing impairments, disabilities, epilepsy, autism, or diabetes. Here’s what that means for the dogs — and for the people who rely on them.

When the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides team called Andréa McLean in mid-March to ask her whether she’d take Gisele the poodle back from guide-dog training, McLean didn’t hesitate to say yes. “When they called us and told us, could she come home? I think my response was, ‘Why are you asking? Of course the answer’s yes,” McLean says. “I think most fosters, given the chance to have their foster puppy back from school, for any length of time — all of us, the answer would be yes.”

McLean had previously fostered Gisele for about a year, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic put her scheduled six months of training on hold. Within two weeks, Dog Guides was able to send the 150 dogs in training back to fosters or to dog sitters.

While Gisele’s unexpected return has brought joy to the McLean family, a pause on dog training is a big problem for the foundation and for the close to 60 people across Canada waiting for dogs to help them in their daily lives.

Dog Guides Canada trains dogs for people who have visual or hearing impairments, disabilities, epilepsy, autism, or diabetes. For some people, waiting for a dog guide means waiting to receive vital support. Dog guides can help their partners move from place to place, provide comfort and companionship, and perform alerts based on conditions in the environment or the health of their partner.

The Oakville-based charity typically matches 150 teams across Canada annually, but this year, it says, that probably won’t happen. Spring and summer classes have been cancelled, and fall and winter classes likely will be, too. Training teams requires in-person guidance, and, since many applicants have compromised immune systems, Dog Guides doesn’t want them to risk travelling to Oakville during the pandemic. “It’s all very unsettling, I think, is probably the kindest word,” director of program development Ian Ashworth says. Eventually, the charity plans to bring its 150 guides-in-training back to class, but, for now, training has moved online. Dog Guides is also working to remotely support the 1,100 dog teams already active in Canada, following up to ensure that the dogs are meeting recipients’ needs.

Basic online training does not replace the classroom training dog guides receive from professionals, nor does it negate the need for applicants and dogs to train together. “We have to teach our recipients to become dog trainers, basically, because a dog’s training can change,” Ashworth says. “It can deteriorate over time. It can change in different environments, sometimes [with] different people. So we need to teach our recipients those skills that enable them to continue that training once they return home.” Dogs and humans must also learn to work together. “Our recipients have, obviously, a whole range of challenges that they face. And so, on top of [those], we’re trying to teach them how to handle this highly trained dog.”

The McLean family, which lives in Burlington, cares for Beechy, a five-year-old poodle who breeds for Dog Guides. Gisele is her daughter, as is Karma, a puppy the family is also fostering. Both were born in McLean’s dining room. She says it’s not unusual for there to be so many dogs in the house. Her daughters help take care of them, recording basic training exercises with Gisele and sending videos to Dog Guides coaches to monitor her progress. Gisele seems happy and is doing well with her exercises, McLean says, but notes, “What we don’t know is how it’ll be for her to transition back to school. I do know she loves her trainers, which helps a lot.”

Ashworth says the delay in training means that dogs will need to be reassessed to ensure they can still perform guide duties. If the disruption in training means a dog no longer can, it will undergo a “career change” and be offered up for adoption as a pet.

One major concern for the dogs now is socialization, Ashworth says. Dog guides need to go wherever people do, but, right now, most don’t venture far. Gisele is well-socialized already, McLean says, but Karma was only nine weeks old when the pandemic was declared. “We’d take her a few places the first two weeks that she was a foster, and then COVID hit. She basically hasn’t been anywhere since.” Normally, McLean takes dogs she fosters to work, stores, and her kids’ swimming practices, getting them used to all sorts of sights, sounds, and smells. As more of the province reopens, Dog Guides says foster families can take dogs out, but it is asking them to limit that to essential trips only.

The training delay, which will increase if some dogs change careers, means it will take longer for everyone waiting to be paired with a dog. “Normally, we’d have Karma for a year to a year and a half. We will potentially have Karma longer,” McLean says. “Training has stopped, graduations have stopped, and the classrooms aren’t full yet. It’s going to take a while for everything to be moved through the system.”

Braydon Drexler, 13, is waiting on a new dog. He lives in Winnipeg and has worked with a dog guide named Keats since he was in kindergarten. Braydon has autism, and Keats helps him relax in otherwise stressful situations, such as school or going to the hospital, which he had to do recently after breaking his arm. Keats is due to retire and will go to live with Braydon’s grandmother, but, for now, his retirement has been postponed. Braydon’s mom, Tracey, says Keats doesn’t seem to mind. “Every time someone goes near the door, he’s waiting for his vest to be put on. He’s missing school.”

Tracey says that when they got Keats, Braydon didn’t speak and was dealing with sensory issues and other challenges: “Kind of as a last resort, being aged out of therapies and stuff, we decided to try a dog guide, and, boy, am I glad we did, because it’s made a world of difference.” She says she was hoping Braydon could take the coming school year to get used to living with a new support dog before he finishes Grade 8 and moves on to high school. She worries that transitioning to a new dog and a new school at the same time might be hard on him. Braydon says he’s “just a little bit” excited about getting a new dog when that does happen.

Ride Share Refused Guide Dog

Explosives Sniffer

After having been on the tail of criminals for years, one of the top dogs of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is about to press ‘paws’ on his career.

Patreek is an eight-year-old German Shepherd that responds to commands only in Russian. And he has allegiance to one person – his handler, Inspector Gregory Ottar, chief canine trainer at the JCF’s Canine Division.

The two developed an inseparable bond back in 2013 during a three-month training regimen in Russia, Patreek’s homeland. Since the top dog’s arrival in Jamaica that same year, Patreek has shown himself to have distinctive pedigree among equals.

Ottar disclosed during an interview with The Gleaner that Patreek’s response exclusively to commands in Russian was the wish of the administration at his home canine training school in Russia.

“One of the reasons is less distraction because if you are working and somebody knows the command, it can distract the dog,” he said.

The inspector said that Patreek was the only dog in the division that responded to commands in Russian. There are other dogs who are trained to respond to Dutch or English.

“He’s smart, intelligent, loyal, disciplined, and loving,” Ottar said of his pal and training partner.

Trained to detect explosives, Patreek has had a decorated career and has a list of impressive achievements. His biggest wag was working as the sole detective dog during the Jamaica visit of former President of the United States Barack Obama in 2015.

“When the Americans saw how he worked, they put up their dogs and allowed Patreek to do his job. They were fond of him when they saw how intelligent he was,” said Ottar.

“He worked all over Jamaica whenever heads of government are going to meet and during sittings of Parliament.”

Patreek is so devoted to his handler that he refuses to work with any other person. If Ottar is off duty, so is Patreek.

“He won’t work for anybody else. That’s the relationship that we have,” the inspector said. Ottar revealed that whenever he goes off on vacation leave, Patreek becomes extremely stressed.

There is always much anticipation at the start of each day, but the veteran dog prizes presence and loyalty over overt acts of endearment.

“He will allow you to touch him, but he won’t show you any affection. Patreek doesn’t show his love like other dogs do,” Ottar told The Gleaner.

As service dogs in the Canine Division normally retire at age eight, Patreek’s career is coming to an end soon. If retired dogs are not adopted by their handlers, they are turned over to the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to be adopted.

But for Patreek, there is no doubt where he will end up.

“I’m going to take him,” exclaimed Ottar, who said that Patreek would never survive if he were to be placed with someone else.

Patreek enjoys going out for occasional drives with his handler and can be extremely protective of him. Ottar said that Patreek has proven to be more than man’s best friend.

“He would have helped me in my promotions and helped me to become a better trainer,” Ottar said.

Service Dog Graduates

William and Soya celebrated several milestones together this month as they graduated from fifth grade at Parkwood Elementary School.

The two have grown up together, gone through school together and have been pretty much inseparable for the past six years but will be taking somewhat different paths once the new school year begins.

William Dedmond will be attending New Bridge Middle School and Soya, his service dog, will be retiring from her school duties.

“It will be weird,” William, 11, said when asked how it is going to feel not having Soya with him at school.

He had to think a minute before answering; he’s never really known otherwise. Soya has always been close by, either at his desk or within close range in his classroom.

Classmates asked about Soya when she stayed home for a day and Soya got her own photo in the school yearbook. She was a part of the Parkwood School community.

“When Soya was there I didn’t really think of her as a dog, she was like a student,” William said of having a service dog with him at school.

William, the son of Jason and Melissa Dedmond of Jacksonville, was diagnosed with epilepsy at 9 months old and Soya has been at his side since he was 4 years old and still in preschool.

Soya, a Golden Retriever, is trained as a Seizure Assistance Dog, which alerts others through smell as to when a seizure occurs or is going to occur.

The good news is that William had his first normal electroencephalogram (EEG) a year and a half ago and has been able to come off the medications that have long been needed to manage the seizures.

With the latest test results, William is able to head to middle school without needing a service dog with him.

While Soya will still be around to watch over him, the Dedmonds hope William has outgrown the seizures. His last grand mal seizure was at age 5.

Jason Dedmond said that from 9 months old to age 5 William had many types of seizures, at times two or more a week.

“You name a seizure, he’s had it,” Dedmond said.

When the seizures were at their worst and most frequent, the Dedmonds were barely able to sleep as they kept watch.

Through a community fundraiser, Wags for William, they raised the $13,000 needed to get a service dog and an additional $7,000 that was contributed to help another family in line for a service dog.

The family traveled to Ohio for two weeks for their part in the training and brought Soya in Jan. 2014 when she was 13 months old. She was named Soyala, which means winter solstice in American Indian because that is when she was born.

Jason said that when William entered kindergarten at Parkwood Elementary, he joined his son at school for a week to help train the teachers and school staff.

The teachers knew what to do if there was a “Code Purple” and Soyala alerted them to a seizure.

It happened often while William was in preschool at First Baptist Church, now Catalyst Church. Fortunately, Dedmond said, there was not a Code Purple for William while he was a Parkwood.

“We were very blessed,” he said.

As William heads on to middle school, one thing won’t change: the bond he has with Soya.

William smiles as he remembers the Halloween costumes they’ve shared.

“She was a super hero for Halloween,” he said.

It seems fitting for a dog he says has super powers.

Soya plans to retire to normal dog duties and will be spending more time with the second K9 in the family. Alexa, a Golden retriever and Labrador retriever mix, joined the family two years ago for William’s older brother, Dylan.

Alexa is also trained but wasn’t quite suited for work as a service dog and was adopted from the same organization as one of their “fabulous flunkies.”

Service Dog Organization

Load the family, and your dog(s), into your vehicle, and head over to Dr. Fitzgerald and Associates. Check-in will start on July 4 at 9:30 a.m. Then, at 10 a.m., the Critter Cruise will head out on Williams Boulevard S.W. and eventually stop at Bandana’s Bar-B-Q on 3707 1st Ave. S.E. It will make the loop three times all told, but if you’re not able to stay with it that long, no worries. The final stop will be at Bandana’s where you can park, order food, and enjoy lunch, while social distancing. The event is a fundraiser for Deafinitely Dogs. The organization trains and places service dogs with people to help them be more independent. Their dogs are paired with individuals and families not only in eastern Iowa but around the nation.  And the dogs choose who will become their owner, which I absolutely love.

Veteran’s Dog Chief

Port Charlotte Navy veteran Thomas Andrews says his dog, Chief, helps him get through the day.

“I’m one hundred percent on disability. I’ve got PTSD through the military so he’s actually a comfort dog to me,” he said.

So when his usually playful pup stopped moving around over the weekend, fear set in.

“He wasn’t walking, wasn’t doing nothing,” Andrews said. “I got rather nervous. As a veteran, I get paid [disability] once a month…I didn’t have any money at that time. I started calling around a bunch of vets to see if they would let me make payments on a vet bill and just about all of them I called said, ‘No, absolutely no.’”

That was until he called Burnt Store Animal Hospital.

“Dr. Justin Kerr didn’t even hesitate. He said, ‘Come on in,’” Andrews said.

That’s because Kerr is passionate about helping his heroes and their pets.

“My grandfather was in World War II on the D-Day beaches. They do so much to enable our best lives that we can just do anything we possibly can to give back at any point in time,” he said. “If I can help out a person and their pet, specifically one that’s put the ultimate sacrifice out there for us, then I’m happy to do so.”

Now, Andrews is happy to watch Chief recovering from his knee injury, thanks to a compassionate clinic.

“I’m just thankful,” he said.

Burnt Store Animal Hospital also offers standing discounts for all veterans and active duty, along with first responders in our area. Kerr says they want to thank those who enable us to live our best lives through their service.

Protecting Service Animals

A north-east MSP has welcomed new laws creating the criminal offence of harming or killing service animals.

Regional Conservative MSP Liam Kerr began campaigning for Finn’s Law in 2018, and a petition to implement it was signed by almost 57,000 people.

The bill has now passed the final hurdle in the Scottish Parliament and it will now become enshrined as part of the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers)(Scotland) Act.

Prior to the new law, criminals who harmed service animals such as police dogs or horses could only be charged with property damage. Now they could receive a jail sentence of up to five years.

It follows a campaign by police officer Dave Wardell, whose German Shepherd Finn was stabbed while chasing a suspect in 2016.

The pair went on to feature on the TV show Britain’s Got Talent.

Mr Kerr said: “This is a great day for Dave Wardell and his team, for Finn and for all the members of the public who supported our campaign to protect police animals.

“The Scottish Conservatives brought the Finn’s Law campaign to Scotland because the law needed to be updated and we wanted to give brave service animals the legal protection they deserved.

“Thanks to Dave and Finn’s tireless campaigning, along with so many other dedicated campaigners, this will now be a reality, and Scotland will now catch up to England and Wales in this important area.

“It is a massive relief to get this legislation through.

“From now on service animals will have better protection under Scottish law and criminals who harm them will be given serious punishments, fitting the harm they have caused.”

Sniffing Dog Retires

A “cool” bomb-sniffing dog for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) who spent at least 8 years in his career has now retired. The pooch graduated in the third class of passenger screening canines trained at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. In a video shared by TSA on Instagram and regional spokesperson Mark Howell of the brave canine TTirado, his handler Keith Gray can be seen celebrating his accomplishments at a private ceremony at IND on the last day of his job that has won the pooch praises all over the internet.

“TTirado is ready for retirement and thinking of investing in tennis balls. They have a high return rate,” TSA wrote in a post on Instagram while sharing the TTirado’s last detection on the job that stunned the social media. Footage shows the moment pooch indicates his last luggage set up, dozens of coloured tennis balls fall from above. Named in honour of New York Engine 23 Firefighter Hector Luis Tirado, who died in service on 9/11, the nearly ten-and-a-half-year-old dog is one of the few last dogs on the TSA-bred puppy program who joined in 2012. While celebrating his last day with vibrance and joy, handler Gray said, “I am thankful for such a fantastic partner in TTirado as my first dog. He has taught me a lot over the years, and I have been amazed in his growth and how far we have come.”

Canine Heroes

Enlisting in the military is a sacrifice so enormous it’s almost unfathomable. Although more work undoubtedly needs to be done to support our veterans, many programs currently exist to provide them with support. One of these all-important programs was founded by actor and director Gary Sinise, who wanted to give thanks to those who risk their lives to keep us safe every single day. The Gary Sinise Foundation was founded in 2010, which means that Sinise has been actively honoring and supporting countless heroes for a decade. The foundation’s website states, “We serve our nation by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need.” Sinise helps provide veterans with meals, specialized housing for disabled veterans, and so much more. Sinese’s work supporting veterans has been life-changing for countless people. Recently though, Good ol’ Lieutenant Dan realized there was a different breed of hero that needed support, so he turned his attention to a new paws – uh, a new cause. With the help of Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The Sinise Foundation created “Veterinarians for Valor”. The canine-centered organization aims to provide completely free medical care to dogs working with first responders, police K-9s, and military service dogs. Whether they’re detecting bombs, protecting their handlers, or simply providing some much-needed emotional support, these dogs truly are heroes. They put their lives on the line every single day just like their human counterparts, and Sinese believes that they deserve far more than table scraps.

Service Dog Program

Puppies Behind Bars (PBB) founder and president, Gloria Gilbert Stoga, created a program that trains prison inmates to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and first responders. Additionally, the organization trains dogs to become explosive-detection canines for law enforcement. Today, PBB operates throughout six correctional facilities in New York and New Jersey and has raised more than 1,200 dogs. PBB has earned its thirteenth consecutive 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, which indicates that the organization adheres to good governance and other best practices.

When Stoga first opened her organization over 20-years ago, she decided to breed her own Labrador retriever puppies. That decision came from wanting to provide canines that had the best genetic backgrounds and temperaments. All of the dogs enter the program at eight weeks old. Due to the high standards of the program, if a dog is released for either behavioral or physical reasons, the dog is put up for adoption. The explosive detection canine puppies are placed into a one-year program, while the service dog puppies participate in a two-year program.

“They live in the cells with the inmates,” Stoga explains. “The inmates are fully responsible for all of the training, the nurturing, the basic medical, the grooming, and once a week PBB staff goes into each prison for a full day of teaching classes and helps solve problems.” Before starting PBB in 1997, Stoga served as a member of New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s Youth Empowerment Commission, whose mission was to secure private-sector summer employment for New York City’s underprivileged youth. She was responsible for developing and securing corporate commitments to provide training and jobs under the Commission’s initiative. Working for non-profits allowed Stoga to figure out how she wanted to operate her organization when it came time. The initial spark that inspired her to start PBB came after reading an article about Dr. Thomas Lane, a veterinarian running a prison guide-dog program in Gainesville, Florida. She subsequently had the privilege of visiting Dr. Lane and spoke with inmates and program staff in three prisons that hosted his program.

Six months later, she quit her job and approached Libby Pataki, who was then the First Lady of New York State. She immediately garnered Pataki’s support to provide education and rehabilitation for prison inmates and provide excellent quality working dogs for the public. Late 1997, she started her program with five Labrador retriever puppies at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, New York State’s only maximum-security prison for women.

In the beginning, Stoga and her team faced challenges with the unions and was not welcomed at her second prison opening, a men’s medium-security prison. “I wasn’t welcomed by security staff,” she shares. “To show them that I wasn’t just a well-meaning lady from New York City who was coming upstate to say, ‘you should give these inmates something positive to do,’ I went into that prison every single day, Monday through Friday for six weeks. I’d run to the women’s prison for half a day, three days a week, and I’d come back. For six weeks, I more or less lived in that prison…Very slowly, I start talking to some of the corrections officers. I’d always bring my two dogs in, and they’d see how well behaved they were, how friendly they were. I got across to people that I was serious, that the dogs were of high quality and that I wasn’t going anywhere.”

PBB has become a goal for prison inmates. Although the program is volunteer-based on top of the inmates’ mandatory prison job, it does not accept everyone. Stoga does not interview sex offenders, anybody with direct child abuse or animal abuse or anyone with a high mental health issue. Additionally, the inmates have to be ticket free for 12-months meaning that they haven’t received any form of disciplinary action in a year. Having something to strive for keeps the inmates focused on the goal.

“You see people [inmates] change literally before your eyes,” Stoga smiles. “The other end of the spectrum is our [canine] recipients. We work with veterans. We also work with first responders, and to hear from our recipients and their families that they cut way back on their meds, or maybe they’re now med free, that they now go out in public or that they now engage with their families is incredible.”

As Stoga continues to grow the organization, she focuses on the following essential steps:

Clearly define your purpose and what you want to do. If you start to veer away from that, you will stretch yourself thin mentally, emotionally and financially, which will not lead to long-term success.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Being honest when you don’t know something will garner better results than faking your way through; it may hurt you in the long run.

Be prepared to work hard, especially when pivoting. You will work harder than you ever have before. You have to give it your all if you want to achieve your goal.

“When I first started working in prisons,” Stoga concludes, “I was totally completely black and white. There were good guys in the world and there were bad guys. That was that. Very soon on, the inmates taught me there’s gray; that people can do bad things, but they’re not necessarily bad people forever. There are some bad people forever; I’m not naïve. However, some people are gray.”

Coast Guard Morale Dog

A beloved U.S. Coast Guard comfort dog has died after more than a decade on the job in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Senior Chief Morale Dog Onyx was 13.5 years old when she died surrounded by members of her crew and loved ones at U.S. Coast Guard Station St. Ignace on Tuesday, June 16.

Born in Fremont, Ohio on Feb. 1, 2007, Onyx was adopted by Senior Chief Paul Decker on July 13, 2008.

Onyx served from July 2008 to June 2020, diligently serving for 4,356 days of consecutive duty “without relief or complaint, to ensure the morale of the crew remained high. Being ever mindful of the recruiting mission and the need to share the story of the United States Coast Guard,” according to Facebook tribute posted Wednesday.

Throughout her years of service, Onyx was on hand for a slew of missions involving aid to navigation, search and rescue, coastal security, ice rescue and recreational boating safety patrols.

But perhaps her biggest contributions came through her attendance at multiple safety demonstrations at area schools or National Boating Safety Week open houses where she helped educate thousands about the importance of wearing a life jacket.

Onyx also patrolled the Coast Guard property in St. Ignace, keeping watch for intruding geese and mink, and was the lead character in a children’s book series read by more than 100,000 people.

“It will serve as a teaching tool for children and adults for many years to come,” a Coast Guard statement reads. “Onyx’s diligence, perseverance and devotion to duty are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.”

“As the sun sets on Onyx and her many adventures, her legacy will continue to inspire all because she was a Hero, a Watchful Protector, a Guardian of the Straits of Mackinac. Onyx was a Coast Guard Morale Dog and the Lord of the Lakes.”

U.S. Coast Guard personnel shared several tribute photos of Onyx on Wednesday.

RIP Onyx. Thank you for your service.

Hero Dog Award