Program For Service Dogs

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.”

Veteran’s Service Dog

Morgan is an English lab specifically trained to be at the side of former Marine and Afghanistan war vet Brandon Rumbaugh at all times to help make his life better in mind and body.

“She is the most amazing dog I’ve ever known, hands down,” says Rumbaugh.

Morgan’s arrival comes by way of the Rescue 22 Foundation. This organization trains and delivers service dogs to veterans who qualify.

“We really focus our efforts on veterans with PTSD, mobility issues or other medical complex cases that are combat-related,” says Angela Conner with the foundation. “The data shows 100 percent that these dogs work for for the health and well-being for the veteran.”

Training these dogs to do the amazing things they do takes hundreds and hundreds of hours. Former Army ranger and combat veteran Erik Innis is Rescue 22’s co-founder, head trainer and the key, according to Innis, is to get inside the dog’s head.

“How does a dog like Morgan think? How does she process information? We find that out then we run with it,” Innis says.

But these dogs, while helping physically, become incredible four-legged counselors. Rescue 22’s name comes from the estimated number of veterans who take their lives every day. For many, these dogs are no different than someone else who’s been there, saw a lot and won’t judge.

“It’s completely outside of the realm of family and friends. This is like having a veteran with me — someone who gets it.”

Mendota Dog Training School

Leashes for Living Assistance Dog School is opening soon in Mendota and is accepting applications for students. The school teaches veterans and persons with disabilities to train their own service dog through positive training techniques. It also provides therapy dog classes for those who want to make a difference in their community by warming hearts and putting smiles on faces.

A service dog is not a pet. They are necessary medical equipment that enhance a person’s ability to live life to its fullest, which is why the school takes its training seriously.

Leashes for Living is a unique program that uses positive techniques where the student/handler learns how to communicate with and train their canine partner. By teaching their dog special skills and manners, the student is capable of achieving an enhanced lifestyle.

The learned skills and tasks are based on the individual’s needs, thereby giving them greater independence not only in their home, but also in the community. Skills learned are limited only to the imagination, and may include: open/close doors, turn lights on/off, pick up/retrieve items, brace and balance, diabetic alert, seizure alert, hearing alert, PTSD and so much more.

The school works together with each team to develop great service and therapy dog skills.

Future Service Dogs

Talk about precious cargo! Check out these twelve eight-week-old puppies that recently landed in Orlando from California thanks to teams of volunteer pilots.

The pups are on their way to their Canine Companions for Independence volunteer puppy raisers in Central Florida. Young C.C.I. pups usually fly commercially, but during the COVID-19 era and limited flights, that’s often been challenging to arrange. Thankfully, many volunteer pilots have donated their time and private planes to transport hundreds of C.C.I. puppies all over the country.

Once united with their volunteer puppy raisers, these little ones will spend eighteen months learning thirty commands and being properly socialized. After that, they’ll head to Advanced Training at the C.C.I. Southeast Training Center in Orlando for six to nine more months of learning before being paired with their future partner. Canine Companions is the nation’s leading provider of free assistance dogs to people with disabilities. With more than 400 people still waiting for their canine helper, C.C.I. staff members and volunteers continue to work through tremendous obstacles to ensure assistance dogs are ready for the folks who need them.

Service Dog Handler

While they may be cute, they have a very important job to do.

One Joplin service dog handler wants the community to know the do’s and don’t when you see a service dog out with their owner.

Amber Chrystler, Service Dog Handler, said, “My service dogs are actually called psychiatric service dogs so they are different from emotional support dogs. They actaully do more than just comfort and emotional support.”

Amber Chrystler and her two service dogs, Clark and Kent, help her complete tasks in her day to day life.

Chrystler says the jobs of these animals aren’t always understood.

“Clark does deep pressure therapy, he does what’s called crowd control, and that’s when I’m in line and people get really close and it makes me uncomfortable so he’ll do blocks and covers and he’ll stand in front and behind me.”

Businesses are not allowed to refuse service to those with service animals, however there are some questions they may ask.

“Is this dog a service dog due to a disability, and then what work or task is it trained to perform.”

And businesses like Blue Moon Boutique in Joplin are already very familiar with allowing service dogs into their store.

Branden Clark, Co-Owner, Blue Moon Boutique, said, “Make sure employees always know, and typically they do. And just make sure everybody is informed and educated about it.”

Knowing those guidelines are especially important for people like Chrystler, as she needs to bring her dogs everywhere she goes.

“I really think it is important especially because a lot of people unfortunately do fake service dogs and that’s a legitimate concern I have and I run into daily. So, that would be my thing, I think they all need to be educated,” said Chrystler.

Chrystler adds never pet or distract a service animal while they are working with their owner.

Chrystler also runs a Facebook page aimed at informing the public on service animals, called Show Me Your Service Dog.

Trained Facility Dog

Norfolk Police welcomed a new recruit on Wednesday; meet Lilly from Mutts with a Mission!

Lilly is joining the Norfolk Police Department as their first certified law enforcement facility dog after having trained two years in Portsmouth with the non-profit. The organization is accredited with Assistance Dogs International and specializes in training dogs to serve the needs of veterans, wounded warriors and first responders.

Mutts with a Mission selected Lilly specifically for the Norfolk Police Department due to her sweet temperament and sociable demeanor.

“There’s nothing like the support of a dog following a difficult day,” said Chief Larry D. Boone. “As a former K-9 officer, I enjoyed the companionship of a full-time partner. I look forward to seeing my officers experience that same joy and the benefits it will have on their well-being.”

Lilly has now been brought onto the force to help officers and staff members throughout the department following stressful situations, counseling sessions, interviews, and roll calls as a facility dog.

Officer John Hines, Lilly’s handler, is part of the Peer Support Unit and trained with her for two months at Mutts with a Mission. Lilly will work alongside Officer Hines everywhere he goes during his daily duties and will live with him full-time. Officials say Lilly currently knows 40 commands and has adjusted well to her family of 800 plus officers and professional staff members.

Helping Guide Dog Teams

In this time when so many of our social rituals have changed to accommodate the new rules of a global pandemic, one thing remains a constant: the need to remember to always use your powers of observation and offer a comfortable “physical distance” around a guide dog and his human handler when they are out in a public setting. Guide dogs are the eyes of their handler–they are trained to lead the way safely and securely. But we can’t expect guide dogs to understand the current physical distancing practice of maintaining 6-foot clearances.

And please do this with subtlety and tact. The blind person approaching you does not want to feel awkward or to be put on the spot. Nor do they want to be given preferential treatment. Blindness in and of itself can be the cause of social isolation and often results in loneliness and distancing from life and human interaction. We are in no way suggesting that you avoid engaging with a visually impaired person–just not when that can interfere with their safety and health.

We are all having to make adjustments to adhere to the new protocols and safety measures designed to flatten the curve of Covid-19 in our daily lives. Thank you for being sensitive about giving our life-changing guide dogs a little more space in theirs.

Detection Dog Retires

Enjoy the rest, TTirado. You’ve earned it!

The explosive detection dog at Indianapolis International Airport is retiring after eight years with the Transportation Security Administration.

TTirado’s last day on the job was May 29. Handler Keith Gray celebrated his partner’s retirement at a private ceremony.

TTirado is named in honor of New York firefighter Hector Luis Tirado, Jr., who died in service on 9/11.

He’s one of the few remaining dogs from the TSA-bred puppy program. He graduated in the third class of passenger screening canines trained at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, in 2012.

“I am thankful for such a fantastic partner in TTirado as my first dog,” Gray said. “He has taught me a lot over the years, and I have been amazed in his growth and how far we have come.”

TTirado’s duties weren’t limited to the airport. He also helped during security operations for the Indianapolis 500, the NCAA Final Four, Kentucky Derby, Super Bowl and the 2017 presidential inauguration.

Gray hopes to take TTirado on a few trips in the near future.

“I have three travel objectives for TTirado – New York City for the Ground Zero Memorial and FDNY Station 23 where his namesake worked, Atlanta to meet one of Hector’s sons and his family who we have kept in touch with, and finally to San Antonio to see his foster family who helped raise him during his puppy years,” Gray said.

TTirado, who will be adopted by Gray’s family, will live at their home in Indianapolis. Gray’s new partner, Ari, will be sure to give him updates on the happenings at work.

Service And Support Dogs

A dog that removes anxiety from its human’s life by killing the people who cause her stress may be a heightened, fantastical look at emotional-support animals, but because there is now such a wide range of small-screen content depicting such therapeutic resources, one does not have to represent all. Education about them is mixing with entertainment.

A killer emotional-support dog is at the center of Blumhouse Television’s latest “Into the Dark” installment for Hulu, “Good Boy.” But even this horror satire may expose an audience to the idea of emotional-support dogs for the first time. That is why, according to Sheila Goffe, vice president of government relations, American Kennel Club, no matter the genre or format, the most important thing when depicting such dogs is to do so accurately for their classification.

“These dogs mitigate individual disabilities, and they’re simply amazing,” she says. “A dog that helps with mobility assistance is going to look quite different from a dog that is helping with invisible disabilities such as PTSD or military sexual trauma. There are many different services these dogs provide, but there is always a behavioral standard. So, nailing down that behavioral standard is absolutely key for representation.”

This has become even more important now that there is a slew of series showcasing service and support dogs. “Good Boy” may be the most recent example, but in the past few years storytelling has opened up greatly — from tales about guide dogs in the CW’s dramatic “ In The Dark” and Disney Plus’ docuseries “Pick of the Litter”; to exploring emotional-support dogs in Netflix’s “The Healing Powers of Dude” and the second season of “Ramy” on Hulu; as well as K9 officers working in the fictional world of CBS’ “SEAL Team,” real-life cases in A&E’s “Live PD” and in fabricated obstacle courses in “America’s Top Dog.” Other unscripted projects in this vein include the aptly titled “Dogs” on Netflix and “It’s a Dog’s Life” on Disney Plus.

A&E’s “America’s Top Dog” was developed based on how the audience of its network and production company Big Fish Entertainment’s previous collaboration, “Live PD,” responded to the K9 officers. While on “Live PD,” all the dogs followed are actual working K9 officers trained to detect drugs or take down suspects, “America’s Top Dog” is a competition program that pits such trained canines against everyday pooches whose tricks often mimic such police work.

“Watching them chase a scent, that’s what they’re trained to do to keep us safe and keep drugs off the street, but all dogs can be trained to scent,” says Elaine Frontain Bryant, executive vice president and head of programming, A&E. “We thought it was a fascinating way to open the aperture of showing what they do in the real world but also make it seem game-ish. It was a narrow needle to thread, but we thought about, ‘How do we broaden it enough to be entertaining and not just K9 school?’”

Corinne Kingsbury, who created and runs “In the Dark,” admits she “had no idea what a guide dog was even capable of before writing this show.” Although she does not set out to include teachable moments in episodes, simply writing lines such as “Pretzel, find outside,” with the camera following the dog lead actor Perry Mattfeld in the correct direction, are lessons in the skills these dogs need.

“There are just so many different services these dogs provide, but the common denominator is really getting that well-behaved nature down, and then wherever possible looking to true authorities on those disabilities to understand what this is going to look like,” says Goffe.

Lorri Bernson, who works with Guide Dogs of America and also uses a guide dog herself, served as a consultant on “In the Dark,” advising the show about proper depiction.

“Lorri reads every script and every outline and she emails us her story thoughts or she calls us and says, ‘In this scene, the command would be this,’” Kingsbury says.

Additionally, Bernson gives notes on when Murphy would not use a guide dog at all, including when she’s in her own home and just going to the kitchen — “She knows her own space,” Kingsbury explains. And when Murphy is walking into dangerous situations, which may not happen in every episode but is certainly frequent in her world of money laundering and corrupt cops, she uses her cane instead of her dog in order to keep him out of harm’s way.

Although Kingsbury says that Murphy’s guide dog is “like a limb to her,” he also acts as emotional support. “When we met her at the beginning of Season 1, she rejected love at every turn,” she explains. But in Season 2, her dog Pretzel is “her guy and she loves him like a best friend. It’s such a special bond.”

And even though “Good Boy” is a horror satire, its inspiration and core message comes from a very real place, as well. Writer and executive producer Aaron Eisenberg has a terrier mix named Francine who was “prescribed when my anxiety was so bad and nothing was helping,” he says. “My psychiatrist said, ‘Have you thought about getting a dog? It’s something you can think about outside of yourself — something to take care of.’”

The streaming project showcases that therapy through Judy Greer’s character. She brings home an emotional-support dog that “promises a lot and starts to clean up [her] life and improve it in many ways,” Eisenberg says. It comes with a cost, of course, and “also talks about to what length somebody goes to to be happy and what is sacrificed and who is sacrificed,” but many of the scenes are still inspired by real-life dog experience he and his brother, co-writer and executive producer Will Eisenberg, have had.

“The amazing thing about these dogs is that for many people without these dogs their world is somewhat enclosed. These dogs open up a whole new world for people — to go places they couldn’t otherwise go and do things they couldn’t otherwise do — because they have this assistance,” says Goffe. “I think the extent to which we can document all of the different ways these dogs help people is doing a huge service — especially when it’s done with sensitivity to the nature of the disability that calls for this.”

Dog Training School

A service dog is not a pet. They are necessary medical equipment that enhance a person’s ability to live life to its fullest, which is why the school takes its training seriously.

The school works together with each team to develop great service and therapy dog skills.

Leashes for Living Assistance Dog School has been training service and therapy dogs since 2007. It offers A.K.C. S.T.A.R. Puppy, A.K.C. Canine Good Citizen, seven levels of obedience, public access test and appropriate special skills. For more information or an application, call (815) 293-7415 or (623) 687-1706. Information is also available on Facebook or at leashesforliving.com

Leashes for Living Assistance Dog School is an Illinois not-for-profit and a federal 501(c)(3) public charity organization.

Farm Dog

It was just a chance meeting, but one that all involved believe could have a huge impact on the lives of some of our returning veterans.

Lonny Smith, Business Development Manager of AgroLiquid, was at the company headquarters in St. Johns, MI, one day last fall when he learned Michael O’Gorman, Executive Director of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, was visiting. O’Gorman is a longtime West Coast vegetable grower who founded the coalition a little over a decade ago to help returning vets find agricultural employment. He was there with the program’s state coordinator, Nick Babcock of Michigan State University, to meet with company officials about supporting the coalition. Smith had heard of O’Gorman’s work, and he had an idea. Smith and his wife Kim own Red Hive Golden Retrievers — the name borrowed from their own Red Hive Farm, a small apple orchard — near Bellefontaine, OH. Kim heads the business, which raises European-style English Cream golden retrievers, and they thought their pups would make great farm dogs for veterans. “A lot of guys are coming out of the military with stress disorders, etc.,” Smith says. “Our thought: Why not provide the best dogs we can possibly provide? They’re buddies, not therapy dogs. Just farm dogs. They will lick your face in the morning and then jump in the truck with you — just constant companionship with a good buddy.”

So Operation Farm Dog was launched. The Smiths now donate one puppy from each litter to a veteran who is going to be working in agriculture. It is not a large operation, but they hope other breeders from across the country will join and donate.

Veterans submit an application, and then Smith interviews them on their plans in agriculture, and Babcock, a veteran himself, from the military perspective.

The most recent recipient is Jimmy Martin, an Air Force veteran from Carlisle, KY. Upon returning in 2012 — though he serves in the Air Force Reserve and works full-time as a Quality Assurance Specialist for Department of Defense — Martin founded Bluegrass Belties Farm & Orchard. “I have a small orchard, and here Jimmy had one that he was using to educate other vets coming out of the military who want to get involved in horticulture,” Smith says. “I was impressed — an apple orchard is a lot of work, and he started it from scratch. That’s tough enough as it is, but to educate other vets? Awesome.”

Martin says he grew up on a farm, so he had a feeling that it would be a good experience for other vets, who generally like working outside with their hands.

“I believe the orchard is very therapeutic, especially for veterans who may have the same types of anxieties or need that outlet for stress relief,” he says. “So, I would like to be able to have small classes or whatever it takes to help them with a trade that may help them with their lives.”

Working with the Kentucky State University Agriculture Department, as well as local Extension offices, Martin is growing eight varieties of apples: ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Snow Sweet’, ‘Grimes Golden’, ‘Empire’, ‘Enterprise’, ‘Arkansas Black’, ‘Fuji’, and ‘Crispin’.

“I like the old heirlooms better, really, but I wanted to offer a mix of fresh-eating and baking apples,” he says. In addition to apples, they also grow smaller amounts of pears and peaches. A portion of each harvest will be donated to the Lexington Veterans Home.

The Smiths recently visited Martin and his family to present them with their new puppy, Lady Liberty Rose. Martin says he fell in love instantly but quickly adds this is not about him.

“We want her to be therapeutic, but she’s not just there for us,” he says. “When we have visitors, she’s there to lean on. She’s there for the people. That’s her purpose here.”

Smith says Red Hive Golden Retrievers is just a small operation, and their goal is to grow Operation Farm Dog nationally, eventually placing 100 puppies with 100 veteran farmer families each year. They will be calling on American Kennel Club-registered sporting and working-class dog breeders around the country to help by donating as many exceptional puppies as they can.

Dogs For Veterans

A Mount Joy organization that trains service dogs for veterans with disabilities has gone to court to get back a German Shepherd its president says a former volunteer is wrongfully keeping.

David Laughman, president of the Veteran Service Canines Inc., said the organization didn’t want to have to go to court, but had little choice.

“It’s pretty sad when a person takes a dog from a vet,” Laughlin, a former Marine, said Tuesday. “We’re concerned about the safety of our canine.”

Laughman said Sabina Mattern, of East Donegal Township, was a dog evaluator and trainer with Harrisburg Off-Leash K9 Training. Through them, she volunteered with Veteran Service Canines and that’s how she had possession of Willow, the German Shepherd, which she was training for a veteran.

Veteran Service Canines’ lawsuit, filed Monday in Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas, said a dispute arose between the organization and Mattern and she was asked to end contact with the group.

Mattern declined comment Tuesday when a reporter visited her home near Maytown.

The suit said Mattern violated its agreement by harassing Veteran Service Canines and appearing at one of its events.

Laughman, 35, who said he has a service-related disability and has used a service dog, created Veteran Service Canines in 2016 as a way to give back to veterans. It’s provided about four dozen dogs, free, to veterans with issues including combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder, mobility and traumatic brain injury, according to Laughman and the organization’s website.

Coronavirus Sniffing

A dog may be a man’s best friend, but a North Florida dog trainer wants his trained dogs to be the coronavirus’ worst enemy.

50 dogs at Top Tier K9’s training facility are in line to be among the first in the country to be trained to sniff out the coronavirus.

Jeff Minder is a former survival instructor for the Air Force. He has a patented 50-point dog training system and saw a need.

He says the virus-sniffing dogs could prove useful in areas where people congregate in large groups.

“Immediately is churches, and then the airports where people feel safer traveling,” said Minder.

Uzi, a Belgian Malinois, is his personal dog and has compiled a record more accurate than testing.

“Their success rate at finding that virus is, actually, for the last two weeks, has been 100 percent. But it’s 95, 96 percent based on all the work I’ve done,” said Minder.

Nobody was exposed to the virus for the videotaped training session, and Minder wouldn’t say how he got the virus samples, only that they were expensive.

“I don’t fear the virus, I don’t fear men, I don’t fear governments. I do what put me on this earth to do without fear,” said Minder.

Depending on the breed, it will take anywhere from eight months to two years to train the dogs.

Once trained, adding the virus to a dog’s portfolio can take up to an additional eight weeks.

“There are independent individual odors within that virus that these dogs are finding. We think we know exactly what part of the virus they are finding, but that’s very hard to prove,” said Minder.

Working with scientists and public health officials, Minder believes his dogs can help prevent future pandemics.

“The first day the virus hits there. Now we’re searching the mail rooms, and we’re searching the airports, and we’re keeping people funneled in and we’re testing them now for these viruses,” said Minder.

Minder said about half of the dogs in training already have a potential owner.

If the virus mutates, Minder said the mutation will be on how it affects people, not on how it smells to a dog.

K9s Training

Fifty dogs at a north Florida canine training facility are in line to be among the first in the country to be trained to sniff out the coronavirus.

Jeff Minder is a former survival instructor for the Air Force. He has a patented 50 point dog training system and saw a need.

Q: “So, where do you think this virus sniffing dog will be valuable?”
Minder: “Immediately is churches, and then the airports where people feel safer traveling.”

Uzi is his personal dog and has compiled a record more accurate than testing.

Sot: Jeff Minder
Top Tier K9’s

“Their success rate at finding that virus is, actually, for the last two weeks, has been 100 percent. But it’s 95, 96 percent based on all the work I’ve done,” Minder said.

We weren’t exposed to the virus for this training session, and Minder won’t say how he got the virus samples, only that they were expensive.

“I don’t fear the virus, I don’t fear men, I don’t fear governments. I do what God put me on this earth to do without fear,” Minder said.

Depending on the breed, it will take anywhere from eight months to two years to train these dogs.

Once trained, adding the virus to a dog’s portfolio can take up to an addition eight weeks.

Working with scientists and public health officials, Minder believes his dogs can help prevent future pandemics.

“The first day the virus hits there,” Minder said. “Now we’re searching the mail rooms, and we’re searching the airports, and we’re keeping people funneled in and we’re testing them now for these viruses.”

Minder says about half of the dogs in training already have a potential owner.

If the virus mutates, Minder tells us that the mutation will be on how it affects people, not on how it smells to a dog.

Training Service Dogs

Since 2012, the Retrieving Independence Serving with Canines program has partnered with TDOC to train offenders to raise and train puppies to be service animals for people with mobility disabilities, seizure disorders and diabetes.

Last summer, the program which started at Turney Center Industrial Complex (TCIX), added the Tennessee Prison for Women (TPFW) to the list of facilities with the training program. After a month away, due to COVID-19 concerns, the dogs were returned to TPFW on Tuesday.

“These dogs change these ladies’ lives, by having a companion that shows them unconditional love, and when you are loved unconditionally, it changes your way of thinking. “says Corporal Craig Hawn who oversees the program. Corporal Hawn also tells us “The reward for me is seeing them change their lives. I can tell you every single one of these women in this program have grown from when they started out.”

During the nearly 18-month program the dogs undergo an intensive training process, teaching them everything from seizure detection and wheelchair assistance, to opening and closing doors and loading laundry. A recipient for each dog is matched early on and the training program is tailored to meet that person’s specific needs.

Life With A Service Dog

Riley Alberson is excited for graduation — and that her service dog is also being recognized.

The McAlester High School senior has juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which causes her joints to dislocate, constant pain, and daily seizures.

Multiple seizures each day can result with her losing consciousness without anyone around to help.

She suffered a seizure and passed out in a bathroom at McAlester High School earlier in the school year and the door was too heavy for Tango the service dog to open it.

So Tango pushed Riley onto her side to help keep her air way clear until someone found them.

“The door was too heavy for her to do her job so she got behind her and pushed her on her side so she could do her job,” Riley’s mom, Amber, said of Tango.

Amber said the school district has worked to help accommodate them and prevent similar situations from happening in the future — adding “I feel like she has been very supported at the high school.”

Tango is a mixed breed dog and was trained at Therapetics, a nonprofit organization in Tulsa.

She can open doors, turn off lights, take off socks, get medicine, and even sneaks the TV remote away from Riley’s sister when needed.

Tango is by Riley’s side at all times — and on every Walmart trip she gets to pick out a toy that she proudly carries around the store.

The family said anyone is free to ask questions about Tango to learn more, but they hope others learn proper etiquette around service dogs.

Riley said people not used to seeing service dogs will often try to pet and talk with them — but they should resist trying to interact with them.

“People don’t realize that they’re working,” Riley said of service dogs. “Tango can’t help me if I have a seizure and she’s being distracted.”

“They get excited because you don’t usually see a dog in a restaurant or something,” Amber said.

Amber said doctors couldn’t figure out why Riley was in pain as an 8-year-old before development of scoliosis at age 11 led to blood testing that revealed the other disorders.

Riley said she avoided the pain as a child by spending recess sitting and talking with teachers instead of playing with the other kids.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t have friends, I just didn’t want to go and do anything and join the activities because it always hurt and I couldn’t always do them,” Riley said.

Riley still spends time with friends and reads lots of books — including some favorites such as the Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings series.

She also likes to draw, spending more time recently depicting nature.

Riley goes to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Shreveport, Louisiana, for treatment and only had to go once since restrictions were put in place during the coronavirus pandemic.

Her parents work at essential businesses so they’ve been concerned about potentially bringing the virus home with them.

Now Riley is preparing for graduation as MHS is set for a June 6 ceremony at a location and time to be determined if Oklahoma enters Phase 3 of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s Open Up Recover Safely Plan by then.

She has been accepted to Oral Roberts University and plans to become an anesthesiologist.

Service Dog Puppies

Here’s something cute to help you brighten your week!

Sweet 8-week old puppies just arrived at Dallas Love Field on Monday by private jet after a long journey from California.

Soon, the eight pups will enter into intensive training to become service dogs for national nonprofit Canine Companions for Independence. The local chapter is based in Irving with multiple locations across the country. The headquarters are in Santa Rosa, California, where the puppies arrived from.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the group is keeping its mission going to train and provide service dogs for people with disabilities at no cost.

While the pandemic is limiting flights for many, it hasn’t stopped them from transporting these future assistance puppies. Canine Companions looked to private pilots for help, and they stepped up in a big way.

Private pilots Martyn Lewis and Josh Hochberg volunteer with a nonprofit organization that connects volunteer pilots and plane owners with animal groups that need animal transportation. Now, they’re offering Canine Companions their services in a time of need.

“It combines two of my greatest passions, flying and dogs,” Lewis said. “There is nothing better in the world than delivering a puppy to their new person. The impact the dog has on its future person is incredible.”

So far, private pilots have flown more than 100 Canine Companions puppies from the nonprofit’s headquarters in Northern California to their volunteer puppy raisers in Southern California, Colorado, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico and now, Texas.

“We are so grateful to Martyn and to all the pilots, staff and volunteers who are helping our puppies get to their volunteer puppy raisers during this unprecedented time,” said Canine Companions CEO Paige Mazzoni in a statement. “At times like these, it is wonderful to see the goodness and kindness in people who want to help however they can.”

Canine Companions still has over 400 people waiting to be placed with an expertly trained assistance dog.

Guide Dog Teams

Guide dogs are the eyes of their handler — they are trained to lead the way safely and securely. But we can’t expect guide dogs to understand the current physical distancing practice of maintaining 6-foot clearances.

Guide dogs are trained to be decision makers. Even under stressful situations the intent of the dogs’ presence is to protect their handlers from harmful situations involving clearances around obstacles and navigating over dangerous under footings. When another party is in too close proximity, it can distract the dog from its tasks. Just as we humans like our space, guide dogs need space as well to perform their duties. Our wonderful guide dogs are specifically trained to make safe choices in public settings. This includes on stairways, elevators, and escalators; in supermarket aisles; around restaurant tables and along sidewalks. The long-standing message of being a careful observer applies when you are in the same vicinity as the guide dog team —especially when locating, entering, or exiting doorways. Remember that the dog knows to lead his handler with safe clearance, but he does not know how to create a 6-foot gap. I believe the guide dog’s presence should tell the story and that we humans must observe and react with care. The responsibility for recommended physical spacing in the presence of a working team should fall to the sighted party. Please decide when it is necessary to make the adjustment for 6-feet of distance between you, and do it in a casual manner. When you see a guide dog team approaching, be observant and add a small amount of space between you as needed. There is no reason for exaggeration, but it’s easy to add a little physical separation to comply with safety practices. A slight movement one way or another will help a lot. We each do it every day in our people-to-people encounters. And please do this with subtlety and tact. The blind person approaching you does not want to feel awkward or to be put on the spot. Nor do they want to be given preferential treatment. Blindness in and of itself can be the cause of social isolation and often results in loneliness and distancing from life and human interaction. We are in no way suggesting that you avoid engaging with a visually impaired person — just not when that can interfere with their safety and health. We are all having to make adjustments to adhere to the new protocols and safety measures designed to flatten the curve of COVID-19 in our daily lives. Thank you for being sensitive about giving our life-changing guide dogs a little more space in theirs. Southeastern Guide Dogs transforms lives by creating and nurturing extraordinary partnerships between people and dogs. Our organization operates the most advanced training facilities of any service dog organization in the world. Our experts breed, raise, and train elite working dogs—including guide dogs, service dogs, and skilled companion dogs—and provide life-changing services for people with vision loss, veterans with disabilities, and children with significant challenges such as vision loss or the loss of a parent in the military.

Service Dog Brutus

Late in life, Brutus is building up quite a resume.

The loveable 14-year-ish mutt, rescued from a California shelter, was a family pet before he trained to become a service dog for his Cliffside Park owner.

Last month, after Brutus helped Jasmine Steinwand graduate from Centenary University, his memorable senior-year on campus moved the chairwoman of the Science Department to present a special “Greatest Science Helper” award.

Steinwand said Brutus accompanied her to the Centenary campus in Hackettstown for her senior year because she was struggling to manage her food allergies.

“He was trained to be receptive to any sort of anaphylactic shock, and he can retrieve my EpiPen,” she said. “He came to school with me every day and during the lectures, he would just sit on the floor and fall asleep.”

“He senses Jasmine’s needs,” said Prof. Krassi Lazarova, chairwoman of the science department who had Steinwad and Brutus in one of her physics classes.

Before long, Brutus adopted the rest of the class.

“The more amazing thing that I didn’t anticipate was the calming effect he had on all of the other students,” Steinwand said. “Whenever we would take tests or quizzes, he would start walking around the room and checking on people, and whoever seemed to be the most stressed would be the one he would sit next to.”

“It didn’t start out that way,” said Prof. Krassi Lazarova, chairwoman of the science department who had Steinwand and Brutus in one of her physics classes. “It started that Brutus had to be with Jasmine at all times. But then all of a sudden, Brutus had to be with every student at all times.”

“He ended up becoming an iconic part of the campus,” Steinwand said. “People knew his name, even if they didn’t know me.”

Animals are allowed on campus and in dorms after clearing what Lazarova described as “rigorous processes” with Centenary’s Academic Success Center and Disability Service Office.

But service dogs in classrooms are a rarity. Brutus was a first for Lazarova.

A self-described cat person with a soft heart for dogs, Lazarova had initial reservations about Brutus, particularly in science labs.

“My problem with animals in buildings is mostly safety-related,” she said. “Think about a lab. If you end up with an animal in a lab, you don’t really know what could happen. We’re talking about physics labs, chemistry labs, biology labs. Sometimes, there are sounds, noises or smells, you never know what could be a problem.”

But the mellow border collie mix, adopted from Rocket Dog Rescue in San Francisco before Steinwad’s family moved to New Jersey, quickly proved its worth.

“Brutus alleviates all of my concerns,” Lazarova said. “He really was always out of the way. He was incredibly well-behaved. Usually, service dogs are well-behaved.”

So when it came time for the science department to hand our its achievement awards for the academic year, Lazarova created a “Special Science Helper” award for Brutus, which was presented in a virtual ceremony along with 14 student awards.

“It was a surprise to me. I was lucky enough to win an [Senior Merit] award myself, and then he won an award,” Steinwand said. “It was pretty heartwarming.”

“He is an incredible animal and we were so lucky to have him,” Lazarova said.

Steinwand, who accepted a degree in biology with a concentration of pre-veterinary studies and a minor in chemistry, will continue her studies at NYU, where she has been accepted into an accelerated program for registered nursing.

Brutus, however, will stay home for now, “only because I’ve been able to get my medical involvement under control lately,” Steinwand said.

Lazarova added praise for all the student award-winners who “have distinguished themselves for their commitment to the advancement of science.”

“Despite the pandemic, they found creative ways to continue their studies virtually,” she said. “I’m incredibly proud of every Centenary science student, as well as our faculty, for rising to the challenges presented by COVID-19.”

Karelian Bear Dogs

Firefighters continue to make good progress to suppress the Isom Creek Fire (#187) aided by relatively cool temperatures, high humidity, and light winds. Crews improved the north and western perimeters. They continue to assess and implement protection measures for Native allotments along the Yukon River. Mop-up work is ongoing to hold and reinforce the firelines. Spread rates are slow, giving firefighters the opportunity to advance containment efforts the east side of the fire. Two crews are building line south from the Yukon River and two crews are working northward on the east side of the fire. Pioneer Peak Hotshots (State of Alaska Type 1 crew) are working with the North Stars (Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service Type 2 training crew). Winema Hotshots (crew from USDA Forest Service, Oregon) are working with White Mountain (Division of Forestry Type 2 handcrew). Aircraft continue to support ground crews, slowing fire spread. Rio, a Karelian bear dog, hangs his head out of the window to catch a scent while on patrol for bears Monday, June 16, 2020, near the Isom Creek Fire (#187). The dogs and their handler Nils Pedersen of the Wind River Bear Institute were requested by fire managers to keep firefighters safe while in camp and on the fireline. The intent is reducing human-caused bear mortality and human-wildlife conflict. Terry Solomon/Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team.

Several crews are spiked-out, camping near their assigned work sites on the south and east sides of the fire. While at these remote camps, firefighter duties include securing food and garbage to keep the area free of bears. This week the Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team is deploying Karelian bear dogs and their handlers to aid firefighters with this task. These wildlife service dogs are trained to reduce human-wildlife conflicts, keeping crews and supplies safe, and bears wild.

The Dalton Highway remains open to travel, with traffic control as needed for smoke conditions or in support of firefighting efforts. Drivers need to use extreme caution between mileposts 34-62 by driving slowly with headlights on. Be prepared for low visibility, firefighting personnel and equipment along the roadway. Do not stop on the highway. Please use turnouts outside of mileposts 34-62.