Training Guide Dogs
Before the Coronavirus pandemic struck, the Southeastern Guide Dogs campus in Palmetto was full of volunteers, trainers, and playful puppies.
But when the Pandemic struck that all changed.
“Before the Coronavirus, we took a hands-on approach through the training of most of our dogs. Right now, because of the pandemic, we have to use technology. For example, we use Facebook Live, Zoom, and other online platforms to provide training to our 300 plus volunteers puppy raisers”, explains CEO of Southeastern Guide Dogs, Titus Herman.
The puppies are paired with people who suffer some kind of disability whether physical or mental like PTSD or anxiety.
“I’m hoping for a service dog because I truly believe it will provide the full-time companionship and aid because of my military service injuries,” Leo Garza says in a video to Southeastern Guide Dogs.
Herman says even in the midst of this pandemic where we have to social distance, the puppies provide a friendship that is much needed now
“Thankfully these dogs transform the lives of the recipients in significant ways and because of those dogs the people we serve people are able to leave their homes. Even though they may be physically distant from others. They will get to make a social connection and the dogs create a bridge between isolation and society,”
After 2 Years Of Waiting, N.J. Boy On Autism Spectrum Finally Gets His Service Dog
A New Jersey mother’s appeal to get her son a service dog has been answered by strangers.
Her little boy is on the autism spectrum and doctors advised he get a comforting canine, but they are very expensive.
Two years ago, CBS2’s Lisa Rozner covered the family’s story and now has this uplifting update.
When she met 2-year-old Joey Stanley in 2018 he was obsessed with vacuums, and still is. He’s now 5.
“I like vacuums and rocket ships,” Joey said.
And dogs. Not just because they’re cute, but because they can bring him from a state of confusion and chaos to calm.
Joey, who is on the spectrum, would bang his head when he got mad. Doctors recommended he get a service dog.
But Faith Stanley, a working single mom of four, could not afford it with her income. So, two years ago she started a GoFundMe page.
After CBS2 told her story: “It was $500 and then it went to $18,000,” Faith said.
Janice Wolfe, who only lived a few towns away, saw the story, too. It turns out she had started the nonprofit Merlin’s Kids Service Dogs and has trained over 1,000 canines. She wanted to help Faith and Joey.
“It’s kind of like you see a dog or a child and you say oh my gosh, I connect,” Wolfe said.
Over the next two years, Janice would introduce Joey to around eight different dogs to see which one would make the best match. Eventually, a corgi-beagle mix named Boots — because his paws are white — was the one.
“The minute we found him I knew he was a good candidate for Joey because he’s so … almost comatose calm,” Wolfe said.
Merlin’s Kids adopted Boots from a shelter in Missouri and then trained him for a year and a half. Then he came to New Jersey and Faith was trained on how to work with Boots for around three months.
“And Boots would then come and lay down on Joey and put comfort and pressure on him, which Joey loves,” Faith said.
Joey planted a kiss on Boots, adding, “He loves me. I love Boots because he’s so cute. He’s so cute and I love his tail.”
Joey said the dog makes him feel calm.
Faith said Boots has helped the family through the pandemic, and added Janice has become a lifelong friend.
It’s important to take good care of Boots, too, so she started making homemade treats, and with Wolfe has started up “Whiskers Barkery,” selling items out of a storefront in Boonton.
The women said the proceeds will go to helping other families find their own Boots.
Faith is now documenting the tales of Joey and Boots and sharing it on Instagram.
Service Dog Reunited
When Barbara Palatin went out to her porch early Sunday and found her service dog Ryder’s leash and harness sitting empty on a chair, she immediately began searching the neighborhood, fearing the worst.
Thanks to the help of two strangers and social media, 72-year-old Palatin was reunited with Ryder on Monday.
Palatin, who lives in the Ironwood Village apartments and is diabetic, said she relies on Ryder — a 12-year-old Biewer Yorkie whom kids in the apartment complex call Bubba — to help alert her when her blood sugar gets out of sync.
“I was gone maybe five minutes. When I came out, his harness had been taken off and thrown on the chair and he was gone,” Palatin said. “He’s extraordinary, but he can’t do that.”
Palatin began walking around the apartment complex in the early morning hours on Sunday, changing coats twice because of the rain, hoping Ryder had just gone to the house of a neighbor he knew. She soon filled out a police report, as well.
“We’ve been together since 2008,” Palatin said. “He’s only been gone from me for five days when I had surgery. That’s the only time we’ve been apart, we go everywhere together.”
Palatin’s break in the case came Sunday afternoon when she ran into Tysharae Jones and Jomisha Banks up the street from her house.
“She was crying and shaking when she came up here,” Jones recalled.
Jones and Banks said they had never met Palatin but had seen her walking Ryder many times.
Within minutes, someone responded to Jones’ post saying they had almost hit Ryder near the front of the complex at Ewing Avenue and Blossom Drive and had picked him up.
“In less than five minutes, these two wonderful ladies came running down the hill, and they said ‘Is this your dog, is this your dog?’ Palatin remembered. “A lady had sent them a picture of Ryder.”
Though she was relieved to know Ryder was alive, Palatin wasn’t able to get him back until Monday morning because of some unfortunate circumstances.
The woman who replied to the post had dropped Ryder off with the apartment complex’s maintenance manager, who in turn, had taken him to the Humane Society, which required Palatin to gather Ryder’s medical paperwork before retrieving him Monday morning.
“I had to wait and wait and wait and they brought him out — and he ignored me,” Palatin said with a laugh, describing their reunion. “He’s mad at me.”
Other than a cut on his leg, which Palatin believed was caused by him chewing at it because of an allergic reaction, Ryder appeared to be unharmed.
“I’m a senior citizen, he’s my family,” Palatin said. “Just being away from him, I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat.”
With Ryder back home, Palatin said, she was moved by Jones and Banks’ kindness to help a stranger in a time of need. Jones said she’s just glad Palatin was reunited with her service animal.
“We’re happy for her,” Jones said. “I know she cares about that dog.”
K9 Deputy Dogs
When it comes to fighting crime, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office believes it’s barking up the right tree.
This week, the sheriff’s office welcomed five new dogs to its growing K9 unit that already includes 21 dogs.
The new dogs include a patrol K9, two K9s assigned to sheriff’s highway interdiction Ttam and two narcotics detection K9s assigned to the Land O Lakes Detention Center to help thwart the smuggling of illegal drugs into the jail.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office was one of the first law enforcement agencies in Tampa Bay to routinely use K9s. The unit, including training, equipment, medical care and food for the dogs is funded through the Pasco Sheriff’s Charities.
Lt. Clint Cabbage, who oversees the K9 unit, said the all the K9s go through a rigorous selection and certification process before earning their badges. This includes specialized training designed for specific law enforcement tasks.
Chris, a German Shepherd who joined the K9 unit in 2017, is specially training to detect explosives and serves on the Tampa Bay Regional Bomb Squad, assisting at high-profile sporting events ad the Gasparilla Parade.
Trinity, also a German Shepherd, is a member of the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association. He’s responsible for hundreds of arrests and narcotics seizures.
Knox, a bloodhound that was purchased through a donation when he was just 8 weeks, underwent extensive training to learn to track and trail missing people and fleeing criminals. He is now certified through the National Police Bloodhound Association.
Phi, a yellow lab, is also certified by the NNDDA but his specialty is finding human remains on land and water. He has assisted the FBI on numerous cases.
The other members of the Pasco Sheriff’s K9 unit specialize in explosives detection, narcotics detection, tracking, evidence recovery, apprehending fleeing criminals, building searches and cadaver searches.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is also among the first law enforcement agencies to add mental health therapy dogs to its K9 unit. Charlie and Mango are trained to calm and comfort children in crisis, agitated people with mental health problems and drug addicts experiencing anxiety.
Assistance Dog Pepper
Students and teachers are celebrating the benefits of having a full-time canine in the classroom after assistance dog, Pepper, started at Wauchope Public School this year.
The lovable five-year-old pooch now acts as a four-legged teachers’ aide to calm anxious students, assist with reading by listening and act as writing inspiration.
Wauchope Public School assistant principal of supported learning, Anne Puchert said Pepper stays in her classroom and adjacent classrooms on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays providing an invaluable service.
“She hangs out with us and kids may need her for any calm down time or as a special treat to have time with her,” she said.
“We are still in the learning phase but kids can interact with her and it’s increased attendance for some students. Sometimes kids will read stories to her or write about her.
“She has done some dog training and was one of the dogs who was in the W.A.G.S course in November last year.
“She’s a wellbeing dog and if students are anxious they can have time with her to reduce their anxiety. Students without pets have the opportunity to look after her, to brush her. She is also available for the staff to pat as well.
“For a long time I’ve thought there is a need of this for supported learning. Although it’s not something you’ll find in every school, it is a very easy way to implement a positive change in student behaviour.”
Wauchope Public School student Jaziah Taylor-Chilly, 8, said he often wrote stories and drew pictures about playing with Pepper.
“When I can’t make a sentence about something, I can always make a sentence about Pepper,” he said.
“When I read to Pepper she sits there and listens.”
Assistance Dogs Australia CEO Richard Lord said there is an increase in the awareness of the benefits of therapy dogs in schools.
“We’ve been organising therapy dogs at schools for about seven or eight years now,” he said.
“It’s up to schools to get interested in it and more do seem to be interested when they see the results from other schools.
“Educational support dogs can help situations involving special needs, autism, post-traumatic stress or comfort crime victims in court.
“The dogs can provide support to students in a number of ways, including offering emotional support, recognising signs of anxiety, and helping improve concentration and communication skills as well as reducing the incidence of antisocial behaviour and bullying.
“We have placed 18 working dogs in NSW north coast for people living with PTSD, families with kids with utism and those who require a wheelchair for mobility. We have 150 dogs working across Australia
“It’s not just bringing a dog into a classroom. It’s about having a trained therapy dog through a certified provider to cover the duty of care to the kids, the school and the dog itself.
Hastings Secondary College Westport Campus supported learning students are also visited by a therapy dog twice a week.
Guide Dogs
Before the Coronavirus pandemic struck, the Southeastern Guide Dogs campus in Palmetto was full of volunteers, trainers, and playful puppies.
But when the Pandemic struck that all changed.
“Before the Coronavirus, we took a hands-on approach through the training of most of our dogs. Right now, because of the pandemic, we have to use technology. For example, we use Facebook Live, Zoom, and other online platforms to provide training to our 300 plus volunteers puppy raisers”, explains CEO of Southeastern Guide Dogs, Titus Herman.
The puppies are paired with people who suffer some kind of disability whether physical or mental like PTSD or anxiety.
“I’m hoping for a service dog because I truly believe it will provide the full-time companionship and aid because of my military service injuries,” Leo Garza says in a video to Southeastern Guide Dogs.
Herman says even in the midst of this pandemic where we have to social distance, the puppies provide a friendship that is much needed now
“Thankfully these dogs transform the lives of the recipients in significant ways and because of those dogs the people we serve people are able to leave their homes. Even though they may be physically distant from others. They will get to make a social connection and the dogs create a bridge between isolation and society,”
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