News
ENLARGE
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A 2-year-old golden retriever dropped off at the Roice-Hurst Humane Society will be on his way to California Saturday, and to a new life as a search and rescue dog.
When the dog arrived at the shelter a month ago no one knew his name, or his destiny.
A staff member coincidentally named the dog Hunter.
A vacationing Penny Woodruff had stopped by the shelter to check out the dogs a month before Hunter showed up there. Woodruff is a canine recruiter for the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, based in Ojai, Calif.
The nonprofit Search Dog Foundation recruits rescued dogs, trains them for at least a year, and then partners the dogs with firefighters and other first responders to find people buried alive in the wreckage of disasters.
Obsessively playful, Hunter seemed like the type of dog Woodruff was looking for, said Roice Hurst Executive Director Denise Lashmett.
So she contacted the foundation who asked for a videotape of the dog.
One of their world-renowned trainers saw the video and wanted him, Lashmett said.
“This is huge,” Lashmett said.
“People think sometimes shelter dogs are lesser than other dogs, and they're not. We have great dogs in here. They all have something to offer.
“Some are good couch potatoes; some are good hiking partners; some are good listeners.”
Others, like Hunter, may save lives.
SERVICE DOGS
Mary Moore intends to eventually adopt her constant companion, a golden labrador named Embree.
The dog works for Moore, who has cerebral palsy, but belongs to Canine Companions for Independence.
Embree helps the 43-year-old Moore live independently.
He ignored a visitor while standing next to Moore at the Center For Independence where she works as an independent living advocate. Embree doesn't bark unless given permission. He takes his cue only from Moore.
The dog matches Moore's pace when they walk, and keeps his eye on her and her crutch.
“His presence is a teaching tool,” said Moore, who helps others with disabilities live independently.
Embree opens and closes doors, and can pull the laundry basket to her. He retrieves Moore's crutch or her keys if dropped on the floor. “He can push elevator buttons, and pull things out of the closet for me,” she said.
Headquartered in Santa Rosa, Calif., Canine Companions for Independence, provides highly-trained assistance dogs for children and adults with disabilities, free of charge. Last year, the California agency placed 50 dogs with disabled individuals, five in Colorado, including one for an Iraqi war veteran.
Volunteers raise and begin training the puppies at 8 weeks until they're about 16 months old. Then Canine Companions takes over for another six to nine months of training.
Embree wears a vest that identifies him as a service dog with the words “Please don't pet me, I'm working.”
At home, after Moore removes the “uniform” and tells him he's not working, “he becomes a 2-year-old puppy, bounds around the house, and plays with my two cats,” she said.
For exercise Embree plays in the yard, or runs alongside Moore as she rides her scooter.
Eventually, at around 10 years of age, service dogs “retire” from working. At that point their companions have the option to adopt them.
“These dogs are wonderful tools to move your life forward,” Moore said. “They provide unconditional love and acceptance.”
DOGS HELP VETERANS
When Nala walks through the door of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, she lets out her “dinosaur roar.”
“She's glad to be here,” said owner and handler Judi Sammons.
Sammons brings her large, lion-like Leonberger dog to the VA once a week for two hours to spread cheer and spur healing among patients in the VA's Community Living Center. Nala is certified through Therapy Dogs International, one of several pet therapy certifiers in the nation.
Another therapy dog handler, Patti Rich, brings her poodle-mix named Sparky to the VA on other days.
Studies show being around dogs or other pets promotes healing, Sammons said.
“If you're in the hospital a long time and have something that takes you back to happier moments in your life, it paves the way for healing,” Sammons said.
Tuesday, Nala visited several patients, including 86-year-old World War II veteran Charles Alexander.
As he petted Nala, Alexander talked about the working dogs he used to own, growing up on a farm in Tennessee where his family raised dairy cows.
“I love dogs,” Alexander said. “I used to have collies. Collies are good cow dogs. They didn't have to be told when it was time to bring the cows in to milk. They'd jump off the porch and start running.”
In some areas of the country pet therapy is being used to treat Iraqi war veterans who have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. The veterans report experiencing relief from anxiety, insomnia and thoughts of suicide after receiving a specially-trained dog to help traumatized veterans.
The New York Times reported last week the federal government is spending several million dollars to study whether scientific research supports anecdotal reports of psychiatric service dogs helping Iraqi and Afghanistan war veterans cope with PTSD.
OTHER THERAPY DOGS
Tillie could almost be mistaken for a stuffed animal on the couch at the Western Slope Center for Children, a child advocacy center that provides services to child sexual abuse victims and their families.
The tiny Havanese dog is white, fluffy and adorable.
Thanks to a Junior Service League grant the center was able to purchase the dog to use with children during on-site therapy sessions.
Executive Director Shari Zen said she and staff members were seeking ways to bring comfort to children at the center.
Therapy dogs help traumatized children to open up and begin the healing process, according to the National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse.
Zen is currently working with dog trainer Terry Thomas of Angels in the Making to prepare Tillie for her job at the center.
Tillie's mom Daisy was a therapy dog in Denver.
Cathy Clark has evaluated dogs for Therapy Dogs International for 11 years. She's brought her own therapy dogs to visit people in nursing homes, assisted living centers, the Regional Center and St. Mary's Hospital.
“I loved it from the first time I ever did it. It stuck with me,” said Clark, 73.
Therapy dogs visit Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado patients, as well as patients at both hospitals. Therapy dogs must be current on their vaccinations, well-groomed and certified.
Pet therapy “helps people feel less lonely, helps reduce depression and anxiety, and has shown to lower blood pressure and heart and respiration rates,” said Sheryl Click, director of volunteer services at Hospice. Therapy dogs also help people with cognitive impairments, Click said.
The dogs provide a “welcome distraction from pain and illness, and promote better sleep for those who struggle with restlessness,” she said. “They really provide a wonderful service.”
When the dog arrived at the shelter a month ago no one knew his name, or his destiny.
A staff member coincidentally named the dog Hunter.
A vacationing Penny Woodruff had stopped by the shelter to check out the dogs a month before Hunter showed up there. Woodruff is a canine recruiter for the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, based in Ojai, Calif.
The nonprofit Search Dog Foundation recruits rescued dogs, trains them for at least a year, and then partners the dogs with firefighters and other first responders to find people buried alive in the wreckage of disasters.
Obsessively playful, Hunter seemed like the type of dog Woodruff was looking for, said Roice Hurst Executive Director Denise Lashmett.
So she contacted the foundation who asked for a videotape of the dog.
One of their world-renowned trainers saw the video and wanted him, Lashmett said.
“This is huge,” Lashmett said.
“People think sometimes shelter dogs are lesser than other dogs, and they're not. We have great dogs in here. They all have something to offer.
“Some are good couch potatoes; some are good hiking partners; some are good listeners.”
Others, like Hunter, may save lives.
SERVICE DOGS
Mary Moore intends to eventually adopt her constant companion, a golden labrador named Embree.
The dog works for Moore, who has cerebral palsy, but belongs to Canine Companions for Independence.
Embree helps the 43-year-old Moore live independently.
He ignored a visitor while standing next to Moore at the Center For Independence where she works as an independent living advocate. Embree doesn't bark unless given permission. He takes his cue only from Moore.
The dog matches Moore's pace when they walk, and keeps his eye on her and her crutch.
“His presence is a teaching tool,” said Moore, who helps others with disabilities live independently.
Embree opens and closes doors, and can pull the laundry basket to her. He retrieves Moore's crutch or her keys if dropped on the floor. “He can push elevator buttons, and pull things out of the closet for me,” she said.
Headquartered in Santa Rosa, Calif., Canine Companions for Independence, provides highly-trained assistance dogs for children and adults with disabilities, free of charge. Last year, the California agency placed 50 dogs with disabled individuals, five in Colorado, including one for an Iraqi war veteran.
Volunteers raise and begin training the puppies at 8 weeks until they're about 16 months old. Then Canine Companions takes over for another six to nine months of training.
Embree wears a vest that identifies him as a service dog with the words “Please don't pet me, I'm working.”
At home, after Moore removes the “uniform” and tells him he's not working, “he becomes a 2-year-old puppy, bounds around the house, and plays with my two cats,” she said.
For exercise Embree plays in the yard, or runs alongside Moore as she rides her scooter.
Eventually, at around 10 years of age, service dogs “retire” from working. At that point their companions have the option to adopt them.
“These dogs are wonderful tools to move your life forward,” Moore said. “They provide unconditional love and acceptance.”
DOGS HELP VETERANS
When Nala walks through the door of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, she lets out her “dinosaur roar.”
“She's glad to be here,” said owner and handler Judi Sammons.
Sammons brings her large, lion-like Leonberger dog to the VA once a week for two hours to spread cheer and spur healing among patients in the VA's Community Living Center. Nala is certified through Therapy Dogs International, one of several pet therapy certifiers in the nation.
Another therapy dog handler, Patti Rich, brings her poodle-mix named Sparky to the VA on other days.
Studies show being around dogs or other pets promotes healing, Sammons said.
“If you're in the hospital a long time and have something that takes you back to happier moments in your life, it paves the way for healing,” Sammons said.
Tuesday, Nala visited several patients, including 86-year-old World War II veteran Charles Alexander.
As he petted Nala, Alexander talked about the working dogs he used to own, growing up on a farm in Tennessee where his family raised dairy cows.
“I love dogs,” Alexander said. “I used to have collies. Collies are good cow dogs. They didn't have to be told when it was time to bring the cows in to milk. They'd jump off the porch and start running.”
In some areas of the country pet therapy is being used to treat Iraqi war veterans who have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. The veterans report experiencing relief from anxiety, insomnia and thoughts of suicide after receiving a specially-trained dog to help traumatized veterans.
The New York Times reported last week the federal government is spending several million dollars to study whether scientific research supports anecdotal reports of psychiatric service dogs helping Iraqi and Afghanistan war veterans cope with PTSD.
OTHER THERAPY DOGS
Tillie could almost be mistaken for a stuffed animal on the couch at the Western Slope Center for Children, a child advocacy center that provides services to child sexual abuse victims and their families.
The tiny Havanese dog is white, fluffy and adorable.
Thanks to a Junior Service League grant the center was able to purchase the dog to use with children during on-site therapy sessions.
Executive Director Shari Zen said she and staff members were seeking ways to bring comfort to children at the center.
Therapy dogs help traumatized children to open up and begin the healing process, according to the National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse.
Zen is currently working with dog trainer Terry Thomas of Angels in the Making to prepare Tillie for her job at the center.
Tillie's mom Daisy was a therapy dog in Denver.
Cathy Clark has evaluated dogs for Therapy Dogs International for 11 years. She's brought her own therapy dogs to visit people in nursing homes, assisted living centers, the Regional Center and St. Mary's Hospital.
“I loved it from the first time I ever did it. It stuck with me,” said Clark, 73.
Therapy dogs visit Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado patients, as well as patients at both hospitals. Therapy dogs must be current on their vaccinations, well-groomed and certified.
Pet therapy “helps people feel less lonely, helps reduce depression and anxiety, and has shown to lower blood pressure and heart and respiration rates,” said Sheryl Click, director of volunteer services at Hospice. Therapy dogs also help people with cognitive impairments, Click said.
The dogs provide a “welcome distraction from pain and illness, and promote better sleep for those who struggle with restlessness,” she said. “They really provide a wonderful service.”
