K-9 Dog Obedience Training
After developing a love for Huskies, it didn’t take much for Michael Kurtz to get into rescuing them. Seeing a need for a Husky rescue in the community, Michael works to find these beautiful dogs a new home, trains other dogs with existing homes, and turns some of his rescue dogs into service animals for our veterans. Learn more about Kurtz K-9 and their amazing programs for these gorgeous dogs in our community.
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.”
Feeding Wild Dogs
BLUE Mountains residents are being warned not to feed wild dogs, following a series of close calls in the region after bushfires have driven the dogs back into urban areas.
The local land service even heard claims several years ago that a wild dog took a blanket from a small child around the Lincolns Rock area in Wentworth Falls.
“I was told a mother had put her child down for a brief second, when she turned around, she saw a wild dog taking the child’s blanket away,” he said. “This is serious, we don’t want to see anyone get seriously hurt.”
Mr Parker stressed if a dog was not your own to leave it alone. He said they have previously trapped four of a pack of five wild dogs around the Tablelands Road area and are now trying to trap the remaining dog which has recruited a further four dogs from the park.
“We’re working closely with Blue Mountains City Council and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services to address this very serious issue,” Mr Parker said.
“By feeding these animals, you are encouraging them to return. These are wild animals, not the pet next door, they are dangers, carry diseases and can cause extremely serious problems if allowed to establish.”
Wentworth Falls resident Richard Kazmierczak said his small breed pet dog had been bitten by one of the wild dogs through their backyard fence.
“They are brazen, we’ve seen them in the driveways when you put out the garbage; my neighbour lost five of her chickens just the other day,” he said.
Neighbour Margaret Harrison said she feared for her safety and had been told by council to carry a stick when loading her washing on the line.
“My husband is nearly 90, I’m nearly 80…we can’t run away from them if they decide to attack,” she said. “There are two small babies in this street. What are we meant to do when they get hungry or aggressive?” Her husband has been calling the situation “Lindy Chamberlain revisited”.
She said recently she saw two dogs peering through her bedroom window.
Blue Mountains Crime Manager Scott McAlpine said “we have had no reports in relation to wild dogs roaming the area and no reports to the police in respect to children getting attacked”.
Mr Parker said feeding feral animals was an offence under the NSW Biosecurity Act.
A council spokeswoman said “council is working with Local Land Services and NPWS in regards to this serious matter”.
Report sightings of collarless dogs to Greater Sydney Local Land Services on 1300 795 299.
Last week Cameron Chaffey, the acting director of Blue Mountains NPWS, said residents in Glenbrook were letterboxed about wild dogs. Euroka Clearing campground has reopened after COVID-19 restrictions eased, which has led to the dogs moving on. Some baiting is occurring in Glenbrook, but trapping is the method in Wentworth Falls due to restrictions around baiting in urban fringes.
Aerial baiting is currently occurring at: Andersons trail, Dunphys Campground, Evans Lookout, Grand Canyon track, Ingar Campground, Mount Banks Summit walk, Mount Hay Road in Leura, Mount Hay Summit walking track and Narrow Neck trail in Katoomba.
Murfee The Canine Mayor
Not even halfway through his first term as mayor of this small Vermont town, three-year-old Murfee is lapping up his only official duty: to charm.
Specifically, the King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, a certified therapy dog, is charged with prompting admirers to donate toward a $70,000 playground rehabilitation at Fair Haven Park.
He still has $62,000 to go.
Mugs, T-shirts and canvas shopping totes that bear his likeness are selling briskly online, his live-in chief of staff Linda Barker said on Tuesday.
By mayoral request, Barker has dusted off her old sewing machine to crank out and sell hundreds of canine-themed, pandemic-appropriate face masks for the cause.
“Murfee has learned to delegate,” observed Barker: The canine’s job apparently ends after he has drawn and entertained a crowd.
But his administration’s efforts to secure funds for the playground has been challenged by limits on large social events — the Spring Fling, the concerts in the park and so on.
Murfee has relied on sheer charisma, as well as the low likelihood he will either contract or transmit COVID-19.
“He’s allowed to love on the kids and to let them love on him,” Barker said. “Kids are his thing. He’s a goodwill ambassador for the town.”
Virtual Trivia
This coming Friday, June 26, BC & Alberta Guide Dogs is holding its third Virtual Trivia Night fundraiser – this time with a Canada theme.
Six rounds of questions will test players’ knowledge about Canadian music, history, food, animals, geography, and other miscellaneous Canadiana.
The organization would like to invite the public to kick off their Canada Day celebrations with a fun game that also helps raise much needed funds to provide life-changing Guide Dogs, Autism Service Dogs and PTSD Service Dogs to those in need.
Restrictions caused by COVID-19 have prevented BC & Alberta Guide Dogs from holding in-person fundraising events, so the organization has focused its efforts on online initiatives.
“It’s really easy to join the game,” said Joni Wright, Director of Development and Communications at BC & Alberta Guide Dogs. “Register online to receive a link and game guide, and then click on it on game day. No app download is needed and you can play from your desktop or mobile phone.”
Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased online at bcandalbertaguidedogs.com. The game starts at 6 p.m. Pacific Time, so players need to plan their start time based on their location.
This fundraiser is part of the BC & Alberta Guide Dog Virtual Trivia Summer Series, generously sponsored by Ledcor Group. Two additional themed games will take place later this summer: Virtual Trivia Night – Music Fest on July 24and Virtual Trivia Night – Summer Holiday on Aug. 14.
Puppy With Purpose
“PenFed is proud to work with America’s VetDogs and we are honored to support the men and women who serve our country and protect our freedoms,” said James Schenck, president and CEO of PenFed Credit Union and CEO of the PenFed Foundation. “Ace is being raised with the purpose of providing enhanced mobility and renewed independence to veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders with disabilities, allowing them to once again live with pride and self-reliance. We are committed to this program and making it work for our employees who are donating their time to raise these dogs for a very noble cause.”
McCarren will spend the next 18 months raising Ace as part of the PenFed family to prepare him for the next step of his training. He will learn additional tasks that are helpful to a person with a disability. PenFed is covering costs associated with the raising of Ace as he begins his journey to become a future service dog.
“As someone who is raising her fourth service dog, I have seen firsthand the powerful impact they have on the lives of a wounded service members and first responders,” said McCarren. “The ability to help a remarkable organization like America’s VetDogs while on the job is one of the many things that makes PenFed special.”
America’s VetDogs specializes in placing highly-skilled service and guide dogs to individuals with physical injuries, PTSD, hearing and vision loss, and seizures. All services are provided by America’s VetDogs at no cost. Sully, George H.W. Bush’s former service dog who is currently working as part of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center’s Facility Dog Program, was raised, trained and placed by America’s VetDogs. Ace joins other high-profile VetDogs pups with a purpose including the Washington Capitals’ Captain, Scout from Monumental Sports, Atlanta United’s Spike, WBAL’s Brooks and New York Islanders’ Tori and Radar.
“America’s VetDogs is excited to partner with PenFed on this life-changing program to raise a future service dog for a veteran or first responder with disabilities,” said John Miller, president & CEO, America’s VetDogs. “We are thankful to the entire PenFed organization for supporting the VetDogs mission but also for joining our dedicated group of volunteer puppy raisers to provide Ace with a unique and enriching environment that will ultimately mold him into a confident and well-socialized service dog.”
Joplin Service Dog
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.
Emotional Support Animals
Like most BYU students, 20-year-old English major Katherine Tew didn’t anticipate having an animal for a roommate. Tew would come home to the sound of restless barking from behind her roommate’s locked door. The roommate would keep her registered emotional support dog in her bedroom daily while she attended classes and work.
“The dog ate the batteries of a remote and jumped out of the third floor window at my apartment complex. Luckily, it didn’t get seriously hurt. The dog was restless,” Tew said. She was surprised and uncomfortable with the dog in her apartment and the lack of care for the animal.
This wasn’t the last time Tew was faced with such a dilemma.
“Another girl I lived with had an emotional support cat and left on a trip, leaving the cat with no water and food,” Tew said. “I heard the cat meowing super loud, so I bought the cat food before leaving for the semester.”
Such complaints with emotional support animals are a growing issue in student housing on and off campus. Provo apartment managers are often responsible in navigating the issues between disabled students who have the right to keep such animals and the concerned students who are allergic to them. Some roommates may also end up as involuntary caregivers to animals neglected by their owners.
At the same time, a Provo lawmaker is proposing a resolution to help better define the categories of therapy animals, support animals and service animals. In addition, the resolution would standardize training to use them.
According to BYU’s housing guidelines and policies, “Pets and animals of any kind are not allowed in the residence halls. The only exceptions are special assistance animals for tenants with disabilities, or fish for certain biology classes.” As a result, a person with an assistance animal can legally request to live at a property where a housing provider has a no-pets policy.
Many BYU students say that apartment complex managers aren’t informing tenants ahead of time of animal roommates.
“I would have never signed a contract knowing that I was going to have an animal in my apartment,” said Kate Pingree, an exercise science major. “About a week or less before I moved into this apartment, my apartment complex texted me and said I’m going to have an emotional support animal living with me. They told me if I had allergies, to let them know.”
Pingree said she was upset to find out after she signed the contract that there would be an animal in the apartment. She was concerned about friends with bad allergies not being able to visit because of shedded fur and smells.
These students aren’t alone in this newfound responsibility. Despite not attending BYU, Ashley Hales, a graduate student studying education, chose to live in BYU-contracted housing. Hales lived with a cat that was regularly locked in a small bedroom. “The cat cried nonstop with this awful smell. I ended up having to go in there to clean it all up because it was so disgusting,” she said.
Hales said that she felt bad for the cat since the owner did not take care of it. When a roommate is gone all day, the responsibility to take care of the animal might shift to others.
“I know people who have diagnosed anxiety and depression who rely on their dogs, but it’s clear some people are not good pet owners. It just puts the burden on roommates,” Hales said.
According to the BYU Animals on Campus Policy website, BYU strives for balance between helping those with disabilities and mental health struggles and helping those with other safety concerns within the BYU community.
Aspen Ridge Management manages many BYU-contracted residences throughout Provo. Debbie Morris, administrative assistant at Aspen Ridge Management, said the company makes reasonable accommodations for residents who have emotional support animals as well as service animals.
“We require that the resident submits paperwork prior to bringing the animal into the apartment,” Morris said. “We make sure to inquire if any of the current residents have any mental or emotional issues that would be negatively impacted by having an animal in the apartment.”
According to Jennifer Sappenfield from The Branbury, “Apartment complexes, such as The Branbury, don’t notify other residents before they move in because emotional support animals are accommodations for those with a disability.”
The most common case made for keeping an emotional support animal out of an apartment is allergies.
“(At The Branbury) if one of the roommates has proof of an allergy before the person with the assistance animal was coming to move in, there would be a standing accommodation for that apartment,” Sappenfield said. “No one else that moves into that apartment can get an assistance animal.”
If this information is provided prior to an animal moving in, Sappenfield said that person with the allergy has the priority. However, if the documentation of the allergy is provided after a service animal has already moved in, then managers could offer to move or transfer the person with allergies.
Rep. Marsha Judkins, R-Provo, is sponsoring HJR6, a proposed resolution at the Utah Legislature that would provide an alternative way for students to receive animal services. The resolution would point out the distinction between therapy animals, support animals and service animals.
“Service animals differ from emotional support animals because their services are offered for free,” Judkins said. “Unlike support and service animals, therapy animals have no rights under the law. They can not go anywhere that they are not invited.”
One example of therapy animals being properly used is when airports invite a therapy animal to calm anxious passengers before a flight. The dog is with them in the airport, but the animal will not accompany them on the plane.
Judkins is attempting to pass HJR6 to encourage standardized screening and training for animals that will be used as therapy animals and to show support for their use.
“We have so many mental and emotional health issues among all populations in Utah,” Judkins said. “Studies have shown that these animals really do have a positive effect.”
Encouraging students to take advantage of therapy animals could help minimize potential roommate tension. This could be an alternative for students who are unable to dedicate the time and effort to taking care of an animal in their own apartment.
Bob The Wonder Dog
Young Public School added a new addition to its classrooms last term, but it’s only now that school has returned that students are truly able to see the benefits of their new classmate.
The three-year-old former working dog is now a therapy animal who was brought in to help children in a calm, active but therapeutic way.
“It’s been a very difficult time so far this year with COVID-19, thankfully Bob has been here to help the children cope with everything that has gone on, he is just a joy to have here,” Young Public School principal Edwina Wymer said.
“The children love to read to him, they take him for walks and he has also visited several classrooms.
“He’s a very sweet boy who has not only benefited the students, but the staff as well.”
Bob is the pet of Jane Caldow (School Administrative Manager) who would sometimes bring him into school during pupil free days.
“He would come in and sit by my desk during student free days and Mrs Wymer would comment on the calming effect he had and say that we really should get a dog for the school,” Mrs Caldow said.
When the wheels were in motion Mrs Caldow had to have Bob assessed by Debra Coleman, in Orange.
It was no surprise to Mrs Caldow or Mrs Wymer that Bob passed his assessment with flying colours and became a certified therapy dog.
“It’s been a learning curve,” Mrs Caldow said. “At first I thought he would be able to go all day, but I soon realised he would get tired very quickly.”
Thanks to that learning curve Bob now has half-hour breaks to nap in between mingling with students. Bob also only attends school three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
“He needs that day in between to rest,” Mrs Caldow said.
When Bob is at home he likes to go for a daily run and relax according to Mrs Caldow, he also visits her daughter and son in law’s farm where he runs around with their dog, and around five times a year works with the sheep.
Bob not only provides emotional support to students, he is also helping them to regulate their emotions, developing social skills and responsibility as well as many other skills that are so important to the growth and development of children.
Pet Care Tips
The concept of an owner “putting their pet first” isn’t a new one. It conjures images like a rumpled bachelor happily giving his dog a bath. The old maid from the Disney classic “The Aristocrats” also comes to mind as she bequeaths her entire fortune to her cats upon her death.
The thing is, owners overprioritizing their pets isn’t just a silly plot device for a movie — it happens in real life, too.
It’s an activity that’s worth observation. What is it that causes humans to put the needs of their pets above everyone around them, including themselves?
The first question that’s worth exploring is simple: why have a pet in the first place?
Of course, there’s more than one answer. For instance, a pet can:
Boost your mood, aid with mental health, and improve cognitive function.
Help to combat stress, anxiety, loneliness, and depression — especially with (ESAs)
Encourage physical exercise and activity and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Provide structure and create comforting routines to follow.
These are just a few of the more significant highlights that pets can provide.
The fact that pets have a clear value and function in people’s lives doesn’t necessarily explain the reason that they are consistently overprioritized, even over their owner’s personal needs. For instance, it’s easy to criticize a rich person for spending too much on their animal companion, but what about an underprivileged person?
Many of those without homes, for instance, are well-known for taking better care of their pets than themselves. In fact, studies have shown that at times a homeless pet may be better off than their house-bound compatriots.
What’s the reason for this interesting dichotomy?
One interesting study published in the journal “Society & Animals” offers a possible answer. It found that dogs tended to be given more compassion due to the simple fact that they were seen as dependent and vulnerable.
The study found that, while puppies and babies evoked similar levels of concern and emotion, adult humans did not. And adult dogs? Well, it turns out that they were more like a puppy or baby than a man.
The reason for this seems to revolve around the fact that, even when full-grown, a pet is still viewed as little more than a child. In other words, they’re still given the emotional attention that one might give to a dependent and vulnerable kid. This leads to higher levels of care and prioritization of resources that ensure that a defenseless pet has what it needs.
Whether you’re a millionaire, underprivileged, or — more likely — somewhere in between, though, always putting your dog, cat, bird, or fish first can be an unhealthy habit. That isn’t to say that they should be neglected. On the contrary, it’s important to shower your animal companions with love and attention.
However, it’s also important that you consider yourself, too, by splitting up the time that you do have in order to care for both you and your pet. Below are a few suggestions to help you consider ways that you can balance caring for your pet and yourself at the same time. Each suggestion addresses a topic that should be considered for both your pet and yourself on a regular basis. If you find yourself looking up an article about whether or not your dog can eat a banana … while you’re chowing down on a Big Mac, it might be time to reevaluate your diet. Back up to square one and consider what you can do to ensure that both you and your pet consistently stay eat a healthy diet. If you make a point of taking your dog for a walk every day, you may think you’re getting all of the exercise that you need as well. However, you may need more than just a walk. If this is the case, it may be time to adopt a more stringent exercise regimen. Use your walks with your pet as a launching point for a more intensive personal workout each day. You may be hyper-aware of the fact that your dog or cat is left alone in your apartment all day. In fact, this probably leads to giving them an abundance of love and attention each time you return home. This is an excellent activity that can help to bolster your pet’s mental health — but it doesn’t consider your own state of mind. Each time you find yourself giving this laser-focused attention to your pet, take some time to jog your own memory to see if you’ve been taking care of your own mental health lately as well. From giving your dog tick and flea medication to booking a vet visit for your cat, you’re probably well-aware of your pet’s medical needs. But what about yourself? In order to better prioritize your own physicals, dental visits, eye checkups, and so on, get into the habit of scheduling any needed doctor appointments for yourself each and every time you tend to your pet’s health.
