Medical Services For Animals

Veterans Organization

A local veterans organization has been awarded a portion of a $10 million federal grant to help Oklahoma veterans.

Officials say Honoring America’s Warriors has been awarded funds to provide placement and training of service dogs for disabled veterans.

“The purpose of the grant is to provide veterans who need mobility and or psychiatric service dogs at no cost,” said Scotty Deatherage, founder and executive director of Oklahoma-based Honoring America’s Warriors. “It ensures that the highest quality service dogs are being placed with disabled veterans who need them.”

The Wounded Warrior Service Dog Grant is funded by congressional appropriations to the Department of Defense.

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

Honoring America’s Warriors service dog program began in 2015 and this is their second federal award in the past two years.

The Set Of Good Boy

Hulu’s continued partnership with Blumhouse Television for the Into the Dark series has brought us a diverse array of horror entries on any topic under the sun, from the perils of stranded elevator romances (Down) to high concept sci-fi on cloning for serial killers (All That We Destroy) to the creepy potential of purity retreats (Pure) and more. Each feature-length installment is holiday-inspired with a thriller spin, and they’re always a lot of fun.

Premiering tomorrow, June 12, is the newest entry in the series: Good Boy, directed by Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls) from a script written by Aaron Eisenberg and Will Eisenberg (Tales of Arcadia) and starring Judy Greer (Halloween Kills, so many good projects) and McKinley Freeman (End of Watch). The official synopsis:

‘When Maggie gets an emotional support dog to help quell some of her anxiety, she finds him to be even more effective than she imagined…because unbeknownst to her, he kills anyone who adds stress to her life.’

A best friend indeed. Albeit a scary one.

Back before COVID-19 shut down production for months, I was able to visit the ‘Good Boy’ set and spend time with the director, writers, cast and crew. As a fan of the series and Judy Greer and dogs, I jumped at the chance—I mean, I can’t think of many better ways to spend a day than hanging out while they shoot a cool horror film.

One thing that immediately impressed me about the visit was the incredible efficiency of the Blumhouse crew. Everyone we met was amiable and professional, every aspect of production was efficient and organized, and myself and a handful of other film writers were able to watch it all go down.

One of the highlights was meeting so many of the cast and crew. On the crew side, we met Special FX Coordinator Simon White and Stunt Coordinator Tim Mikulecky, as well as Chico the Dog and his trainer Kim. We heard a number of stories about working with animals (including one about a 350 pound python from a prior shoot that became dangerously interested in what the stunt performer had for lunch) and about how they make sure all stunts are safe. Perhaps most importantly, we spent quality time with Chico, the well trained pup whose starring role as “Reuben” is guaranteed to be a memorable one.

An interesting tidbit about the shoot is that, in addition to being played so convincingly by Chico, ‘Reuben’ goes through some frightening changes. We had the pleasure of watching the various bits of movie magic that go into that process (including different types of puppets, a destructible door, and other bits of movie magic) and were able to shoot ‘Reuben’s final kill. Being there to see the attention to detail on the puppets (I’m a huge monster movie nerd, this was the *best day ever* by the way) and the clever ways they were used was incredible fun.

We had the pleasure with sitting down with both the director, Tyler MacIntyre, as well as writers Will and Aaron Eisenberg. MacIntyre spoke about how the script was a great fit for the themes and kinds of films he prefers to direct. He noted that originally he was nervous about working with Chico (to quote, “if this dog doesn’t perform specifically how we want it to, we’re screwed), but these concerns subsided after Chico proved reliable in a pinch. It was also great to talk with the writers about the origin of the idea for the script, and how a chance encounter with the writers and Judy at a coffee shop was how she became attached to the project.

(They actually happened to be writing this script about a woman’s emotional support dog with Judy in mind for the lead when they happened to randomly run into her while she was walking her dog. True story.)

Both McKinley Freeman and Judy Greer were so enthused about the project that it was pretty contagious. Freeman noted that what appealed most to him about the story in particular was the notion that what’s most frightening may be what you least expect to be horrifying. Judy, who absolutely exuded charm, talked about her connection to the material. She spoke of her own dog, a small pup she originally intended as a travel companion (but who ended up being an absolute tiny tyrant—but a well loved one).

At the end of it, Into the Dark’s Good Boy entry will hold a special place for me. It was so clear that everyone involved was thrilled to be there and it was pretty incredible to see them shoot the final scenes and to meet some great and talented folks. The entry drops on Hulu tomorrow: don’t miss it, and if you have a pet be sure to bring them along.

Therapy Dog

Children at Beechview Academy primary school in multicultural High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, are exactly the kind Boris Johnson’s £1bn “summer catch-up” plan is aimed at. The Prime Minister’s scheme is designed to help under-privileged children whose education has suffered most during the lockdown, amid widespread concerns that the attainment gap between children from poorer and better-off families is becoming wider than ever.

Few headteachers are better placed than Beechview’s Dr Peter Holding to observe what he calls “the extreme ends of the Covid spectrum”. Nearly half of Beechview’s 208 pupils receive free school meals, 30 per cent speak English as a second language and 25 per cent are classed as having special educational needs and disability (Send). Dr Holding, 66, took over the school in 2018 after it was marked as failing by Ofsted inspectors. Although only six miles away from his previous headship at Sir William Borlase Grammar School in Marlow, on the banks of the Thames, it is worlds apart. Borlase sends a regular stream of students to Oxford and Cambridge universities, has produced several international rowers and only a handful of its pupils receive free school meals. While Beechview’s curriculum was thrown into chaos when schools closed in March, at high-achieving schools such as Borlase lessons carried on as normal – online. Almost all pupils have computers. Some have performed even better owing to the lack of the usual school distractions.

Right now he is desperate to turn the trickle of 20 Year 6 children who have returned in the past fortnight into a flood.

“We have children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds,” Dr Holding tells i. “Some struggle with home learning but it often isn’t their fault. Some homes have no computer or even internet access. One family did not know how to log on. We sent someone round to show them but they couldn’t do it the next day. “You might have six children with just one computer and a parent who needs to use it for work. We have some very talented children and supportive parents. But in general they have fewer books, more social difficulties and a higher percentage are unemployed. Take all of that and you are creating a pressure cooker for what already existed.”

Dr Holding agrees with Prince Charles’s recent warning about the “devastating” effect of coronavirus on a generation of young people. “It is potentially catastrophic,” he says. “Some will have had very little disruption because of their schools or background. Others have done virtually no learning.”

He is also frustrated by confusion over whether the two-metre social distancing gap is to be kept, halved or scrapped. “I am trying to plan for September, but am I expected to come up with 17 plans for 17 different scenarios?” he sighs. Dr Holding has not been idle during the lockdown. He shopped at Aldi to provide square meals for pupils with hard-up parents. Meanwhile, the school has been repainted, with a giant NHS rainbow in the hall providing a permanent and uplifting reminder of the pandemic.

He is, however, sceptical about moves to deploy a “dad’s army” of retired teachers at “summer camps” in community centres.

“Primary school children would be anxious to be in a strange setting with a stranger for a short period,” he says, arguing that it is more practical – and cheaper – in the long term to use sixth-form students from neighbouring schools. He has already shown that it works. Students from Borlase and nearby Wycombe Abbey School, one of the UK’s leading independent schools, have helped Beechview pupils with English and maths in recent years.

Dr Holding’s staff agree it’s important for children to be back in classrooms. In a break from her sparse Year 6 class, Beechview teacher Tegan Rego says: “The children definitely missed stuff at home during lockdown. You can’t be sure they have done the work they are supposed to.

“Now they’re back it’s easier for them to ask questions, and easier for me being in front of them. They pretend they don’t like being back – but they do really!”

Toronto Offering Assistance

Funded by PetSmart Charities® of Canada and donations from Toronto residents, the City of Toronto is providing assistance to pet owners in under-resourced communities and those facing homelessness, who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A $30,040 grant from PetSmart Charities of Canada has provided 240 pet owners with gift cards to purchase pet food and supplies, such as cat litter and pee pads for dogs.

“Our pets provide much needed emotional support and I want to thank PetSmart Charities of Canada and our generous residents for providing the grant and donations, which is allowing us to help people take care of their beloved pets and keep them close. During this crisis, our pets are here for us and we are here for them.”

“Through this grant, PetSmart Charities is proud to support the pets and people of Toronto, and our hearts go out to those impacted by COVID-19. Throughout the uncertainty of this pandemic, PetSmart Charities of Canada remains committed to the health and welfare of pets during this extraordinary time of need.”

Service With A Smile

One month after our baby Jeffrey was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, I met Cindy Schaefer on an SMA message board. Her son, BioNews Services columnist and forums director Kevin Schaefer, was diagnosed with type 2 SMA a couple years before that. During our first actual meeting, Kevin zipped around expertly in his new, shiny, red wheelchair. He was barely 4.

Although our respective realities of SMA differed, Cindy and I bonded like old friends reunited. After Jeffrey’s death, we continued exchanging stories about our families. She kept me posted on Kevin’s progress — and SMA’s.

I grew up with pets. My family always had a dog (or two) and a cat (or two). We also had a couple of tiny turtles once and a shoebox of mussels I lugged home from a beach vacation one blistering Texas summer. While the gag-inducing burial for the mussels was prompt upon our return home, it was not soon enough.

When Ethyl was freed on occasion from his elaborate quarters, he had the run of the place. His squeals signaled his sprint-waddle to the kitchen for a slice of tomato, which he dragged merrily back down the hall and under our bed for consumption.

By the time the last of this trio of fur kiddos crossed the Rainbow Bridge, our expanding family included children of the two-legged variety, Matthew and Katie. We then moved and hit the local pound for new family members, Nellie and Duffy. Golden retriever and German shepherd mixes, they were from the same litter. Getting both seemed sensible at the time.

Pandy’s life as a service dog provided plenty of memorable moments for Kevin. Cindy reported that the furry helper was a natural conversation starter on college campus. Although a Lab mix, Pandy didn’t love water, but she loved life. She loved Kevin more. Once we moved to our present old farmhouse, Nellie continued her role as a social butterfly. She was crazy about people and being pampered, and she loved the pond, where she hunted for frogs at any and all opportunities. Team Kevin and Pandy accomplished much, including graduation from NC State University. As Pandy eased slowly into retirement, Kevin acquired a JACO robotic arm. This phenomenal, life-changing tool provided Kevin with enhanced independence, enabling Pandy to enjoy the perks of a simple family dog’s life.

Hero Dog Awards

Raider, a 4-year-old English Labrador who works with the Corona Police Department, has advanced to the semifinals of the 2020 American Humane Hero Dog Awards.

Raider is one of three dogs in the nation to vie for the title of the nation’s top therapy dog of the year and compete with six other dogs for the top title of American Hero Dog at the annual American Humane Hero Dog Awards event, according to a news release.

Raider, a trained facility dog from Canine Companions for Independence in Oceanside, is the Corona Police Department’s first facility dog and his primary focus is to assist those impacted by traumatic events and crime, according to the news release.

During his time with the Corona Police Department, Raider has been involved in more than 350 public events and more than 100 trauma victim assists, and has had direct interactions with approximately 45,000 people.

Raider was the first dog in Riverside County to assist a victim in court, according to the news release, and since his first court case, he has assisted in seven court cases in Riverside County.

His partnership with the Riverside County district attorney’s office has also led to the victim advocates office obtaining a grant for two courtroom dogs.

Raider gained recognition in 2018 with his assistance to the Turpin children, whose parents pleaded guilty to counts including torture and false imprisonment, and he worked almost two years with those children.

Raider is also a regional resource as a member of the Riverside County Crisis Response Team and he was deployed to the Borderline Grill shooting in 2018 and the Saugus High School shooting in 2019, according to the news release.

Raider is one of 21 dogs in seven categories chosen by the American public to advance to the semifinals from a field of 408.

Two Service Dogs

Without Aura, Gretchan Evans’ life would be bound by the borders of what she couldn’t hear.

“Aura saved my life by giving me back my independence. Also, she became my always available and capable partner in all the things I love to do. Hike, run, paddleboard, kayak and almost anything outside,” said Evans, a 59-year-old Army veteran who lives in Brunswick. “She made me whole again. I fit back into a world that previously I felt awkward in. She enhanced my life beyond measure.”

Without her dog Dolly Pawton, Amy Sherwood of Naples would have trouble with even basic tasks: turning lights on and off, picking up packages, getting her wheelchair. Every time Sherwood left the house alone, she used to worry she’d pass out and no one would be around to help; now Dolly fetches help.

“She’s done so much for me that I wanted to show the world what service dogs could do for people,” said Sherwood, who is in her early 40s.

Evans and Sherwood consider their dogs heroes. And soon the rest of the world may, too.

Aura and Dolly are semifinalists in the 2020 American Humane Hero Dog Awards. Dolly is one of only three dogs in the nation in the service dog category. Aura is only one of three in the guide/hearing category. If they get enough online votes to win their categories, they will compete with six other dogs for the title “American Hero Dog.”

“She is so deserving,” Evans said of Aura. “She never has a day off, she has worked every day I have had her. She puts me before her own needs. She always works with happiness.”

Evans, a former Army sergeant major, was serving in Afghanistan when she was struck by a rocket blast more than a decade ago. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for days. When she woke, she discovered she’d lost all hearing.

For the next five years, she said, “life was very challenging.”

“The Veterans Administration set up my house to help me with lights for when the door bell rang and devices to vibrate under my mattress to wake me instead of an alarm I could not hear. But the minute I left my house I was back to being deaf again,” she said. “I had a hard time finding employment due to my injuries and (a hard time) enjoying the hobbies I had prior to my injuries. So I was struggling with my deafness. I did not want to have to give up doing things I loved. I did not want to become dependent on others.”

Then Evans received Aura from America’s VetDogs, a New York-based nonprofit that trains and places service dogs with veterans, active-duty service members and first responders. Aura, a Labrador retriever/golden retriever mix, was the group’s first hearing dog, and her training — and match with Evans — was perfect. “After five-plus years together she reads my mind almost,” Evans said. “She knows when I need just a gently laid head on my leg for comfort. She knows my routine and can anticipate things in advance.”

Aura, 7, alerts Evans to all sounds: doorbells, text message alerts, sirens when Evans is driving or running, people coming up behind her. And, once, a bear.

“We were solo tent camping in Colorado, just Aura and me. A bear came very close to our tent and Aura gently woke me up to let me know the bear was out there. She did not make a sound knowing we could be in danger,” Evans said. “After the bear left she curled up next to me to lower my anxiety and stayed awake all night.”

And then there’s the help that has nothing to do with sounds.

“Aura also performs nightmare interruption,” Evans said. “When I have a nightmare, she wakes me by pulling off the blanket or sheet first, if that does not wake me she nuzzles me, and if I am still not awake she gets on the bed and lies on my chest. That always wakes me up.” “She is devoted, loyal, never says no to the tasks that are required of her,” Evans said. “She has hiked 14,000-foot mountains with me, swam in the ocean, she answers the door even when she is tired. She wakes me up from nightmares which means she even when resting is thinking of me. She has devoted her life to making mine livable and better. She ensures I am safe always.”

Sherwood, too, believes her dog is a hero. Dolly, a 3-year-old Labrador retriever, is trained to alert when Sherwood is having cardiac problems. Because Sherwood uses a wheelchair, Dolly also picks up or retrieves objects for her — including her wheelchair, which has a leash attached to it so Dolly can grab and pull.

“And then she’s not a PTSD dog, but she definitely serves in that realm,” said Sherwood, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder. “I’m not comfortable around men at all. With Dolly, she kind of puts a boundary between people. She makes it that if they come in a space that I’m not comfortable with, she makes me more comfortable or she makes them aware, ‘OK, you need to back off.’”

Dolly has meant so much to her that Sherwood has written and self-published two children’s books featuring her. She and Dolly also give service dog presentations at schools.

“I never thought a dog that I was getting for medical reasons would change my life as well as changing other people in the world’s life,” Sherwood said. “So many people are excited to hear her story and hear the things she does.”

They’re working dogs, but Aura and Dolly are also just dogs. Dolly participates in dock diving events. Aura rarely stops wagging her tail.

“She is serious about her work, but has whimsical moments when she does silly things,” Evans said. “Because she is so smart she figures out things quickly, like she knows how to help herself to a piece of ice by pressing on the ice dispenser on the refrigerator. She will eat whatever I am eating if necessary.”

The American Humane Hero Dog Awards is sponsored by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation and will be broadcast nationwide as a two-hour special on Hallmark Channel this fall.

People can vote for their favorite dog in seven categories, and votes can be cast once a day at Hero Dog Awards. org  until July 16. The top dog in each category will appear on the two-hour television special. One of those seven will be named American Hero Dog.

Because Aura and Dolly are semifinalists in different categories, they could both end up on TV.

“I really hope that we both make it,” Sherwood said. “To have two dogs from Maine represent would be amazing.”

Virtual Reading To Dogs

A nonprofit called People Animals Love has a free after-school program where kids read out loud to therapy dogs in 30 libraries in the Washington, D.C., area. But after the coronavirus pandemic closed public spaces, PAL began offering the reading sessions virtually over the video conferencing platform Zoom. As we hear from VOA’s Deborah Block, the kids get to enjoy the dogs while improving their reading at the same time.

Cutest Pets In Dallas

Our third version of the Cutest Pets in Dallas competition was as tough as ever. We invited our readers to submit their beloved pets for consideration. A full 1,000 did so.

There were dogs in tutus, cats in hats, purebreds in purses, and mutts in mud puddles. There were pets with special skills, like service dogs and therapy animals, and pets with no skills at all, except for stealing table scraps and shredding socks. And this year, we received dozens of exotic entrants, like pigs, turtles, goats, snakes, birds, and horses.

Finally, after three weeks of voting, the results are in.

Our Top 20 includes 16 dogs and four cats. (Good work, cats! Last year, the top 20 consisted of all dogs and a single bunny.)

Some of the top pups are young, like Leon the six-month-old Samoyed. Others are seniors, like sweet T-Bone the 14-year-old Shih Tzu. A few are big, like Sophia the black lab, and some are teeny-tiny, like Mulligan the four-pound Pomeranian. The cats, too, vary in size, shape, and color, from Uno the one-eyed kitten to Boots the black-and-white Manx.

On Tuesday, July 30, we’ll announce the Reader’s Choice winner and the Judges’ Pick winner. Until then, we’re keeping the Top 20’s rankings under wraps. You can check out the competitors below, listed alphabetically.

Congratulations, Top 20! You’re all winners in my eyes.