Dog-At-Home
It’s a solution to a decades-old problem: the fight between dangerous dogs and mail carriers.
Now the post office is hoping to make a big difference, with a small effort.
A new program is trying to avoid a sticky situation, while also raising awareness.
You may have noticed something new in-front of your house: little stickers, for those with dogs at home.
Bryan Hamilton has been a postal carrier for 14 years. But for some houses in Owensboro on Wednesday, he’s bringing something new with the mail.
“The name of the initiative is PAWS,” explained Alan Lewis, Kentuckiana Safety Manager for the United States Postal Service. “A labeling system, if you will, a sticker system. It just indicates there’s a dog there.”
“The house before where a dog is, with a yellow sticker. To let a carrier know the next house they’re coming to that there is a dog there,” Hamilton added.
“Orange sticker. Indicating there is a dog present inside,” Lewis continued.
Hamilton is sharing with those on his route what they’re for. The USPS has postcards with the info–but he also does it in person.
“It doesn’t mean the dog’s vicious. I’ve never had any trouble with your dogs,” he said to pet owner Edward Schifflet. “It’s not that. Like a carrier that’s not familiar, when those dogs hit the door. it startles them. it scares them. it just gives them a head up that there’s a dog here.”
“‘Cause there’s a lot of dogs that run the neighborhood,” Schifflet said. “So we don’t know what they’re like. They won’t come to you. Some of them won’t, some of them do. Some of them are to the point where they’re big enough that they’re going to scare people. I think that’s a great idea.”
With people staying socially distant, they aren’t just getting more mail.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic especially, people are home. Kids are home. They’re spending more time out in the yard with this nicer weather. We are seeing more dogs out in yards. It is very common, meaning more of the possibility of a negative encounter,” Hamilton explained.
Lewis added: “The community doesn’t really understand how many dog bites we face. In the Kentuckiana area that I oversee, in the past 10 years, we’ve had close to 1,000 dog bites. So that’s an astronomical number. So if we can avoid one, that’s saving a lot of money, that’s saving a lot of time, and that’s saving a lot of heartache for folks.”
So, the stickers, for anyone who drops by–
“It’s actually not just for our carriers. It’s for the police department, fire department, pizza man. Peace of mind, if you will.” Lewis listed.
–a heads up to stay safe.
The stickers will appear across counties around the Ohio River in both Kentucky and Indiana.
New AMR Therapy Dog
AMR just welcomed a new member to the team. He’s got an important job and will be put to work right away with his tail wagging, of course.
Riggs is a 10-week-old labradoodle and will be the state’s first AMR therapy dog. His handler, who works in human resources, at AMR will be taking care of him as he works to get his certification.
He’ll also be hanging out with all of the brave men and women who are working for AMR during this pandemic.
“I mean who doesn’t love a cuddly little furry dog to roll around and pet. It helps you relax. It helps someone open up when maybe they wouldn’t normally open up and talk about what’s bothering them,” said Regional Dir. For AMR Connecticut South, Bill Schietinger.
He says working for AMR is stressful enough and the Covid-19 outbreak has only made it worse.
“(They) make sure they’re not contaminating themselves, other patients. Taking the time to clean our vehicles and equipment and dealing with the critical patients that we’ve seen since the beginning of Covid-19. Perfect timing and Riggs will be put hard to work here.”
Riggs will be traveling around the different AMR branches in Hartford, Waterbury, Bridgeport, and New Haven.
His training is expected to take about a year. Then, his service will be shared where it is needed at police and fire departments as well as hospitals across the state.
Dog Mom Of The Year
When Shelby Mason found herself chasing a runaway dog through the streets of Hilliard last summer, she had an epiphany.
“That’s when I realized I’m a crazy dog lady,” said Mason, 27, of Westerville, who was visiting her parents when she saw the dog bolt down the street.
She learned that the Great Dane belonged to a 12-year-old in the neighborhood and took it upon herself to help reunite them.
“I’d never done that in my life,” she said.
The boy’s family eventually found the dog.
Because of her commitment to dogs in the community, as well as her own pair, Timmy and Dinky, Mason was named “Dog Mom of the Year” by DOGTV in May.
The television network provides relaxation, stimulation and other types of programming for dogs. For two years, it has held the nationwide competition, which requires that participants submit a video about their passion for dogs.
“I was so surprised because there were a lot of other people who entered,” Mason said. “I felt so honored.”
DOGTV narrowed more than 100 submissions to 10, which then were judged by a panel of industry professionals. As the winner, Mason receives a free, one-year subscription to the network and gifts from pet-based companies.
“She is an ambassador for the year,” DOGTV general manager Beke Lubeach said. “We like to … get her views on things and give her the opportunity to talk to our audience about some of her initiatives.”
Mason is a wellness coordinator at Bark, which provides dog products and services via offices in New York and Columbus. She also advocates for animal-welfare organizations.
Earlier this year, she organized a pup-kissing booth, which benefited Grateful Acres Pet Sanctuary and Adoptions, and Speak for the Unspoken, a pet rescue for animals with special needs.
“The more experiences humans have with their pets bonding, the less likely they are to surrender them,” she said. “So I’ve been really passionate about creating these really fun ways for our employees and people in the community to bond with their dogs.”
“My mom would just bring dogs in the house and tell my dad, ‘Hey, we have a new dog today’,” Mason said.
One of those rescues was Timmy, the now-senior mastiff who joined the family when Mason was 18. But it was a bumpy transition as Timmy would run away and cry at night, Mason said.
After college, Mason adopted her now-4-year-old pomchi, Dinky, who is an emotional-support animal.
“I got him registered right before the pandemic started,” Mason said. “It’s just been so good for my mental health.”
Mason has helped people cope with the death of their pets by starting a pup-loss program at Bark. She is pursuing a master’s degree in social work, which will help with her advocacy.
“I hope to do my internship in veterinary social work so I can keep being there for parents when they need it the most,” she said.
Mason also wants to be an example for others; she spent much of her DOGTV video encouraging other pet parents to volunteer, look for missing dogs or advocate for them to sit on patios in public places.
“As a dog mom, we really have a lot of power,” she said.
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.”
New Dog Therapy Policy
The Massena Central School District’s Board of Education has adopted a new policy regarding the use of a therapy dog at the high school.
The lone “no” vote came from board member Kevin Perretta, who had several questions regarding the policy during the board’s April meeting.
The policy, which was scheduled to be adopted last month, notes that a written application must be submitted to the superintendent (Patrick Brady) and will be reviewed by “a committee established by the superintendent for that purpose. The committee will include one or more canine experts.”
He also wondered, among other questions, if the custodial staff would be responsible for cleaning up therapy dog accidents indoors and outdoors, and he requested a definition of how students and adults opposed to the dog would be handled.
“We revisited the proposed therapy dog policy. Mr. Perretta sent Mr. Brady a series of questions that Mr. Brady answered and emailed to us. Pat shared with us at the committee meeting that he’s contacted the St. Lawrence Valley Dog Club about providing a trainer to serve on the superintendent committee for the therapy dog as directed in the policy,” Policy Committee Chairman Paul Haggett said during Thursday’s meeting.
He said Mr. Brady also had a list of protocols dealing with dog allergies and dog aversions by students and staff.
The policy was drafted after high school guidance counselor Nicole LaPage requested that the board consider allowing her to use therapy dogs to reduce anxiety among some students. She said she would like to pilot the program during the 2020-21 school year.
According to the policy, “This pilot-program will begin with the 2020-21 school year, be reviewed throughout the year, and a determination will be made to continue or discontinue the program by July 1, 2021.
During the pilot-program a therapy dog will be allowed at Massena High School under the supervision of its handler in the school counselors’ office.”
The therapy dog must be under the handler’s control at all times.
“The therapy dog must be under the control of the handler through the use of a leash or other tether except in rooms or areas that have a closed door and unless the use of a leash or other tether would interfere with the therapy dog’s safe, effective performance of its work or tasks,” the policy reads.
The handler will be solely responsible for supervision and care of the therapy dog, including any feeding, exercising and cleanup while the animal is in a school building or on school property.
The district is not responsible for providing any care, supervision or assistance for a therapy dog.
Speaking at Thursday’s meeting, Ms. LaPage said she felt having a therapy dog had become more important after what students and staff had encountered with the closing of schools.
“I think it has become infinitely more important than ever before. We have no idea what our students have gone through in this time of school closure,” she said, noting it had also been difficult on staff members.
“One of the things I worry about for everyone is that, A, we don’t know when we’ll return to school and, B, when we do, what don’t know what it looks like,” she said.
Mr. Perretta said he appreciated the work Ms. LaPage had done in answering his questions.
“I’ve been the one that’s been the most outspoken about this. I’d like to thank Nicole for the work that you’ve done because, although I vehemently disagree with it, I respect the work that you’ve done and the passion for what you’re going to do,” he said. “I do love dogs. I have a dog. But my stance on whether they belong in school is what it is.”
Therapy Dogs
I am a born and bred 14th generation white South African. Why do I qualify my nationality by clarifying my colour? Because when we came to live in Europe (almost 300 years after my ancestors left it), we encountered a variety of unexpected reactions. As confronts all immigrants, my family and I have been frequently asked the question ‘where do you come from?’. The reaction is commonly one of confusion ‘you come from Africa, but why are you are white?’.
Then the other questions: Do you have electricity there? Did you need to walk long distances carrying your water? Do lions visit your backyard?
Another common myth is that Africa is a country! Africa is a large continent containing 54 different countries. South Africa is the southernmost country on this continent. It is a place of normalised political fear where racial tension simmers and erupts regularly like a dormant but dangerous volcano. A mixture of first-world affluence and third world poverty, blue skies and inexplicable diverse, natural beauty and where people deal with adversity with a combination of eternal hope and humour.
While the above perceptions baffled us, I found this FAQ’s an eye-opener into the international culture at large and reflective of the tradition of telling one-dimensional African stories in Europe and possibly the world over.
Many people only know the single storyline of Africa. It is the one that tells of heart-breaking poverty, senseless wars and violence, and a culture of corruption. Tribal ceremonies, dancing to the beat of rhythmic drums and singing in incomprehensible languages. Living in shacks or mud huts and surrounded by wild animals and pristine natural habitats but dependant on the elements for their survival and handouts from benevolent Europeans. True, but incomplete…
This is the custom of storytelling by Eurocentric authors and mainstream media. There are far-reaching negative effects and limiting beliefs generated from these cliched tales. They extend deep into both African and non-African psyches. When you show people as only one thing, that is what they usually become both in their mind and the mind of others. Consider white privilege and guilt and black discrimination and victimhood… both have the potential to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. These perceptions are also one-dimensional and potentially dangerous in that they perpetuate stereotypes. They are the results of the overused plots and stories which the powers-that-be tell and repeat to all that will listen. In our advanced digital age where access to information is instantaneous and the breadth of knowledge available is vast, how is it still possible for such single stories to be so universal? We live in information overload and the need to assess news for its authenticity is critical. The truth is that these one-dimensional stories are not false. They are incomplete. These fragments of a whole picture contribute to maintaining current prejudices, cultural blind spots, and racial profiling. And as the saying goes, the rest is history… Here is an example. The cliched and single story of white South Africans goes like this… they are a population group of European origin who oppressed black nations. They created a fictitious hierarchy and system of segregation resulting in dehumanisation of some groups and elevation of others. South Africa is where racial discrimination became legalised as Apartheid. True, but incomplete…
I have come up with a list of real-life storybook characters. They describe the complex experience and many roles played by the white person in South Africa since 1488, when Bartholomeu Dias rounded its southernmost tip.
Explorer, trader, sailor, pioneer, missionary, persecuted, colonist, slave driver, thief, rapist, murderer, bully, oppressor, persecutor, opportunist, survivor, racist, capitalist, neighbour, farmer, employer, employee, steward, teacher, doctor, educator, custodian, benefactor, scholar, soldier, mercenary, victim, lawmaker, visitor, tourist, father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, friend, dog walker…
It can be much easier for our consciences when things are just black and white. But our genetically hardwired human experience has a whole range of characters and a rich weave of stories embedded into it. Should it matter if you are black, white… or brown, yellow, olive or peach for that matter?
Reject these single narratives that cause division in our minds and hearts and paint us as different from each other. Rather, favour all the stories you can gather about people and places and tell even the uncomfortable truths that no-one dares to utter.
I think you will find like I have, that we are all human beings with the same desires, wants and needs? I hope we can reshape and restructure our minds with the many stories that matter through a process of peaceful revolution and reparations. I sincerely desire all people to feel legitimate and live with dignity.
Inclusive storytelling could be the therapy for our broken society, plus I highly recommend getting a dog!
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.
Service Saves Dog
Gary O’Brien, owner of O’Brien’s Confined Space Rescue Services, never expected to get a call to rescue a dog in Pennsylvania.
He said his business is a niche market, but the confined spaces are at work sites where they have to affect the rescue of someone trapped within four minutes.
“Knock on wood, at the job site, every safety measure is taken, and at the end of the day, no one has to be rescued,” he explained.
But around 7 a.m. Saturday, O’Brien got an unexpected call. It was from a woman in Avella, Pa., whose dog, Dutch, was trapped in an 18-inch pipe. By the time she called, the dog had been stuck for 12 hours, as local fire departments had tried to extract him.
“She went on our website and called my cell phone,” he said. “She was darn near hysterical. She was extremely upset.”
He called a couple of his employees, Carri Tucker who lives in the Frederick, Md., area, and Travis and Tracy Sandford of Marietta. He and the Sandfords made the 2.5 hour drive, while Tucker drove 3.5 hours to save the pet.
“They were playing in a pond and as he was coming out, he got sucked into the overflow,” O’Brien explained. “I hope they have that pipe covered now with a grate.”
To reach the 100-pound black Labrador, Tucker had to crawl through 200 feet of the 18-inch pipe.
“That’s four lengths of a fire hose,” he added.
The pipe she traversed was horizontal, while the dog had fallen down 25 feet of vertical pipe. He was stuck in the elbow of the pipes. For the rescue, she was equipped with lights, a helmet, ropes and a harness. A ventilation fan blew down the vertical pipe so she could have fresh air.
“She then had to reorient him so they were nose-to-nose,” O’Brien said. “He was trapped with all four legs pointed up.”
Tucker said it was a tight squeeze, which is why she was used. Before she left home, she measured across her hips to make sure she would fit.
“I used to work in a pipe yard, so I used to rescue cats,” she said with a laugh. “It wasn’t my first pipe animal rescue.”
It took 45 minutes to harness Tucker and get the ropes ready, but it took less than 12 minutes to get in and get the dog free.
“If you asked any of us, it took 30 to 45 minutes,” O’Brien said.
For Tucker, it was no big deal.
“The dog was very chill,” she said. “When I got back to where he was, he was just like ‘hey, you going to stay for a while?’”
Dutch was wet, tired and sore, but he said the dog ran up the hill when he heard his owner’s voice.
The dog’s owner, Renee Gilmer, asked O’Brien how much he was charging, and even though this wasn’t a usual rescue for his business, he wouldn’t charge her. She had recently lost her job due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“She was yelling and was freaked out. He was pretty shaky and weak when we first got him out,” Tucker said. “When he connected to her voice, he shot up the ravine to his mom. Then he went to the bathroom for like, five minutes.”
O’Brien said his employees refused pay, although on the weekends, they receive time and a half their normal pay.
“The true stars are Travis as team leader and Carri. They made this happen,” he said. “If that was my dog, I’d want someone like us to rescue him.”
Travis said from where he was, he had the easier part than Tucker.
“I set up the rigging and made sure the space was safe to enter,” the 22-year member of the Marietta Fire Department said. “I was in charge of if we thought anything was wrong, I’d stop it.”
He said they’ve never rescued a dog before, so it was an unusual call.
“It was an interesting thing,” he said. “And I hope we never have to do it again.”
Humans And Dogs
The friendship between man and dogs is one of the most notable and common relationships between humans and animals.
No one knows exactly when this bond began, but historians believe that dogs were the first animals to be domesticated by humans.
Various folktales and theories have emerged to explain how man’s relationship with their furry friends began.
The early man used to follow trails of wolves while hunting before the two parties developed a relationship out of necessity.
“With time, wolves came to rely on man’s superior hunting skills that provided them with a surplus of food. Conversely, human beings depended on wolves for their sense of smell to locate their prey,” Derr says.
As their friendship blossomed, wolves eventually evolved into smaller skeletal frames and shortened jaws.
A scholarly project by Ya-Ping Zhang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences estimated that the evolution of wolves into dogs occurred 32,000 years ago in East Asia.
Another study by Robert Losey of the University of Alberta unearthed canine graveyards that were created around 8,000 years ago.
The manner in which the dogs were interred indicated the affinity that man had for his canine buddy.
Former US President George HW Bush’s bond with Sully, his service dog, brought to the fore the caring and compassionate character of dogs.
Sully, who had served the former president for six months in 2018, paid a moving tribute to America’s 41st president by lying next to his casket when he died in November 2018.
He was among mourners who accompanied Bush’s body as it was flown on Air Force 1 en route to his burial.
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.
