Detection Dog Retires

Enjoy the rest, TTirado. You’ve earned it!

The explosive detection dog at Indianapolis International Airport is retiring after eight years with the Transportation Security Administration.

TTirado’s last day on the job was May 29. Handler Keith Gray celebrated his partner’s retirement at a private ceremony.

TTirado is named in honor of New York firefighter Hector Luis Tirado, Jr., who died in service on 9/11.

He’s one of the few remaining dogs from the TSA-bred puppy program. He graduated in the third class of passenger screening canines trained at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, in 2012.

“I am thankful for such a fantastic partner in TTirado as my first dog,” Gray said. “He has taught me a lot over the years, and I have been amazed in his growth and how far we have come.”

TTirado’s duties weren’t limited to the airport. He also helped during security operations for the Indianapolis 500, the NCAA Final Four, Kentucky Derby, Super Bowl and the 2017 presidential inauguration.

Gray hopes to take TTirado on a few trips in the near future.

“I have three travel objectives for TTirado – New York City for the Ground Zero Memorial and FDNY Station 23 where his namesake worked, Atlanta to meet one of Hector’s sons and his family who we have kept in touch with, and finally to San Antonio to see his foster family who helped raise him during his puppy years,” Gray said.

TTirado, who will be adopted by Gray’s family, will live at their home in Indianapolis. Gray’s new partner, Ari, will be sure to give him updates on the happenings at work.

Companions For Courage

Still don’t have plans to celebrate dad this weekend?

On Saturday night, you can treat him to something special and give back at the same time with the pop-up drive-in movie fundraiser at the Lake Square Mall.

“Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” will play on the big screen, and all proceeds will go to benefit Companions for Courage, an organization which provides therapy animals, primarily dogs, to kids in courtroom situations.

“Our Mother’s Day drive-in movie was such a hit that we thought we would do it again for our fathers,” the mall’s marketing director Dr. Anna Marie Chwastiak said. “And we are always looking for opportunities to give back to our community so this time we will be donating the proceeds to Companions for Courage.”

The movie begins at 8:40 p.m. on the backside of the mall outside the food court entrance. Restrooms and vendors will be open. Tickets are $15 per car, no matter how many people are squeezed in.

Many of the mall’s businesses have chipped in to donate supplies and goodies for those in attendance. All cars will receive a free Aetna gift duffle bag stuffed with coupons and information. In addition, some bags will have a special gift card to either Books A Million, BELK or one of the other stores in the mall.

The event is one of the few upcoming fundraisers for F since the shutdowns have canceled most of their efforts.

The money raised will go to a variety of things, including gifts for the kids. The group is also working on a coloring book to help kids understand that what they are going through is not their fault.

Because the organization relies totally on volunteers and donations, president Joanne Rittenhouse said this couldn’t have come at a better time.

“We work with circuits throughout central Florida and have still been working throughout the pandemic,” Rittenhouse said. “It’s been rough because we are usually doing a lot of fundraisers at this time but we aren’t able to. But we still have a work to do and we have wonderful volunteers who are still helping out.”

The organization was founded in 2012 and they currently have 16 dogs and one cat who are registered and licensed therapy pets.

“Sometimes kids need assistance in courtrooms because it can be intimidating,” Rittenhouse said. “We do meet and greets with the pets beforehand so they can get to know the child and then we give the child a little stuffed dog to remind them that even if the dog isn’t with them, it helps them stay calm.”

Service And Support Dogs

A dog that removes anxiety from its human’s life by killing the people who cause her stress may be a heightened, fantastical look at emotional-support animals, but because there is now such a wide range of small-screen content depicting such therapeutic resources, one does not have to represent all. Education about them is mixing with entertainment.

A killer emotional-support dog is at the center of Blumhouse Television’s latest “Into the Dark” installment for Hulu, “Good Boy.” But even this horror satire may expose an audience to the idea of emotional-support dogs for the first time. That is why, according to Sheila Goffe, vice president of government relations, American Kennel Club, no matter the genre or format, the most important thing when depicting such dogs is to do so accurately for their classification.

“These dogs mitigate individual disabilities, and they’re simply amazing,” she says. “A dog that helps with mobility assistance is going to look quite different from a dog that is helping with invisible disabilities such as PTSD or military sexual trauma. There are many different services these dogs provide, but there is always a behavioral standard. So, nailing down that behavioral standard is absolutely key for representation.”

This has become even more important now that there is a slew of series showcasing service and support dogs. “Good Boy” may be the most recent example, but in the past few years storytelling has opened up greatly — from tales about guide dogs in the CW’s dramatic “ In The Dark” and Disney Plus’ docuseries “Pick of the Litter”; to exploring emotional-support dogs in Netflix’s “The Healing Powers of Dude” and the second season of “Ramy” on Hulu; as well as K9 officers working in the fictional world of CBS’ “SEAL Team,” real-life cases in A&E’s “Live PD” and in fabricated obstacle courses in “America’s Top Dog.” Other unscripted projects in this vein include the aptly titled “Dogs” on Netflix and “It’s a Dog’s Life” on Disney Plus.

A&E’s “America’s Top Dog” was developed based on how the audience of its network and production company Big Fish Entertainment’s previous collaboration, “Live PD,” responded to the K9 officers. While on “Live PD,” all the dogs followed are actual working K9 officers trained to detect drugs or take down suspects, “America’s Top Dog” is a competition program that pits such trained canines against everyday pooches whose tricks often mimic such police work.

“Watching them chase a scent, that’s what they’re trained to do to keep us safe and keep drugs off the street, but all dogs can be trained to scent,” says Elaine Frontain Bryant, executive vice president and head of programming, A&E. “We thought it was a fascinating way to open the aperture of showing what they do in the real world but also make it seem game-ish. It was a narrow needle to thread, but we thought about, ‘How do we broaden it enough to be entertaining and not just K9 school?’”

Corinne Kingsbury, who created and runs “In the Dark,” admits she “had no idea what a guide dog was even capable of before writing this show.” Although she does not set out to include teachable moments in episodes, simply writing lines such as “Pretzel, find outside,” with the camera following the dog lead actor Perry Mattfeld in the correct direction, are lessons in the skills these dogs need.

“There are just so many different services these dogs provide, but the common denominator is really getting that well-behaved nature down, and then wherever possible looking to true authorities on those disabilities to understand what this is going to look like,” says Goffe.

Lorri Bernson, who works with Guide Dogs of America and also uses a guide dog herself, served as a consultant on “In the Dark,” advising the show about proper depiction.

“Lorri reads every script and every outline and she emails us her story thoughts or she calls us and says, ‘In this scene, the command would be this,’” Kingsbury says.

Additionally, Bernson gives notes on when Murphy would not use a guide dog at all, including when she’s in her own home and just going to the kitchen — “She knows her own space,” Kingsbury explains. And when Murphy is walking into dangerous situations, which may not happen in every episode but is certainly frequent in her world of money laundering and corrupt cops, she uses her cane instead of her dog in order to keep him out of harm’s way.

Although Kingsbury says that Murphy’s guide dog is “like a limb to her,” he also acts as emotional support. “When we met her at the beginning of Season 1, she rejected love at every turn,” she explains. But in Season 2, her dog Pretzel is “her guy and she loves him like a best friend. It’s such a special bond.”

And even though “Good Boy” is a horror satire, its inspiration and core message comes from a very real place, as well. Writer and executive producer Aaron Eisenberg has a terrier mix named Francine who was “prescribed when my anxiety was so bad and nothing was helping,” he says. “My psychiatrist said, ‘Have you thought about getting a dog? It’s something you can think about outside of yourself — something to take care of.’”

The streaming project showcases that therapy through Judy Greer’s character. She brings home an emotional-support dog that “promises a lot and starts to clean up [her] life and improve it in many ways,” Eisenberg says. It comes with a cost, of course, and “also talks about to what length somebody goes to to be happy and what is sacrificed and who is sacrificed,” but many of the scenes are still inspired by real-life dog experience he and his brother, co-writer and executive producer Will Eisenberg, have had.

“The amazing thing about these dogs is that for many people without these dogs their world is somewhat enclosed. These dogs open up a whole new world for people — to go places they couldn’t otherwise go and do things they couldn’t otherwise do — because they have this assistance,” says Goffe. “I think the extent to which we can document all of the different ways these dogs help people is doing a huge service — especially when it’s done with sensitivity to the nature of the disability that calls for this.”

Animal Healthcare Market

Animal healthcare has been influenced by growing disposable income, adoption of pet, and constant technological changes. Pet adoption for company among the aged population has greatly increased in developed region. Pets are majorly adopted by senior citizen for companionship and there has been a substantial shift in trend from pet owners to pet parents. Thus, the rising global population coupled with an increase in the disposable income play as major catalyst augmenting animal healthcare market size. The animal healthcare market is segmented based on product into pharmaceuticals, medical devices and veterinary services. The veterinary services segment accounted for significant share in 2018. Veterinary services offer integrated medical care and hospitalization for ill animals. Animal health hospitals, veterinary clinics, and point of care veterinary services are majorly used veterinary services. There are various health check services offered by various veterinary service bodies. Veterinary services include comprehensive preventive care services, emergency treatment service, pet traveling service, surgery service, and grooming service among others. The increasing accessibility of veterinary services in the emerging markets will augment the growth of animal healthcare market in the forecast timeframe. On the basis of animal type, the Animal Healthcare Market is bifurcated into companion animals and livestock animals. Companion animals includes dogs, cats, horses, and others. The companion animals’ growth is expected to witness around 4% CAGR during the forecast period. The segmental growth is owing to the growing number of pets and ever-changing technology need. Similarly, rising disposable income in the emerging countries and the launch of animal-targeting products will drive the overall animal healthcare industry demand. Thus, ever rising trend of adoption of pets for companionship will augment growth of companion animal segment. On the basis of distribution channel, the animal healthcare market is divided into pharmacies, online, and distributors. The pharmacies segment was valued over USD 25 billion in 2018. The rising number of animal surgeries owing to awareness of livestock animal health will lead to growth of this segment. Similarly, the presence of sophisticated and technologically advanced instruments in the veterinary pharmacies will augment market growth during the forecast timeframe.

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.

Leashes for Living Assistance Dog School has been training service and therapy dogs since 2007. It offers A.K.C. S.T.A.R. Puppy, A.K.C. Canine Good Citizen, seven levels of obedience, public access test and appropriate special skills. For more information or an application, call (815) 293-7415 or (623) 687-1706. Information is also available on Facebook or at leashesforliving.com

Leashes for Living Assistance Dog School is an Illinois not-for-profit and a federal 501(c)(3) public charity organization.

Champ Assistance Dogs

Dog Grooming Services

Area pet owners now have another service available to them. A new dog grooming service, with the clever name Groomer Has It, opened June 9 in Gravette. The business is located at 206 Birmingham St. S.E., in the former home of Imagine Before and After School Care.

Groomer Has It offers dog grooming, bathing, nail trimming and more. The owners plan to begin offering boarding services in the near future. A punch card system is available in which customers can get a card punched each time they have their pet groomed. After receiving nine punches on their card, the tenth grooming will be free.

Open hours for the business are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Owners prefer to operate by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, call 479-367-1825, message them on Facebook or drop by the shop during open hours.

Kristie Cooley and Angie Strode, co-owners of the business, are Gravette residents. Both were formerly groomers at the Village Pet Hospital in Bella Vista. They say they are happy to offer special services to elderly customers who might need them to come to the car to pick up or deliver a pet.

Helping A Rescue Dog

Harold, a disabled therapy dog from San Mateo, Calif., recently received a new set of wheels designed by Bay Area elementary and high school students.

The paralyzed Chihuahua mix is the ambassador of UP Academy, an elementary school that offers all children an inclusive learning environment.

UP Academy founder Tanya Sheckley and her family adopted Harold last year after he was abandoned on a roadside. Determined to help their new ambassador with her puppy’s mobility issues, students began brainstorming different designs to help him get up and moving again. Then, engineering students from the nearby Mountain View High School wanted to help. They measured Harold with their 3D equipment and went to work fashioning a prototype, a fiberglass sleeve equipped with skateboard wheels.

“Being able to give [Harold] something to put him at the same level of every other dog’s experience is really meaningful,” Mountain View High School student Sabina Davis told ABC7. “I myself don’t have a dog, but I love dogs and think they’re really great. With the concept of them being our companion, we should be able to treat them with the same love that we treat ourselves.”

The proud children presented Harold with his new set of wheels, which has been named “the dinosaur,” last week. Now, he’s zooming around like never before.

Blind Therapy Dog

Baby, a blind 8-year-old therapy dog who first started visiting residents at Island City Assisted Living in Eaton Rapids, Mich. over six years ago, is continuing her compassionate hobby amid the coronavirus pandemic.

When the COVID-19 crisis first took hold in the United States, Baby’s paused her visits for about a month because the residents are among the most at-risk for contracting the potentially deadly virus due to their age.

The residents missed Baby, though, frequently asking the facility’s activities director Kelly Klassen when they could see their furry friend again. Fortunately for the residents, Baby’s guardian, Pat Ward, came up with the idea of her and Baby visiting residents through their windows. This ensures their compliance with coronavirus-related safety restrictions and also provides the senior citizens with much-needed companionship during this isolating pandemic.

“We really needed to do something, because they missed her,” Ward told the Washington Post. “And we missed them.”

Residents can’t touch Baby, but just seeing the loving dog brings them happiness.

“They’re still able to talk to her and love her,” said Ward. “And they still smile about it. For a little bit of the time, it takes away the isolation and it takes away the pain.”

Farm Dog

It was just a chance meeting, but one that all involved believe could have a huge impact on the lives of some of our returning veterans.

Lonny Smith, Business Development Manager of AgroLiquid, was at the company headquarters in St. Johns, MI, one day last fall when he learned Michael O’Gorman, Executive Director of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, was visiting. O’Gorman is a longtime West Coast vegetable grower who founded the coalition a little over a decade ago to help returning vets find agricultural employment. He was there with the program’s state coordinator, Nick Babcock of Michigan State University, to meet with company officials about supporting the coalition. Smith had heard of O’Gorman’s work, and he had an idea. Smith and his wife Kim own Red Hive Golden Retrievers — the name borrowed from their own Red Hive Farm, a small apple orchard — near Bellefontaine, OH. Kim heads the business, which raises European-style English Cream golden retrievers, and they thought their pups would make great farm dogs for veterans. “A lot of guys are coming out of the military with stress disorders, etc.,” Smith says. “Our thought: Why not provide the best dogs we can possibly provide? They’re buddies, not therapy dogs. Just farm dogs. They will lick your face in the morning and then jump in the truck with you — just constant companionship with a good buddy.”

So Operation Farm Dog was launched. The Smiths now donate one puppy from each litter to a veteran who is going to be working in agriculture. It is not a large operation, but they hope other breeders from across the country will join and donate.

Veterans submit an application, and then Smith interviews them on their plans in agriculture, and Babcock, a veteran himself, from the military perspective.

The most recent recipient is Jimmy Martin, an Air Force veteran from Carlisle, KY. Upon returning in 2012 — though he serves in the Air Force Reserve and works full-time as a Quality Assurance Specialist for Department of Defense — Martin founded Bluegrass Belties Farm & Orchard. “I have a small orchard, and here Jimmy had one that he was using to educate other vets coming out of the military who want to get involved in horticulture,” Smith says. “I was impressed — an apple orchard is a lot of work, and he started it from scratch. That’s tough enough as it is, but to educate other vets? Awesome.”

Martin says he grew up on a farm, so he had a feeling that it would be a good experience for other vets, who generally like working outside with their hands.

“I believe the orchard is very therapeutic, especially for veterans who may have the same types of anxieties or need that outlet for stress relief,” he says. “So, I would like to be able to have small classes or whatever it takes to help them with a trade that may help them with their lives.”

Working with the Kentucky State University Agriculture Department, as well as local Extension offices, Martin is growing eight varieties of apples: ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Snow Sweet’, ‘Grimes Golden’, ‘Empire’, ‘Enterprise’, ‘Arkansas Black’, ‘Fuji’, and ‘Crispin’.

“I like the old heirlooms better, really, but I wanted to offer a mix of fresh-eating and baking apples,” he says. In addition to apples, they also grow smaller amounts of pears and peaches. A portion of each harvest will be donated to the Lexington Veterans Home.

The Smiths recently visited Martin and his family to present them with their new puppy, Lady Liberty Rose. Martin says he fell in love instantly but quickly adds this is not about him.

“We want her to be therapeutic, but she’s not just there for us,” he says. “When we have visitors, she’s there to lean on. She’s there for the people. That’s her purpose here.”

Smith says Red Hive Golden Retrievers is just a small operation, and their goal is to grow Operation Farm Dog nationally, eventually placing 100 puppies with 100 veteran farmer families each year. They will be calling on American Kennel Club-registered sporting and working-class dog breeders around the country to help by donating as many exceptional puppies as they can.