Comfort Dog Helps Military Vet

Initially, Will Rollins declined an offer for an emotional support dog. The 37-year-old former U.S. Marine sergeant who fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom’s early years and in Afghanistan, thought he had finally curbed the depression he had endured since leaving the service 10 years ago.

After reconsidering, Rollins took in a puppy gifted to him by the nonprofit Easter Seals of Greater Houston. The lives of Rollins, his wife and his 9-year-old daughter shine brighter ever since he was paired up with a rambunctious red Australian Labradoodle named Andy. The dog’s “been a blessing not only just for me but for my family also,” said Rollins, who is a Montgomery County Sheriff’s detective. Andy “loves to make me and my family happy.” Despite hiccups in training due to stay-at-home orders brought on by the coronavirus, Andy earned his service dog vest after he and Rollins completed the certification test with a perfect score earlier this month.

Settling into civilian life was not easy for Rollins. He divorced his first wife and ended up living alone in an apartment as his post-traumatic stress disorder began taking over.

“I let my post-traumatic stress not ruin me, but control me,” he said. “Not living as the man I should have been living.”

After help from friends and counseling, Rollins was able to overcome many of his struggles. He simply did not see a big need for an emotional support dog.

“I thought I had everything handled. I thought everything was fine,” Rollins said.

When Rollins comes home, The ever ebullient Andy approaches him to be petted. Andy does the same with friends who come visit too, picking up on their stress and helping them forget their worries.

“He automatically puts everybody in a good mood,” Rollins sad. “That’s just his personality.”

Rollins and his wife, Emily, in January 2019 made the drive from their Montgomery County home to Tennessee to pick up Andy as a 9-week-old pup.

Man and canine were paired up by the Houston nonprofit My Service Dog, Inc., an Easter Seals partner organization, which trains dogs to serve people with PTSD, autism, seizures or who are quadriplegic.

Allie Keaton, founder of My Service Dog, matched the two based on Rollins’ personality, lifestyle and needs. But intuition, she insists, played the biggest hand in her picking Andy from a litter for Rollins.

As far as training, Will Rollins was “a very quick study,” Keaton said. “That helped to make Andy easier to train because Andy had the ability and the brains and the willingness, but Will had the follow through.”

Once a week during the start of training, Rollins and Andy would go somewhere public so the dog’s natural excitement would temper down some. Then for four months they would train on multiple tasks at a store parking lot.

As Andy progressed, sessions shifted to every other week. Andy’s big day to test for certification was postponed from February after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Finally on May 3, Andy completed the half-hour test consisting of 25 tasks including following command, staying under a table at a restaurant and accepting strangers approaching him. Andy was graded on three levels: passing, need work, or fail. He excelled on each task.

For more than 70 years, Easter Seals of Greater Houston has been helping people with disabilities and their families in the area. It officially affiliated with the national organization in 2011.

They have provided about 25 service and therapy dogs to military veterans, paying $25,000 for the cost of the canine, veterinarian bills and training, according to Easter Seals Development Director Kelly Klein.

The organization aims to be of service to not only veterans in need, but also to their families. Klein said the Easter Seals of Greater Houston helped 1,700 veterans and their families last year alone.

A coping and comfort dog like Andy, Klein said, helps Rollins be of greater service to Montgomery County as an officer of the law.

The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the economic well-being of many veterans makes helping them the more urgent, Klein said.

“Times like this, it is really of upmost importance that we have donors out there who want to support these programs for these veterans,” she said. “They served our country and they deserve to be well taken care of.”

When he is not running around the Rollins’ house and playing fetch, Andy regularly rides with Will Rollins in his red 1987 Chevy Blazer. As Rollins drives through Montgomery County, the 50-pound pooch comfortably sits as a seat-belted passenger with the wind blowing on his face like any other happy dog.

Having earned his service vest, by federal law this dog can now accompany his human dad wherever he goes. And for Rollins, a Cleveland native who grew up with a variety of dogs, that makes him all the happier.

“He is the most caring, sweetest, wonderful dog that I’ve ever had,” he said of Andy.

Police Foundation

The Abbotsford Police Foundation (APF) is celebrating its 15th anniversary by launching a Thanks to You! campaign to showcase and thank donors and sponsors.

The campaign also includes thanks from recipients of APF grant funding, highlighting in their own words the positive impact of community generosity.

Ads will be placed on billboards, the APF website, social media and in print from now until the end of the year. Since 2005, the APF has raised almost $300,000 and has received immeasurable value through in-kind in contributions.

All funds raised help support Abbotsford Police Department (APD) community policing programs and the purchase of specialized equipment not covered by the APD’s operating budget.

Past purchases have included Kevlar vests for police service dogs, a drone, a vintage police cruiser, a John Deere “Gator” ATV and a training simulator.

The APF was founded by Dave Kandal, Jack Robertson and Spud Murphy.

The current president is Kevin Boonstra, who says none of the funding would have been possible without the generosity of the public.

“In these challenging times, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude to our community,” he said.

Pups 4 Patriots

Coleman Natural Foods welcomed the next class of veteran and service dog teams to the Pups4Patriots program, which rescues qualified dogs in need of forever homes and trains them to be service pets for veterans with post-traumatic stress (PTS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The six new pairs were matched and are making headway on training through a commitment the company made in 2019. Last fall Coleman Natural honored the first six graduates of the program.

“The resilience of these veterans and their dogs is something unparalleled,” said Mel Coleman, Jr., chief executive officer of Coleman Natural. “Despite additional challenges brought on by COVID-19, we are confident this group will excel in any environment.”

The veteran and service dog pairs include:

Mike & Mark Jacob: Mike is a veteran of numerous United States military branches, including the Navy, Air Force, National Guard, and Army. Mike is paired with a Labrador/German Shepherd mix named Mark Jacob.

Dean & Bama: Dean is a US Army veteran. His dog is Bama, a male Goldendoodle.

Joey & Bugg: Joey is a US Army veteran. He currently lives in Tennessee and is paired with Bugg, a female German Shepherd.

Michael & Scout: Michael is a US Air Force veteran. He lives in Tennessee and is paired with Scout, a male Labrador/Retriever mix.

Jeremy & Ali: Jeremy is an US Army veteran from Tennessee. Jeremy is paired with Ali, a female German Shepherd mix.

Joseph & Bellarosa: Joe is a US Army veteran. He lives in Oklahoma and is paired with Bellarosa, a female German Shepherd.

Animal Rescue Centre

With a relatively small team of dedicated staff, Many Tears Animal Rescue has become one of the leading – and certainly one of the most unusual – dog rescue organisations in the UK.

At the time of writing, the centre in Cefneithin has taken on 113 dogs in the past 48 hours; all collected from breeders who no longer have a need for them.

While this amount may seem immense, it is not unusual for the organisation which takes in and rehomes over 3,000 mostly ex-breeding dogs each year.

As the vans arrive at the centre with the dogs, the priority is to make them comfortable. Sadly, a lot will need veterinary care. Many will never have experienced human affection before.

They are firstly placed in warm kennels where they can snuggle into clean bedding, meet their new kennel friends and enjoy a good meal.

To Syliva Van Atta, founder of Many Tears Animal Rescue, for the dogs she saves, this is the first day of the rest of their lives.

As a child Sylvia always felt an immense empathy towards animals. As she got older she knew her vocation was to make a difference and help reduce their pain and suffering where she could.

She founded two animal rescue centres in the UK, helped build another in Israel and then moved to the USA with her husband Bill, again to work with rescue centres.

It was here where her experience with working with dogs that were too often euthanised – many of which she describes as being done in an inhumane way – that set her and Bill on a path that eventually led to the creation of Many Tears.

Despite dogs often arriving at Many Tears with ailments, sometimes considerable, including heart conditions or requiring general surgery, Sylvia says every dog will be given an equal chance of living a good life with the love and comfort they deserve.

With so much going on daily at the centre and admitting that she is possibly a bit of a control freak, she and Bill have gone without holidays for the past 17 years.

It was a huge shock to the staff therefore, when she announced just a few weeks ago that the couple were going to take a one-week break in Antigua.

It was less of a shock when she called the office from Antigua to say that they were talking to a local vet there about helping the thousands of homeless dogs that roamed the island.

Before three days of her holiday had passed, Sylvia had immersed herself among the four small teams of locals who help the many starving and injured dogs and cats.

It was clear that ’these angels’, as she calls them, needed funds if they were going to continue to make a difference.

As she watched the huge cruise ships pull into the docks to let holiday-makers off, she watched as they avoided two dead street dogs that lay nearby in the road.

Her team back in the UK is already on standby as Sylvia informs them that she’s taken on ‘Project Antigua’, as well as adopted two dogs who will eventually join her back in Cefneithin.

As staff at Many Tears run frantically around to take the 113 dogs to their new temporary homes, the vet prepares for the many hours ahead checking the health of the new arrivals.

In addition to putting locally knitted jumpers on some of the more fragile dogs, Sylvia is arranging a collection of much-needed supplies for her new friends in Antigua.

After contacting many shipping companies, Geest Line, a cargo service based in Fareham, kindly offered to both provide and transport a container of much-needed supplies, at no cost, back to the island from the UK.

“Her need to help dogs is her purpose for living,” one volunteer said.

In addition to her daily duties at the rescue centre, Sylvia is urging anyone who can help her fill the container with supplies before it leaves in the middle of February to get in touch.

“All the Caribbean islands appear to have a problem with strays,” she said, “but these amazing small teams of people in Antigua are working hard to spay and neuter the street dogs and cats there and educate people.”

She said she hopes the island will set a precedent to the others.

For anyone looking to help the cause, a list of supplies is available on the Dogs Looking for Homes page on the Many Tears website. There, you can also donate to the cause.

The list is divided into three groups and includes items that can be used as part of an education programme in schools. Other supplies include veterinary swabs, slip leads and dog collars

There is also a link if you would like to make a financial donation.

“We appreciate every donation no matter how small,” she said.

Paws For Life

Crazy Dog donated training treats to support Paws For Life K9 Rescue (PFL)’s COVID-19 Operation Pandemic initiative and its Prison Program.

The St. Louis-based pet product manufacturer sent 12,960 bags of its popular Crazy Dog Train-Me! treats to the rescue group. The Crazy Dog Train-Me! treats will be sent to people who are fostering dogs through Operation Pandemic to help them meet the costs of caring for a pet. The treats are being shared with two food banks that assist low-income pet parents in the Los Angeles area.

When Paws For Life K9 Rescue (PFL) started COVID-19 Operation Pandemic and reached out to “everyone able to open their home to a shelter dog,” the Santa Monica, Calif.-based rescue was amazed to see that, within a short time, more than 50 dogs had been removed from Los Angeles-area shelters and placed in new foster homes. PFL continues to support these dogs so they can remain in foster care until they find permanent homes.

PFL will also use the training treats in its Paws for Life Prison program. PFL works with inmates in the California State Prison system to care for and train shelter dogs. The program prepares rescue dogs to become service dogs for military veterans with PTSD.

“Crazy Dog is very pleased to make this donation to an organization that does such great work,” said Stacey Luna, a spokesperson for Crazy Dog. “Paws for Life has quickly and effectively responded to the current crisis and we are happy to be able to support their causes. We know that well-behaved dogs are more likely to be successfully adopted, and training is important to get dogs out of shelters and into caring homes…”

Law Dogs

Rip is a German Shepherd. He’s two and a half years old, and his handler is Deputy Porter. Rip came from Connecticut and has been on the job for about a year. When Rip isn’t working, he loves to herd chickens, play with his orange ball, and take a bath!

Jax has been with the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office for seven years. His handler is Sergeant Stalker. Jax is also a German Shepherd.
This eight-year-old dog is from Slovakia and trained with his partner at the St. Paul Police Department. Off duty, Jax loves to eat summer sausage and jump in snow piles in the winter.

Rookie is a therapy dog providing support to law enforcement officers and to crime victims. His handler is Investigator Merryfield. Rookie loves visiting schools and joining DARE classes, he loves to be dressed up, and he likes to pretend he’s a patrol K9, but when it comes down to it, he’d rather smell flowers than fetch a ball.
This goldendoodle is eight months old, and has been with the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office for six months.
Owen is a K9 officer with the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department.
He’s a three-year-old German Shepherd. One day during training, Owen accidentally turned on the water fountain, and he’s been drinking out of them ever since! Owen and his handler, Deputy Scholl, have worked together for about two years.
Paisley is looking forward to whenever the schools are able to reopen.
She’s a School Resource Officer with Officer Lindsay Hayden with the Augusta Police Department. Paisley also works with victims of crime, and also does public relations. And we want to wish Paisley a happy birthday because she turns one this week!
K9 Zeus works for the La Crosse Police Department. This four-year-old is a Belgian Malinois. A fun a fact about Zeus: he loves the ice maker! Ice cubes are his favorite treat.
Another Belgian Malinois is working for the Chippewa Falls Police Department. Leo is five years old. He’s been with Chippewa Falls P-D for about two years with his handler, Officer McMahon. Leo loves going to work, especially looking for drugs because when he finds them he gets one of his favorite toys — a white towel. Outside of patrol work, Leo enjoys giving presentations in the community and being a member of the Eau Claire Regional SWAT team. When he’s finally off the clock, Leo like exploring the woods.
This is K9 Max with the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office. He’s a three-year-old German Shepherd from the Czech Republic. In 2018 at the annual patrol certification, Max received the Rookie Dog Award. That means he had the highest overall score out of all the first year dogs from Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.
All the way from France is K9 Manso with the Eau Claire Police Department. He takes commands in three different languages from his handler Officer Summers. You don’t want to get into a race… or a chase with Manso…. his top speed on radar is 35 miles per hour! A fun fact about Manso, he loves the cold and snow. He laid at home in the snow until the last pile melted.
I’m sure you’ve been waiting for it… a joke about law enforcement and donuts, right? No joke, this dog’s name is Donut. His handler is Officer Tim Peterson with the Altoona Police Department. Once school is in session, Donut will be walking the halls in Altoona with Officer Peterson as a School Resource Officer to help offer support to the students.

A special thanks to all the K9 officers and therapy dogs for their service to our communities.

Service Dogs Visit Medical Center

We all need a break from work every now and then – but that is especially true for frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

So, a pack of pups paid a visit to Rose Medical Center Wednesday to put a smile on the faces of some of Colorado’s hardest workers.

“We decided about a week ago to try to increase some of the good feelings because there’s starting to be a lot of polarization in the community,” said Susan Ryan, a physician in Rose’s emergency room. “There’s nothing but good that comes out of these dogs.”

Ryan is also the owner of one of the service dogs.

“I think it’s even more important now than it was a couple weeks ago because then, it was just this really intense time that we were really overwhelmed with the whole process,” she said.

Everyone who came by to pet a good boy or girl left with a smile on their face.

“This was amazing. Honestly, it’s been a rough few months with everything that’s going on, so just to have a little bit of puppy love and relief has been really awesome,” Mesha Aschlock said.

Nurses, doctors and registration workers all agreed it was the best day they’ve had in quite some time.

“We would love for this to happen every day.”

Missouri Ready For Service Dogs

Photos Of 2020 Graduates

Chatham High School in Pittsylvania County is honoring their seniors, the class of 2020.

The high school placed 144 portraits in the front window of their building, one of each graduate, including Radar a service dog to Emily Elaina.

Principal Jason Reece says he and his staff wanted to surprise the seniors as they returned this week to drop off their textbooks.

He says this is opportunity to show how much they care.

“We just want them to know that they’re loved. We’re proud of them and we expect good things out of them moving forward,” Reece said.

Students are encouraged to take a picture beside their portrait, which will remain in the window for the week.

Students will then be able to take them home next week.

Virtual Pet Visits