Boys Wishes Come True

After more than one misdiagnosis and struggles that at times seemed insurmountable, help is on the way to Berkshire Forest’s Holman family.

Peppa, a 4-month-old chocolate lab, is in training to become a service dog for 12-year-old Nicholas, who is just about 100% disabled because of a calcium channel disorder called CACNA1A.

Perhaps by chance, perhaps by Providence, a representative from Hands of Hope told Nicholas’ mother, Chrissy, that the family might be eligible to get such a blessing from the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The foundation grants the wishes of critically ill children, one every 34 minutes.

“A wish can be that spark that helps these children believe that anything is possible and gives them the strength to fight harder against their illnesses,” the foundation’s website says.

After checking all the right boxes, the family was approved, and that pro-Peppa decision was celebrated with a Nov. 1 parade in Berkshire Forest where the family lives.

Organized by 501 First Legion, a Star Wars costuming company that works with Make a Wish under George Lucas’ guidelines, the parade included Star Wars characters, police cars, fire trucks and about 75 community members. Chrissy Holman says her son loved it.

Holman says the Berkshire Forest community has been wonderful to her family, and especially to Nicholas.

“In New York, if an ambulance came to the house, nobody asked if we needed help. Here, everyone is so supportive and even the children are so nice to Nicholas.”

The dog, scheduled to be ready to join the family in a couple of months, will be a companion for Nicholas and will help him stay calm.

But the most important thing Peppa will do, Holman says, is alert the family as much as 24 hours in advance that Nicholas is going to have a seizure.

The Hands of Hope representative approached Chrissy at MUSC where Nicholas was flown as a result of an incident that caused him to code twice.

“It was as if he had a full stroke,” his mother says.

The Hands of Hope woman not only told the distraught Mom that the Make A Wish Foundation, with which Hands of Hope works, may provide a dog, the woman also offered the lifetime palliative care services of Hands of Hope.

Those services include everything from needed medical equipment to emotional support, both of which Chrissy Holman says have been life-changing.

Nicholas, who can communicate through his electronic device, is unable to speak except for a very few words such as Mama and Daddy.

He cannot walk or dress himself. Nicholas cannot feed himself or use the bathroom himself.

Nicholas attends sixth grade at Ocean Bay Middle School where an aide helps him through his day.

And of all the issues she deals with as his primary caretaker, Chrissy Holman says the seizures, which can happen anytime without warning, are the most challenging.

Before having a seizure, Nicholas emits a scent the dog will recognize.

When they met Peppa, she and several other dogs were taken to a park where seizure samples of several people were hidden. Each dog successfully sniffed out its person’s sample.

“By alerting us that Nicolas may have a seizure, we can be prepared,” Chrissy Holman says. “We can have his equipment right there, we can make sure he’s lying down.”

Nichola’s seizes might be followed by a hemiplegic migraine.

The first one was in 2015, a couple years before the family moved to Berkshire.

Unfortunately, the problem was misdiagnosed as a virus on his brain.

Family friend Michele Caietta said another challenge is the need for services such as physical and occupational therapy “which are minimal here.”

Caietta is an almost-constant presence in the Holman home when she’s not working as a physician’s assistant at Grand Strand Medical Center.

She moved across the street from the family, which includes Holman’s husband Richard Csukas and Nicholas’ sister Samantha, from New York where she was already a family friend.

Peppa will respond to commands from Holman, Csukas, Ciaetta and Nicholas’ father, Jamie Holman.

She won’t be socialized to be around other people or even other dogs, and will be a working dog, intent only making life easier for the family.

Caietta says she knows her friend doesn’t complain about her responsibility with Nicholas, but Caietta sees what she goes through and knows how difficult it sometimes is.

“Yes,” Holman admits, “There are days when I get angry and frustrated and it weighs me down, but I do what I can do.

“If I can’t get the laundry done that day, it’s OK.”

With Peppa’s arrival on the horizon, the only other immediate issue the family is dealing with is the HOA.

The family would like to extend the HOA’s fence guidelines on their property so Peppa will have an area to run in.

They’d also like to see a wheelchair lift at the pool. That would accommodate not just Nicholas, but three other children in the community who are confined to wheelchairs.

Holman says her Christian faith helps her deal with Nicholas’ circumstances, and says most days, that’s what gets her though them.

Faith, and soon, Peppa.

“Peppa will give me peace of mind when I’m alone with Nicolas,” Chrissy Holman says.

“There will be other eyes on him, even if it’s a dog’s eyes.”

Atascadero Police K-9s

Today the Atascadero Police Department’s K-9 Unit will receive an unexpected holiday donation. The owners of two businesses in town, Glenn’s Repair and the Grocery Outlet, have arranged for a check presentation ceremony to take place in front of the Atascadero Police Department, located at 5505 El Camino Real.

Geoff and Kate Auslen, the owners of Glenn’s Repair, together with Pete Novak and Theresa Hughes who are the owners of Grocery Outlet of Atascadero, reached out to the Atascadero Police Department and graciously coordinated efforts to present the K-9s with a check for $5,000. Due to the cancellation of the Annual K-9 Wine & Dine Dinner this year, they wanted to find a way to continue support of the K-9s. The City of Atascadero and the Atascadero Police Department are extremely thankful for both Glenn’s Repair and Grocery Outlet for assisting the K-9 Program with this donation.

“It’s the least we can do during such a difficult time for our community and the money will assist a local program that will continue to keep our neighborhoods safe,” said Auslen. Glenn’s Repair has been an active member of our community for over 52 years, with recent involvement as a part of Parents for Joy, a non-profit parent group under the United Cerebral Palsy of San Luis Obispo County, which recently opened the all-inclusive Joy Playground in Atascadero.

Pete Novak and Theresa Hughes have also been supporters of the community of Atascadero and equally share in helping to keep the community safe and investing in the K-9 program. Grocery Outlet has been a part of the community for the past eight years. Novak and Hughes bring extensive expertise in the industry to the city, with over 40 years in the grocery business.

The primary objective of the Atascadero Police Department K-9 Unit is to reduce hazard exposure to uniformed patrol officers as they carry out their public safety mission. The Atascadero K-9 Unit is overseen by Sergeant John Taylor and currently has two officer handlers, Corporal Chris Hester and Corporal Chris Hall, who serve together with their respective service dogs, Pit and Luke.

A Christmas Miracle

A service dog who went missing for more than 3 years is finally back with her family and home for the holidays.

Steve and Debra Mejeur said their black lab mix, Lola, disappeared in 2017 while they were visiting a friend’s house in Illinois. Somehow, she managed to escape from the friend’s fenced-in backyard, nearly 3 hours away from the Mejeurs’ home in Kalamazoo, MI.

Debra, who has epilepsy and grand mal seizures, told CBS News that she didn’t just lose a pet that day — she lost her seizure response dog, too.

“I went through so many different emotions when I found out [Lola was missing],” she said. “I immediately started walking around the neighborhood and yelling out her name.”

Despite searching through the night, the Mejeurs returned home empty-handed. But they never gave up hope.

For about a month, the couple spent their weekends driving back and forth between their Michigan home and Elk Grove Village, IL, searching neighborhoods in an effort to find Lola. Debra said she even posted in local Facebook groups for 2 years, begging people to keep an eye out for her.

Then, out of the blue, the Mejeurs received a message on Dec. 3 that Lola had been found by DuPage County Animal Control in Illinois.

“I immediately called the shelter and asked, ‘By chance, do you have a female black lab named Lola there?’ The lady on the phone quickly responded with ‘Are you Debra?’ I started shaking and crying,” Debra told CBS. “I was relieved that she was finally safe.”

It turns out, a local couple had been feeding Lola outside for several years — but every time they tried to catch her, she ran away. Eventually, they were able to grab her and bring her to the shelter, where her microchip was scanned.

“We are just over the moon and forever grateful to the couple that looked after her,” Debra said. “They are now a part of our lives forever.”

Lola and her family were finally reunited Dec. 5. DuPage County shared a video of the sweet moment on YouTube, crediting the microchip for the reunion.

Lola didn’t know what was going on at first, but the confusion didn’t last long. “It took her a little time to recognize me,” Debra said. “When she finally came up to me, she did a small sniff, licked my forehead, and that’s when she knew.”

Losing a service animal is about more than losing a pet. There are about 500,000 dogs in service of helping people in the United States, according to the Department of State. Service dogs make it possible for people with disabilities to live independently and overcome the challenges of day-to-day life.

Animal Care Humane Society

In what has become an emotionally charged story, for obvious reasons, the public — and a local humane society — have major concerns about the future of animal welfare in Clermont County.

Starting Jan. 1, the county will take back operations of its animal shelter after commissioners rejected a bid to renew a contract with Clermont Animal CARE Humane Society, the animal welfare organization that has been managing the facility since 2018.

That means Clermont Animal CARE has until Jan. 1 to clear the shelter of its remaining animals — currently three dogs; all cats have been adopted.

Clermont County Commissioner Ed Humphrey says all remaining dogs on Jan. 1 are “officially the property of Clermont Animal CARE. We will ask them to take them and failing that, keep them and try to adopt them out or get them to a rescue, humane society or foster home.”

Clermont County says they were unable to negotiate a contract Clermont Animal CARE — the sole bidder for the job — after the humane society asked for $848,726 to continue operations. That is more than double their current contract of $419,000.

“Clermont County countered with a $500,604 proposal for the first year (with 3% more in the second and third years), based on research of what neighboring counties pay for animal services and the fact that Clermont Animal CARE Humane Society was able to provide excellent services with contracts of $310,000, $310,000 and $419,000 in the three-year agreement that expires at the end of 2020,” says Mike Boehmer, Clermont County Communications Coordinator.

Boehmer says the humane society rejected that offer. And since no other agency besides Clermont Animal CARE submitted a bid and an agreement couldn’t be reached, operations go back to the county.

“We are currently in the budgeting process for 2021,” says Commissioner Humphrey. “As it stands, we will need to draw on our reserve balance by approximately $700,000. We simply can’t add that much additional to our budget.”

But Meaghan Colville, director of lifesaving programs at Clermont Animal CARE, argues their request was fair.

“Clermont County offered us $500,000 for the contract. They did not produce a budget or how they came up with that number; unlike us, who produced a budget to justify our $844,000 budget” she says via email. “It seems they want to pay what they want to pay, rather than what it actually costs. What’s important to remember is that we are unlike any other vendor they work with; we are not trying to maximize profit but instead minimize loss.”

Colville also says the reason for the jump in pricing is that the shelter and its operations have been “historically, woefully underfunded.”

“If we were starting at a fairer rate, the jump to $844,000 wouldn’t appear to be so high. Our budget has been posted online and the biggest increase has been to payroll. Currently, the majority of our staff makes minimum wage (starting at $9/hour) and no one receives benefits for providing this essential county service,” she says. “In our proposed 2021 budget, we have increased salaries to fair, livable wages (averaging what is still a low $16/hour) and added modest benefits for the first time in county history. We feel strongly that working in animal welfare is heartbreaking, backbreaking work and our people deserve to be able to make a living providing this county service.”

Starting in the new year, Clermont County will operate the shelter under Ohio Revised Code 955, a bare minimum which only requires them to keep, house and feed stray dogs for three days. Cats are not included and will not be housed/taken in at the shelter.

Per the ORC any untagged dog left after three days can be “donated to any nonprofit special agency that is engaged in the training of any type of assistance dogs,” sold for $3 to “any nonprofit Ohio institution or organization that is certified by the director of health as being engaged in teaching or research concerning the prevention and treatment of diseases of human beings or animals,” sold in general or, failing those options, “be humanely destroyed.”

“The county has made clear they are only committed to what they are required by law. That is ORC 955 stray dogs,” says Clermont Animal CARE’s Colville. “This means that the county will not be providing services for owned pets that need to be rehomed or cats. At Clermont Animal CARE, we provide full-service animal sheltering. We have a robust cat program that in 2020 included a county-wide community cat spay/neuter program. We also have programming that helps people who have fallen on hard times keep their pets. All programming beyond stray dog pick up and housing for three days will go away when the county takes over.”

As for any stray dogs that come to the shelter within that three-day hold period of Jan. 1, Clermont Animal CARE responded to a viral post claiming any dogs left would be euthanized.

“We do not know what will happen to strays that come in after December 29 as they must be held for 72 hours and will be the county’s responsibility when their stray hold expires. The county still has not provided a detailed plan for keeping the shelter no-kill or how they will handle any animals besides stray dogs,” which is on Facebook.

Commissioner Humphrey says, “Clermont County is committed to a clean and well-maintained animal shelter that maintains a low euthanasia rate. The county is not moving to a ‘kill shelter.’”

He also says they have “made tremendous progress since 2015, with the euthanasia rate dropping by 90%.”

Part of that progress has been directly overseen by Clermont Animal CARE.

Since they took over operations from the county in 2018, they’ve “increased dog intake by 32%, increased dog adoptions by 42%, reduced dog euthanasia by 41% and maintained a 98% Live Release Rate since day one,” they say.

They county did not provide a specific number or percentage of dogs they would find acceptable to euthanize under their “no kill” policy, but Commissioner Humphrey says, “We will only euthanize animals that are not medically viable or so vicious in nature that they cannot be retrained.”

It should be noted that even Clermont Animal CARE has had to euthanize animals. A transparent list of the dogs and cats taken in since 2018 and their outcomes is on their website. In 2020, 14 dogs were euthanized for medical or temperamental reasons or died in care as well as 50 cats — but that’s a 98.4% and 94.8% live release rate, respectively.

“Our top concerns are that the county claims to be committed to no-kill but they are cutting the budget in half and cutting staffing in half,” says Colville. “There is absolutely no way to keep no-kill with that budget and staffing model. Most concerning is that they do not plan to hire any veterinary staff, which is a huge aspect of not only no-kill services but basic, humane animal care. Our medical team at Clermont Animal CARE provides vaccines, exams and emergency care to animals in our care every day, especially stray dogs.”

County Communications Coordinator Boehmer says they will be partnering with outside agencies “to make sure dogs receive the care they need. We will also be seeking partnerships with other agencies where needed.” He says funding will be appropriated for animal care.

The county also says it aims to leave the care of cats up the three humane societies in Clermont County, which Humphrey listed as Clermont Humane Society, Clermont to the Rescue Humane Society and Clermont (Animal) CARE Humane Society. And hope to remand care of any dogs left after their three-day hold to adopters or “animal rescue organizations, individual foster folks and humane societies.”

“Partnering with humane societies isn’t as easy as they make it seem,” says Colville. “The humane societies in Clermont County already run their operations and to ask them to take on the additional load of all county cats is a tall task; not impossible but not a slam dunk like the county might imply. We will not be able to help them because we will no longer exist. Clermont Animal CARE was formed to run the county shelter. We will not be in existence as a private humane society if we don’t have the county contract. Clermont Animal CARE will dissolve on Jan. 1 if we aren’t running the shelter.”

Training Area For Dog Program

The Harvard Lions Club has always been a dedicated service group, putting much-appreciated time and energy into assisting local organizations and causes. The club’s latest project was in Devens, building an outdoor service dog training area for Clear Path for Veterans New England (Clear Path NE). The training area was unveiled at a ribbon-cutting ceremony and service dog graduation last Saturday.

Before the Lions Club built the outdoor training area, the Clear Path NE facility had only an indoor one in the basement. This new outdoor training space is a large fenced area that will allow the dogs to be trained outside while being safely off-leash, said Donna Bulger, vice president of Clear Path NE.

Clear Path for Veterans is a nonprofit organization that promotes the well-being of veterans, and pairing veterans with a service dog is one of its many programs. Bulger explained that the dogs go through about two years of training before becoming certified service dogs, and that the organization strives to train 10 service dogs a year. Starting training early as puppies, the dogs go through an imprinting phase for the first three months. The next six to nine months involve socialization, where the puppies are brought to different places so they become used to new people and environments. Bulger said that since service dogs are not supposed to react to unfamiliar situations, this period of socialization is particularly important.

In the second year of training, the dogs learn specific tasks with which they will assist their paired veteran. Bulger said that to be certified, a service dog must be able to perform assistance in three areas, such as mobility, anxiety, and nightmares. The organization supports both the dogs and the veterans through this lengthy training process and continues to offer support even after the dogs have been certified and matched with a veteran. For veterans who already have a dog, Bulger explained that Clear Path NE offers free obedience training as well.

Harvard Lions Club member Bill Johnson said the club has been “returning to its original roots” over the past few years by participating in more “sweat equity projects.” In addition to Clear Path NE’s new service dog training area, such labor-based volunteer projects have included making and donating face shields and face masks, renovating the WHEAT Community Cafe and Food Pantry in Clinton, and building a fenced playground for a transitional living facility.

Johnson said the Lions Club stepped in when Clear Path NE ran short of funds to expand the facility. Building the training area took four days, a team of determined Harvard Lions Club members, and donations of supplies and time from several local companies. “We were blown away by the audaciousness of the project here,” Johnson said. “It’s just incredible how boldly [Clear Path is] moving to try to serve the veterans.” Building the training area entailed digging 31 holes for the fence posts and then constructing the fencing and setting the posts with concrete. Miller Fence and the American Fence Association donated the fencing materials, Moore Lumber donated a cement mixer, and Sterling Concrete donated pre-mixed concrete, Johnson explained. The project also required landscaping—the Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association helped the Lions Club organize a donation of 29 large shrubs from Bigelow Nurseries to be planted along the outside of the fence. Omasta Landscaping and Yellow Ribbon Trucking helped the volunteers with the planting. The donations added up to about $25,000, Johnson said, adding later that he had not anticipated the “over-the-top support.”

For the ribbon-cutting ceremony, a crowd of Harvard Lions Club and Clear Path NE members gathered in front of the new training area, along with three soon-to-be-certified service dogs. Johnson spoke about the project and the Lions Club’s commitment to service and praised Clear Path NE for the work it does to support veterans. “We’ve developed a fairly deep relationship with the folks here at Clear Path,” he said. “What drew us here was not only the incredible mission they have taken on to serve those who have served us, but also the bold and audacious way they are going about doing it.”

Bulger and Jeannine Germain, executive officer at Clear Path NE, handed out plaques to each of the organizations that helped make building the outdoor training area possible. “It takes a village, and we are so fortunate to have met the Harvard Lions,” Bulger said. The two then introduced three veterans, Chuck, Kelly, and Mike, and their black Labrador retrievers Harry, Fitch, and Spirit, respectively. These three service dogs have finished their two-year training and are ready to begin assisting their new families. Bulger and Germain presented the pairs with plaques officially certifying the service dogs and commemorating their graduation from training. “It’s an honor to be able to share these certifications with a group so that we can recognize publicly the hard work that goes into service dog training,” Bulger said.

The Harvard Lions Club will continue to assist Clear Path NE, Johnson added. Not only will the club be donating handmade face masks, but it will be renovating two wellness rooms in the building. Bulger said one room will be a yoga and mindfulness studio, and the other will be dedicated to treatments such as reiki, acupuncture, and art therapy.

Clear Path NE is located in a large brick building that was a military hospital in the 1930s. With what was once an operating room upstairs and rooms that had been a jail and a morgue in the basement, the building has interesting historical roots and military ties, but it needs to be redone inside to accommodate its new purpose, Germain said. The renovation project is well underway, however, especially due to help from organizations like the Harvard Lions Club.

“The sky’s the limit,” Germain said. “We’ll plug in the ideas as we come up with them. We have plenty of space to do it all.”

During a tour of the facility, Germain explained the many programs the organization will offer once the building is renovated. For instance, there is a wellness wing with office space for clinical health care tenants, and where the Lions Club will be expanding the space to include the two new wellness rooms. The building also has the indoor service dog training area, a kitchen to offer culinary classes, a function hall for serving meals and hosting large events, and space for food and toiletry donations, as well as space for a future dog grooming facility, barber shop, and resiliency gym.

Together, Bulger and Johnson cut the ribbon hanging across the entrance of the new fence, officially opening the outdoor training area and a new opportunity for Clear Path.

Saving A Soldier’s Dog

A soldier’s dog is in urgent need of rescue, or he could be left behind as his soldier is being deployed back to the U.S. from serving overseas. Due to reduced flights and heighted requirements for animal travel there are just days left to make this rescue happen and keep this soldier and his dog together.

“The United States military does not leave best friends behind. We need your help to reunite them here in America,” explains Robert Misseri, co-founder of Paws of War. “Even small donations will add up to help. We want to give Specialist Lucas the great Christmas present of bringing his dog back home with him.”

When soldiers are deployed they can get lonely, miss home, and become depressed. Every once in a while they are lucky enough to come across a stray animal that they befriend, which brings them happiness. That’s exactly what happened to Army Specialist Lucas, when he came across a dog that he’s now desperate to bring back to the U.S. with him now that his deployment is over.

“I noticed his calmness, he just wanted some love and attention. I love all animals but he was special,” says Specialist Lucas. “I can’t imagine having to leave my best friend behind, God only knows what will happen to him and my heart will be broken.”

The soldier saw the dog walking around, lonely and hungry, near the base where he is stationed. As he considered how he could help, the dog made his way to him, wanting attention. Specialist Lucas decided to name him Boy Dawg, and they instantly made a connection. Each day, the dog would seek him out for attention and food.

Over time, they created a bond that has helped Specialist Lucas during his time being deployed. When he got word that he was going to be sent back home to the states, he couldn’t imagine leaving Boy Dawg behind to forage on his own again. By this point, he considered him part of his family. He reached out to Paws of War to see if they could help him bring his dog back home.

Paws of War has helped numerous soldiers to bring their pets back to the U.S. However, this year the mission is more challenging to pull off. The pandemic has severely limited the number of flights coming from the U.S., especially those allowing dogs. Plus, flights from overseas are costly, and there is a lot of red tape that needs to be addressed and logistics to overcome.

The only way they can successfully bring Boy Dawg home with Specialist Lucas is with financial help from people in the community. They are urgently accepting donations so they can plan the mission and secure the flight.

Trainer Changes Lives

Seizures have affected Bre Upmeyer’s life since the third grade.

Her epilepsy diagnosis changed how her peers viewed her, it changed how she learned, it made her the last of her friends to get a drivers license. But it didn’t change her dreams.

Upmeyer had always dreamed of following in her mother’s footsteps and becoming a cosmetologist.

“This has been my dream job ever since I was little,” Upmeyer said.

Upmeyer struggled academically in high school, but graduated from cosmetology school and began to thrive working at a hair salon. She was able to move into an apartment with a roommate and start living her own life.

But this summer Upmeyer’s seizures got worse. In August she had such a severe seizure that she had to stop working and move back in with her parents. She couldn’t drive and was constantly in fear of when she would have her next seizure.

“Being a 22 year old, it’s hard living with your parents,” Upmeyer said. “My parents are awesome and very very supportive with this.”

That’s when Upmeyer decided it was time to get a service dog to warn her of oncoming seizures and hopefully give her back some of her independence.

Despite business being bad during the pandemic, owner of K9 Country Club Nick Lungu offered to train Upmeyer’s dog, Oakley, for free if she could cover the costs of boarding the dog while he’s being trained.

K9 Country Club in Spokane Valley offers basic dog training along with more intense training for service animals. They also have an on-site veterinary clinic, a doggie day care, and animal boarding facilities.

During the pandemic the usually full facility has struggled to make ends meet with customers working from home and not traveling boarding and daycare use has dropped off.

“We have multiple departments that are barely sustaining us,” Lungu said.

But Lungu wanted to keep his employees on and give back to community so he took on a few extra dogs pro bono.

“I try to take on two to three charity cases a year,” Lungu said. “That’s our way of blessing the community back.”

Upmeyer came to K9 Country Club having already purchased her dog Oakley, a Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle mix, known as a Bernedoodle. Lungu evaluated Oakley and found that he had already bonded with Upmeyer, even as a young puppy.

They began training in September and Lungu hopes the entire process will take about a year and a half. Lungu and some of his staff members are donating their time to train the dog, while Upmeyer covers the cost of boarding Oakley four days a week. Normally training a service dog like this would cost tens of thousands of dollars for training alone, Lungu said.

Upmeyer was diagnosed with epilepsy after she started having absence seizures, that involved staring spells during a brief abnormal electrical activity in the brain, in third grade. About five years later she began having tonic-clonic seizures, that caused her to lose consciousness and convulse. They also took even longer to recover from.

A lot of things trigger Upmeyer’s seizures, she said, from stress to how spicy her food is. After seven years of adjusting her medication, Upmeyer finally settled into a good regimen she said.

Then when she was 20, Upmeyer’s seizures worsened. She was at home one evening when she had a severe seizure.

“I actually had broken my whole face,” she said.

She was sitting down to have dinner with her family when she fell face first out of her chair hitting her teeth on the hardwood floors, Upmeyer said.

“At our house we have two teeth marks on our hardwood floors because I hit so hard,” Upmeyer said with a chuckle.

She lost a few of her teeth and broke her jaw. Upmeyer still deals with the injuries from that seizure including having ongoing dental work.

“Seizures have always impacted my life but after that one it made a really big impact on my life,” Upmeyer said.

Upmeyer hopes that with Oakley warning her of oncoming seizures she can go to a private safe place to experience a seizure and hopefully avoid severe injury in the future.

“My biggest fear is having other people see it,” Upmeyer said of other people witnessing her seizures. “Because it traumatizes them, it really, really does, especially if I hit my face or if I break something, you know, it just freaks them out.”

Knowing she’ll have a warning before experiencing a seizure also takes away the fear of the unknown, Upmeyer said. The constant stress of potentially having a seizure anytime added to the likelihood she would have one, she said.

“It will take so much stress off because he’ll be able to warn me,” she said. “I’ll go out and not have to worry about having one you know, and that’s already a huge part of it.”

While the largest expense of training is covered, the cost of boarding Oakley will still be thousands of dollars over the next year, Upmeyer said. She has been unable to return to work full time since her last seizure in August so Upmeyer created a GoFundMe in hopes of raising the rest of the money.

Even with the uncertainty of how she is going to finish paying for Oakley’s training, Upmeyer said she is thankful to have come this far.

“I’m really like thankful for being to have Oakley because he’s literally going to, like, save my life,” Upmeyer said. “They have just blessed me so much to the point where I am lucky.”

Therapy Dogs Visit Hospital

Since 1991, Happy Tails Pet Therapy dogs have been a frequent and welcome sight across Atlanta, in nursing homes, schools and hospitals.

However, when COVID-19 hit, all that stopped. Nine months later, the visits have finally resumed at Piedmont Hospital — for the staff.

“To have them here and their fuzzy faces, it just brings back a smile that you don’t have sometimes during these times of the pandemic,” said Sharon Eaton, a staff member at Piedmont Hospital.

“I did a happy dance, I was so excited,” Eaton said.

Happy Tails volunteer, Jerry Coker, said it’s not just the humans who are excited. He said the time spent apart was also hard on the dogs, like his Golden Retriever, Norma-Jean.

“This is what she loves to do — interact with people and give them some happiness,” Coker said.

While these visits will still follow guidelines, like staying outside and the volunteers and staff are wearing masks, there’s no hiding the joy that is now returning to the hospital staff and the dogs.

“It’s a diversion. It helps you get a respite and regroup and there are a lot of unhappy things going on here right now,” said staff member Mark Galvin. “They really bring such joy to everybody here.”

While there’s no way to know when the dogs will be allowed back inside the hospital, they hope to continue to schedule these outside visits with the staff until that time.

Buckeye Paws Program

Three-year-old therapy dog Shiloh spends his days at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center cheering up hospital staff.

The Golden Retriever is kind of a big deal — a celebrity of sorts — after a tweet last month ago received 125,000 likes.

Mary Justice has worked in administration for the Wexner Medical Center for 15 years and is Shiloh’s handler.

“Very much drawn to people, specifically looking for folks who are having high stress and he offers them a respite and he is just amazing,” said Justice.

Justice is the co-founder of Buckeye Paws, a program that offers comfort to hospital staff in dealing with high stress situations, especially the COVID-19 pandemic.

She says just seeing the smilies on the nurses’ face makes the Buckeye Paws program worth while.

“A lot of stress, a lot of trauma. And he will walk in and they will look up and even with the mask on, I can still tell that they’re smiling. Their eyes will smile is a better way to say that. If there’s something I can do where I give back to them. A great connection tool between me, the staff and the staff and each other,” said Justice.

There are currently four dogs and four handlers taking part in the Buckeye Paws program.

And Justice said the program will continue to service the needs of others in post pandemic world, outside the hospital setting.

“We would like to have neighborhoods of therapy dogs. So the medical center would have therapy dogs, the university would have therapy dogs for the colleges. We recently got a request from our childhood education center for children who are experiencing anxiety,” said Justice.

Justice encourages others to do their part and thank the thousands of front line workers in our state for their months of sacrifice.

“Yes we’ve got the vaccine, but stay safe. Continue to wear your mask, continue to social distance. Do all those things you can to help them, because they’re trying their best to help you,” says Justice.

Heroes Program