Attitudes in Reverse Hosting Virtual Therapy Dog Visits
Schools are closed statewide due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Tricia Baker, co-founder of Attitudes in Reverse, has still been visiting six schools across New Jersey on a weekly basis—just virtually.
During lessons, students learn what therapy dogs are and why dogs make people smile.
“Different therapy dogs will be joining us each week, so the students are exposed to many different dogs of all breeds,” she said. “While petting dogs provides maximum destressing to humans, the simple act of looking at a dog releases oxytocin, a feel-good brain chemical. That is our main focus for these virtual visits: hoping to help students smile.”
Students also learn the safety rules to follow when meeting therapy dogs and the type of schooling and testing dogs need to complete to become certified.
“The students enjoy discovering that dogs have to go to school just like the students,” Baker said.
The virtual platform for AIR therapy dog visits was inspired by the inability to meet with students in person due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The dogs have a natural talent for breaking down barriers to communication,” Baker said. “At every presentation, between 6 and 17 percent of students speak up about their mental health struggles or concern about friends. The dogs also attract many visitors to our exhibit table at conferences and other events.”
“Thanks so much! We’re excited to build off of this!” said Justin Dolcimascolo, a teacher at Grover Middle School in the West Windsor-Plainsboro School District, following a virtual visits.
“All of us at AIR look forward to presenting at schools again,” Baker said. “In the meantime, we are glad to have the technology to reach out to students, as well as adults, especially as the coronavirus pandemic has created or compounded mental health issues for many people, which could lead to increased risk of suicide.”
Live Puppy Cam From Canine Companions For Independence
SANTA ROSA, Calif. – A California based organization that provides service dogs, free of charge, to people with disabilities found a way to ease our minds for a few moments.
Keep those high stress and anxiety levels at bay by watching a few minutes of the Canine Companions for Independence Live Puppy Cam!
Meet Nanuq, Future RCMP Service Dog
One of the RCMP’s future police dogs will bear the name Nanuq, which means polar bear in Inuktitut.
The name, suggested by Hunter Lowe of Rankin Inlet, was one of 13 winning entries proposed by children between the ages of four and 14 from across Canada.
All entries had to begin with the letter N, contain no more than nine letters and have one or two syllables.
The winning names will go to puppies born this year at the Police Dog Services Training Centre in Innisfail, Alta., the training centre for RCMP police dog teams in Canada.
All German shepherds working today as RCMP service dogs were born at the training centre, as part of the RCMP’s police dog breeding program.
“Thank you to all the children who entered,” said Staff Sgt. Gary Creed, the senior trainer and acting officer in charge of the police dog service training centre, in a news release.
“And thank you to all the teachers who make this part of their class work. These 13 names will serve our dogs with pride.”
RCMP police service dog teams are an important part of frontline policing, the RCMP said in an April 29 release on the winning names.
The dogs search for missing or lost people, track and apprehend criminals, remove illicit drugs from the streets, detect explosives, and search for evidence used in crimes, the RCMP said.
Lowe and the other winners will each receive a laminated 8″ x 10″ photo of the pup they named, a plush dog named Justice and an RCMP water bottle.
Dog Training Needed More Than Ever During Pandemic
CHILHOWIE, Va. — Spending time with pets can be a bright spot amid COVID-19 restrictions, and that may be keeping a local dog trainer busier than ever.
Paula Shupe, certified master canine trainer in Chilhowie, Virginia, said she gets two or three emails each day from people who report they have adopted dogs and puppies.
“Apparently, more people are looking to adopt a new pet during this time. So many families are quarantined at home and need something to do,” said Shupe.
“But people need to realize that owning a dog is a lifetime commitment — not just for the few months we’re sheltering in place during the pandemic.”
Gaining a reputation as a “dog whisperer” of sorts, Shupe has spent the past 20 years training dogs, from small Yorkies to large Great Danes.
There’s really not a dog that can’t be improved from the training methods by Shupe, who calls herself a “motivational trainer with a balanced approach.”
Shupe, who owns and operates Beyond Sit and Stay Professional Dog Training, may be the only certified master trainer in the region who offers obedience classes, private lessons and in-home training. Some of her clients travel as far away as North Carolina and Tennessee to study under Shupe, who seems to have an extraordinary ability to understand and interpret her canine friends.
Teresa Holden of Stickleyville, Virginia, drives more than an hour to attend Shupe’s obedience classes.
Holden, who owns two Dutch shepherds, learned about Shupe from her dog breeder when she needed her dog Kyra trained as a service dog. “We also took agility and fun classes just to help stimulate her.”
Her second dog, Sable, took the same beginning classes, followed by protection training and competitions. “Our dogs have done the whole gamut with Paula,” said the dog owner.
“We drive three hours round trip to train with Paula. I’ve seen her work with all breeds of dogs at every level. It’s definitely a gift. That’s the amazing thing about Paula. She will work with you and your dog at whatever level you are. That’s what makes her the master trainer that she is.”
Shupe provides training to pet owners, competition enthusiasts and law enforcement agencies. The current patrol K-9 for the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office, named Navir, was a Belgian Malinois that Shupe raised and trained from a puppy.
Shupe said her classes book up quickly, especially since she is limiting her outdoor obedience classes to no more than 10 people and their dogs during the pandemic. Participants are advised to keep a 6-foot social distance from other class members.
Her next available series of six classes begins June 18. Classes meet once a week for one hour at a training area in Chilhowie.
With more than two decades of experience raising and training dogs, Shupe has an understanding of dog behavior and the ability to use a variety of different training techniques.
The trainer offers two levels of obedience classes: basic and off-leash. Basic training is the first step to familiarizing the dog to commands, such as sit, down, come, stay, heel, and gaining manners and socialization skills with other dogs.
Off-leash training is a more advanced approach with more polished results. The dog learns commands while not restricted by a leash, learning to overcome distractions during class time.
Training dogs is a way of life for Shupe, who is an evaluator for AKC Canine Good Citizen, a program that promotes responsible dog ownership, and Therapy Pets Unlimited Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring pet therapy to those in need.
The dog trainer grew up caring for a variety of small animals — dogs, cats and hamsters. After graduating from Abingdon High School, Shupe attended Tar Heel Canine Training, a full-service canine training kennel in Sanford, North Carolina, where she earned a certification as a master trainer.
She’s also a part-time deputy for the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office.
“But dog training is my love,” she insisted.
Of all the things she learned at the training kennel, Shupe said patience is one of the most important.
“Being patient is the secret,” she said. “And being able to help each owner. Everyone raises a dog differently.
“Teaching dogs is very simple. Teaching the owners is a whole different ballgame,” said Shupe.
“The animals can only do what we teach them. If we’re teaching wrong or we don’t teach at all, it falls back on us. Any dog can learn. It just depends on whether the owner wants to take the time and effort.”
During her obedience classes, Shupe addresses the dog owners.
“When I teach, I’m showing the owners the commands and how to follow through with them. I could work the dogs all day long, but when they go home, it won’t do any good unless the owners are consistent,” she said.
“Training is not magic. I don’t have magic pills to give the dogs. If the owners take the advice and stay consistent, it works great.”
Shupe said she doesn’t teach dogs by correction.
“If you yank on the dog to get him to sit down, that’s not fair to the dog because he doesn’t understand what ‘sit’ means. Once you see the dog understands what you’re asking and if it chooses to not follow through, then that’s a time for correction.”
Shupe advises people to choose dogs that best fit their lifestyles.
“Don’t pick a dog just because you like how it looks. Huskies are beautiful dogs, but they require a lot of exercise. They’re not happy living in an apartment.
“When you get a dog, start training it young. Don’t wait until the dog exhibits problems. If you start young, you’re teaching the rules right off the bat.”
Socialization for your dog is important, too, she said.
“With the coronavirus going on, that could be a big problem because a lot of people are under lockdown. But if you don’t get a dog around other dogs when they are young, they won’t properly learn how to socialize and interact.”
It’s safe to say Shupe and her husband, Jason Shupe, run a tight ship with their own five dogs. They have three Boston terriers, one Rottweiler and one German shepherd.
“Our dogs are our kids. We take them traveling with us a lot. Training dogs is like a hobby to me. It never feels like work,” Shupe said.
“I couldn’t ask for a better way to spend my days.
“I don’t look at the owners as my clients — the dogs are. I run into people 20 years later, and I can remember their dogs’ names, but I can’t remember the names of the owners,” she said with a laugh.
Assistance Dog Learns To Do Washing And Gardening For Horwich Woman
MEET Sailor, a lively, charismatic pup who can do the washing, drying, and gardening.
It might sound like a dream come true to have such a useful dog around the house, but his help is a lifeline for one Horwich woman.
Sailor lives with Caroline Hall, 41, who has struggled with mobility issues since suffering a spinal stroke in 2012.
He now helps her with day-to-day tasks, and gives her the confidence to get out and about.
She said: “He’s my new child, we’ve been perfectly matched.
“He absolutely loves doing the washing, it’s his favourite thing.
“If you leave the door to the washing machine open and leave him be he will just find random things to put in there.
“The post coming and doing the washing are two things I used to dread doing but with Sailor they’re both fun. He enjoys it, so I enjoy it.”
The former RSPCA inspector was left paralysed from the neck down after her stroke, spending six weeks in intensive care, and eight months in hospital learning to move again.
Needing a stick to get around has made Caroline scared to go out to new places, only taking short trips to local shops.
After seeing another woman who relied on walking aids with an assistance dog, Caroline started researching her options, and found Dogs for Good, a charity that pairs service animals with those in need.
She spent a year waiting to be paired with a dog before she was introduced to Sailor six months ago, and her life has changed for the better.
Caroline added: “I didn’t think that an assistance dog was an option for me because I wasn’t confined to a wheelchair, even after I applied I thought I wouldn’t be chosen because there’s so many deserving people out there.
“I was blown away to find a dog that I could walk on a lead, that was a tremendous moment and such an amazing feeling.
“Sailor gives me the independence to go and do something without the horrific thought of ‘what happens if I drop something or fall’. It’s life changing, I don’t worry anymore.”
Trained Service Dog Lends An Ear To Newport Resident With Severe Hearing Loss
When Newport Beach resident Lisa Westerhout goes out in public, there’s only one thing that sets her apart from the denizens around her — a 3-year-old Golden/Labrador Retriever mix named Arrow, who sports a blue vest emblazoned with a gold logo.
Canine Companions for Independence, it reads.
It’s not a fashion statement so much as an indication to the general public that the dog, while adorable, is performing an important job.
Arrow was raised and trained from puppyhood by the Santa Rosa nonprofit Canine Companions for Independence and is one of 268 active hearing service dogs capable of alerting a deaf person to important sounds in their environment, from a crying baby to a smoke alarm to the ring of a cell phone.
His set of capabilities is a lifeline to Westerhout, 48, whose hearing loss began when she was in the third grade and got progressively worse until she was almost totally deaf.
“If I were to stand next to a jet engine, I would barely hear it,” she said of her natural hearing.
Although she’s been fitted with high-powered hearing aids and a cochlear implant — which bypasses a damaged ear to send signals directly to the hearing center of the brain — the devices can be cumbersome and difficult to sleep in. Arrow lets Westerhout be free of that, and more.
He’ll nudge her if he hears one of her children call out her name from downstairs, or if her cell phone is on vibrate but not directly on her person. She takes him to Costa Mesa’s Waldorf School of Orange County, where she is a counselor, and brings him on trips.
If she’s cooking meatballs, Arrow will even remind her to set the timer.
“He’s so extremely good at his job,” Westerhout said. “He’s very, very observant.”
Arrow’s keen responses are the result of more than 250 hours of training he’s received through Canine Companions for Independence, a group that provides service dogs to people with disabilities free of charge.
Puppies are bred for qualities and behaviors that will assist the dogs in their work, said CCI senior instructor Ken Reid, who oversees hearing dog training at the Santa Rosa location.
At around 8 weeks old, they are placed with raisers, who help socialize them and prepare them for up to nine months of training they will begin somewhere around 18 months of age.
“Puppies are returned to one of six training centers. That’s where the dog gets its next phase of professional training with an instructor,” Reid said. “Along the way we’ll start to see the dog’s individual strengths and weaknesses, so we’ll start to select them for specialized tracks.”
Canines learn skills specific to the individual they will serve — CCI trains companion dogs for children, adult disability service dogs, PTSD service dogs for veterans and hearing dogs like Arrow.
“These dogs help people become more independent and not have to rely on other people for the rest of their lives,” said CCI spokeswoman Stacy Haynes. “The end goal is to enhance the lives of people with disabilities.”
After dogs complete training, clients come for a two-week session to learn more about living with a service dog and be paired up with pooches who, in turn, learn customized tasks and commands before heading to their new homes.
Since Westerhout returned to Newport Beach with Arrow in late November, she’s been amazed at how well he executes commands and alerts her to sounds.
But, for her, another important function of a hearing dog is that they act as ambassadors to the public, opening the doors to conversations about what she calls her “invisible disability.”
“(Normally), people think you’re rude because you don’t respond to them. They think you’re not very smart because it takes you a while to piece together what they’re saying, or they think you’re crazy when you respond to them in a completely different way,” Westerhout said of the social difficulties often associated with hearing loss.
“Taking him out draws attention,” she said. “I get to talk to people and share about my invisible disability. It’s just life-changing.”
My Pet Rabbit Helps Me Live With Parkinson’s
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ― Anatole France
Dogs can help as emotional and physical support animals for humans with various disabilities and chronic illnesses, including Parkinson’s. These animals help make life easier for their humans and improve their quality of life.
Rabbits can’t be classified as support animals because they can’t be trained to help with physical tasks. However, they can provide emotional support by furnishing comfort and other therapeutic benefits to their owners through companionship.
Budgie Bunny
In 2010, my Budgie Bunny was found wandering in a park, fending for himself. Members of a local rabbit rescue organization asked me to foster him until his forever home could be found. That was 10 years ago. Needless to say, I failed at being a foster parent. As a friend once said to me, there are worse things in life to fail at.
Little did I know that five years after saving Budgie, I would be diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Now he is helping to save me.
How could a 4-pound fur ball possibly help someone with Parkinson’s? More than once when I was in the depths of despair, having a pity party for myself over my current health situation, I have crawled into a ball on the floor and started crying. Many times, Budgie would come over and give me bunny kisses. My tears would melt away, and I would be filled with gratitude to have such a great little buddy who seems to sense my emotions. I do not feel so alone having Budgie in my house.
What else has my bunny done to help me fight Parkinson’s?
Living with a rabbit has taught me some valuable lessons. Budgie has helped me to live in the moment. He taught me to be more patient. And he helped me keep laughter in my life.
Live in the moment
Budgie gets me out of bed in the morning. If I don’t feed him on his schedule, he will make a racket by pushing around his food bowl. If he wants attention, especially when I try to meditate in another room, he will create a lot of noise by working on a bunny construction project or thumping his hind leg. At times like these, I forget in that moment that I have Parkinson’s, and I become aware that Budgie needs something from me.
His life is so precious and he gives me so much comfort.
Patience is a virtue
Since rabbits are prey animals, they tend to be afraid of their own shadow and do not automatically trust humans. It takes a deliberate investment for one to build a relationship with a rabbit. Initially a bunny may be shy, afraid, independent, or hesitant to trust a human. I developed a lot of patience waiting for Budgie to be comfortable with me. It took him a long time to realize I wouldn’t eat him for lunch.
Now that I experience bradykisesia, a Parkinson’s symptom, I can become impatient with myself when I get dressed in the morning. However, the patience I developed while caring for Budgie has helped me to better cope with my slowness of movement.
Laughter is the best medicine
Budgie’s antics never fail to make me smile or laugh. Just this week, I forgot to put his litter box in his pen and he decided to use his food dish as his litter box. Much to my surprise, he didn’t even miss!
Instead of getting annoyed, I chuckled and gave my sweet bunny a few scratches behind his ears.
Laughter can alter dopamine and serotonin levels that are reduced depression. Depression can affect up to half of all people with Parkinson’s at some point during the course of their disease. Budgie keeps me laughing, and laughter makes me feel good.
Although Budgie cannot provide physical assistance or balance and support like a guide dog, he does provide companionship and makes a great emotional support animal for me. Studies have linked pet ownership with reducing signs of depression in people with chronic illnesses and with reducing loneliness.
Having Parkinson’s can bring about many emotional and mental health problems. The calming nature of a therapy or emotional support animal (yes, even a rabbit) can help ease anxiety, release endorphins, and reduce stress.
“Rabbits will always have a special place in my heart. They are often discredited as being good pets because they don’t ‘do anything’—ask any rabbit owner and watch how they laugh!” – Shenita Etwaroo
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Note: Parkinson’s News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Parkinson’s News Today or its parent company, BioNews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Parkinson’s disease.
Therapy Dog Bringing Comfort During Pandemic
He can’t give a diagnosis or lead an operation, but Eduardo has an important role at Massachusetts General Hospital during the coronavirus pandemic.
The hospital gave a shout-out to Eduardo, one of their therapy dogs, on Twitter Sunday and encouraged others to post pictures of their pets offering comfort during social distancing.
“Our therapy dogs are ‘paw-fect’ companions and have a very important job of comforting our patients and staff members,” the hospital tweeted. Our therapy dogs are “paw-fect” companions and have a very important job of comforting our patients and staff members.
Hero Dog Award
A local mobility service animal and his military family hope their community will help them beat out several other canines to win a coveted national award.
S.D. Gunner, who has assisted Army veteran and Richmond Hill resident Sgt. Hamilton Kinard since June 2013, is up for an American Humane Hero Dog Award.
The award is all about recognizing “hero dogs” — ordinary canines doing extraordinary things, according to American Humane’s website.
The 7-year-old Great Pyrenees is nominated in the service dog category, one of the annual competition’s seven award groups, which also include law enforcement, therapy and shelter dogs.
“Gunner has been nominated in the past, but we’ve never made it past the first round because it’s based solely off of individual voting,” Britnee Kinard, president and founder of the S.D. Gunner Fund, told WSAV.com NOW.
American Humane reached out to the Kinards this year to let them know their devoted service dog would have yet another shot at winning.
Brittnee says since Gunner’s life expectancy is only 10 years, she and her husband, Hamilton, decided they would move forward with participating.
The service dog’s work with Hamilton over the past seven years helped him get nominated.
Hamilton had returned from combat abroad with no less than 56 injuries, including a severe traumatic brain injury.
“We got Gunner after the Department of Veterans Affairs determined that my husband needed a mobility service animal to help him get around,” Britnee said.
“At that point in time, he was using a wheelchair and a couple of other mobility devices, and they felt that Gunner would be of great usage towards him,” she said.
Gunner has helped Hamiliton with balance, wheelchair/walker assistance and mobility strength.
Nearly a decade later, the large and furry white dog has grown not only in size — but into an integral part of the Kinard family.
“He is one of my kids,” Hamilton told WSAV.com NOW.
Britnee adds that it’s nearly impossible to go anywhere with Gunner without being recognized.
“It’s not Blayne’s mom, Maks’ mom, the Kinards, it’s ‘hey, you’re the people with the big, white dog,’” she shared. “We don’t go anywhere without him, he literally does everything we do, and I don’t think we ever want to think about the day that he won’t be here.”
Gunner inspired Britnee to start the SD Gunner Fund in 2014.
It serves to help veterans and disabled children with the financial expenses of owning much-needed service animals.
Through the Fund, they also train and provide service dogs to those that need them.
“As an organization, [Gunner] represents so much,” Britnee said.
“We’ve probably assisted somewhere around 10,000 children and families in the Lowcountry, working with pediatric facilities, hospitals, school systems and working individually,” she said, adding, “Yes, he’s our service dog, but he does so much more than that.”
Gunner’s owners say their service animal, which was the first Great Pyrenees ever to win the American Kennel Club’s Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence, has broken a lot of barriers for his breed.
“He’s not a lab, he’s not a golden retriever, he’s not a standard dog that you would see as a service dog,” Britnee said.
“When we first got started, there were so many people that told us a Great Pyrenees could not be a service dog because they’re difficult, they’re stubborn, they’re hard-headed,” she added.
Britnee says Gunner winning the Hero Dog Award would bring recognition to dogs that oftentimes get overlooked.
“To my knowledge, he would be the first Great Pyrenees to win [the service dog] category,” she said.
Votes for the first round can be submitted through May 7, 2020, and the Kinards will find out toward the end of summer if Gunner has won his category.
The winners’ award ceremony will be held in Hollywood in September.
Therapy Dogs Make Virtual Visits
These pups won’t let a pandemic stop them from bringing a smile to young hospital patients.
At the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the dog therapy program has adapted to make sure their lineup of 127 four-legged friends can still visit patients, families and staff, even if via a computer screen. For the organizers — who haven’t missed a day of service in the past five years — the work-around was a must for their mission to continue.
“Our CHLA community was anxious, and we turned to innovation to help us provide something meaningful for them,” program manager Kate Buhrmaster said in a blog post, adding that the dogs use Webex video conference calls to chat with people.
So far, over 60 of the 127 dogs and their handlers have been set up with equipment to do these socially distanced visits, which have been a hit with the humans on the other end of the call.
“They were oohing and aahing at their screen,” Buhrmaster said. “Then the questions started: ‘Can you scratch him behind his ears? Can you give him a belly rub for me?’ Just seeing a relaxed doggie face on the screen looking back at you does wonders.”
Aside from one-on-one check-ins, the program also holds weekly “Paws and Relax” meetups, when up to eight dogs call in to brighten the day of humans.
“We know we are kind of like comfort food for the hospital,” Buhrmaster said. “We are a familiar part of the CHLA community. We let you check-in, take a deep breath and have a moment to appreciate that we are all in this together, even if we’re on the other side of a computer screen.” In the past, the L.A. program was again forced to get creative on how to reach patients they couldn’t share the room with. When they weren’t allowed to make in-person visits with those in the bone marrow transplant unit of the hospital due to strict isolation rules, they came up with an alternative. “People told us the thing that was going to be harder, on an emotional level, for the patients was not having the dog therapy program there. I thought ‘I can’t let that happen,’ ” Buhrmaster said. “We came up with the idea of doggie pen pals, where we can deliver laminated photos and letters from the dogs to the kids.”
