2020 Dog Of The Year
Lilly Beatty is K9 for Camo’s 2020 hero dog of the year. Lilly is a four-year-old black lab who has had a fantastic impact on her owner Devin.
Devin Beatty is a veteran who served from 2009-2013. He did two years of active duty and four years in the reserves. He’s currently a travel nurse in Jefferson City, and he lives in Sparta with his wife, Samantha.
Devin says he wanted to be a nurse the moment he got out of the military. He started at Missouri State University, and about a semester and a half in, he almost dropped out of school. Then, he got Lilly.
“If it weren’t for Lilly, I wouldn’t be a nurse,” Beatty said. “She did all the work and got me to nursing school. She’s the hero here. I’m not.”
Devin has PTSD and epilepsy, and says his service dog has changed and saved his life.
“She knows how to relieve my anxiety,” Beatty said. “She can read my seizures. Back when I was having seizures, and I’m now in remission.”
Lilly also knows when Devin is going to have a panic attack. When he’s out in public, Lilly makes him feel safe and secure.
Springfield batman Derek Smith presented Lilly with the award this morning on Zoom.
Dog Walking Company
The dog walking company offers some very helpful information for dog owners that can’t seem to get their dog to stop biting the leash whenever they try to walk them. They guide the approach from their extensive experience helping provide dog owners with personalized, full-service dog walking and pet sitting services. With over 15 years of experience of dog walking and sitting experience, Paw Pals has developed a compassionate and friendly dog sitting service that you can trust. The company’s owner, the pet-loving Mary Telesz, has developed a long list of satisfied pet owners who trust their furry little friends in her caring hands.
While the most recent addition to their website helps pet owners better understand how to curb leash biting on walks, the pet sitting service offers a variety of other services for dog owners including dog sitting, cat sitting, pet transportation, and medication administration.
Paw Pals LLC believes in helping dog owners enjoy a well-deserved vacation or give their full attention to an important business trip resting assured that their beloved animals are taken care of and their homes are in good hands. With this new article, dog owners will learn about proper walking techniques and how Paw Pal’s dog walking services can help teach your dog to behave and stop biting the leash. They go over why dogs bite leashes in the first place, how to stop the leash biting, and some effective techniques for teaching dogs to relax when going on walks.
Basil The Service Dog
Meg Gardner witnessed the Mother McAuley High School community work together to help her family many times this year.
The Gardner Family was the recipient of McAuley’s National Honors Society (NHS) fundraising effort, an annual effort organized to help an alumna of the all-girls school.
For the Gardners, Meg and her husband Greg, the fundraising efforts will go toward the purchase of a service dog for their oldest daughter, Maddie, a 7-year old who has autism.
Then, the Mother McAuley Class of 2020 added to the fundraising in a big way, raising $1,000 to aid the fundraising effort.
Gardner is the dean of upperclasswomen at Mother McAuley.
“We were so touched by the effort, just so humbled for what the seniors had done,” Meg Gardner said. “These 17- and 18-year-old girls did this for us. It’s magic. We were just so humbled by their compassion that they have.”
Mother McAuley had already organized several fundraising efforts, including at a late February home basketball game where former teammates, friends and family were in attendance for the event that raised around $9,000.
The focal point of the fundraising was initially to be an ice cream social at the school, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, senior Molly Curley and the McAuley Senior Advisory Board vowed to replace the social.
“We wanted to put something together, so we thought of raising money ourselves,” Curley said. “It was just whatever you can donate, anything you can do to help with Mrs. Gardner and her family. It was a no-brainer for all she’s done for us. Everyone loves Mrs. Gardner.”
From there, the momentum started to build.
Senior Molly Maloney, the student government president, started by sending out a video that she made describing Maddie Gardner’s story.
The senior class started to spread the world with calls, texts, group texts, Zoom calls and posts on Instagram and Facebook.
Any donation of any size was appreciated, and within a day, over $500 had been raised.
“We had a rough start where we had a few donations here, a few there,” said Maloney (Beverly, St. John Fisher). “We kept promoting it, and then a bunch of donations starting coming in. We were at $500 and then $600 and then we had $1,000. It felt really good to be able to do this.”
Senior Devyn Petrowski (Beverly, St. John Fisher) is on the senior advisory board and was also a member of the volleyball team of which Gardner is the assistant coach.
“We expected to raise the money, but we were surprised that we were able to do it so fast,” Petrowski said. “We pushed it really hard. We wanted to show how much we appreciate what Mrs. Gardner does for us. It felt really good to support something that’s very important to her.”
With the donation, the Gardners will purchase the service dog for Maddie. The process of acquiring a service dog can take up to three years, but the process came together quickly for the family.
The Gardners have already met Basil, a 2-year-old German shepherd who will be Maddie’s service dog. The family will bring the dog home for good at the end of June. Meg said Basil immediately connected with the family, especially Maddie.
“Having the dog, it really helps with her sensory disorder, calming her down, protecting her, all that good stuff,” Gardner said. “Greg took the kids to see Basil the second time, and as the car pulled up, he came right up to the car. He was already her protector and just really took to her. This will really help her in so many ways.”
Awaiting Basil’s arrival at the Gardner household in June, the McAuley seniors can’t wait to see their volunteer work come together for Maddie, Basil and the family.
“I didn’t know much about the story, but I went on Kairos with Mrs. Gardner this year, and she talked about it,” Maloney said. “You never know what a person goes through, so it’s really cool to do all this. Our entire senior class stepped up. Everyone took a part.”
Gardner, a 1999 McAuley alumna, has been a teacher at McAuley since 2005, and she said she can’t thank the Mighty Macs enough for the effort of the Class of 2020.
“I’ve always thought McAuley was a magical place because of the students, teachers and the community,” Gardner said. “It was just so incredibly thoughtful and just so much good, especially by our youth who came together to work for our daughter.”
Therapy Pets Can’t Help Right Now
Social distancing has changed everything, including how to care for a loved one with Alzheimer or dementia. There might be an increase of stress, confusion and behavior issues during this time because of their disrupted routine, according to the Alzheimer Association.
There are at-home therapeutic activities you can do to help calm them down.
You could get them a free furry robotic friend through Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs to keep them company. The robots are designed to look, move and act like cats and dogs.
The department says it’s planning to deliver more than 375 free robotic pets this week to socially isolated senior citizens and adults living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia to “improve their daily mood and give them a greater sense of well-being” during Florida’s stay-at-home orders and social distancing requirements.
The interactive robotic pets are meant to be an alternative to traditional pet therapy and can help give a reprieve to caretakers who are stressed about caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another dementia during the COVID-19 crisis, according to the department.
Researchers say robotic pets can be a good alternative for people with dementia who are scared of animals or live in a home or healthcare facility that does not accept animals for fear of infections or other issues, such as allergies, bites or scratches.
Robotic pets have been used in various countries since 2003 and have previously shown positive results similar to those of real animals, according to a 2016 study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, which looked to assess the effectiveness of robotic pet therapy in treating dementia-related symptoms such as anxiety and depression.
The study found that the robots helped decrease stress and anxiety and also caused a reduction in the use of psychoactive medications and pain medications for patients with dementia.
And while the robotic pets are normally used to treat adults with Alzheimer’s or other dementia, officials hope the pets will also help senior citizens who live alone and miss seeing their families and friends during the novel coronavirus situation.
Pet assisted therapy programs use the comfort, joy and love companion animals can bring to help improve someone’s physical and emotional health, according to the Humane Society of Greater Miami and the Humane Society of Broward County, both which have a volunteer-driven pet assisted therapy program.
Both Humane societies say the interaction with cats, dogs and other approved companion animals can provide a variety of benefits including lower blood pressure, decreasing both stress and anxiety levels and promoting social interaction.
But, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers haven’t been able to visit nursing homes, courthouses, hospitals and other places around the community like they normally would. Instead, they’ve turned to live video chat platforms, such as Skype, to offer virtual pet therapy, according to the Humane Society of Greater Miami.
Ageless Innovation, the company that has partnered with Florida to provide its “Joy for All” robotic companion pets (which were originally designed and launched by Hasbro) says its Alkaline battery-powered cats and dogs provide similar positive effects.
Like real animals, the pets will respond to the person’s voice and touch, have a “lifelike” coat and a “heartbeat” you can feel, according to Ageless Innovation. They also make sounds—cats can purr, dogs can bark—and are able to move their heads, lift their front paws and open and close their eyes.
Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs says it purchased a shipment of the robotic cats and dogs—which typically cost $109.99 and $129.99 respectively—at a discounted rate from Ageless Innovation and will be providing the pets free to eligible residents.
Each robotic pet comes with a letter from Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs Secretary Richard Prudom along with a guide in English and Spanish that includes tips on how to introduce the pet to your loved one.
The robotic pets initiative was on the mind of Prudom since he heard Ageless Innovation founder Ted Fischer speak about the robotic pets during an Alzheimer’s Community Care Conference in Palm Beach Gardens last year. But, it was the COVID-19 shutdown that took it off the back-burner and made it possible, according to the department.
Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs has also partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association to provide free MP3 players pre-loaded with a resident’s choice of musical genre, including patriotic, country, Broadway tunes and gospel.
The Alzheimer Association says numerous studies have shown that listening to familiar music can help reduce anxiety, depression, aggressive behavior and also help in swallowing and pain management.
A recent study on the effectiveness of music therapy by The Roth Project, a music-based intervention program implemented by the Alzheimer’s Association of Central and Western Kansas, also found that personalized music significantly helped improve the mood of study participants who were living with with dementia.
“Music is soothing and calming. Music is also one of the very last things to be forgotten by people living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias,” the Alzheimer Association said in an emailed statement. “It has been known to spark memories and engage loved ones. … Although music cannot slow or prevent cognitive decline, it can improve quality of life for people with dementia.”
Good Deeds
Random acts of kindness are all around. They can be found in the drive-through lane as the car in front of you graciously pays for your meal. They appear when a neighbor mows your lawn.
These good deeds are unexpected and come in big and small packages. They are selfless acts that bring smiles to faces and allow for reflection on the positivity that can be found when negativity is bountiful.
In the midst of COVID-19, it may be more important than ever to focus on random acts of kindness.
Prairieland Visiting Animals volunteer Tim McHenry and his dog Cheyenne are no strangers to handing out good deeds and receiving them.
For several years, McHenry and Cheyenne have partnered to make people happy and offer comfort to those who have fallen on hard times.
“Prairieland Visiting Animals is an organization that sponsors therapy teams all over the city doing the work in places like Midland Hospice, Stormont Vail and Florence Crittenton,” McHenry said.
A typical therapy dog visit would allow McHenry and Cheyenne to enter a facility and have person-to-person contact. The coronavirus has put a stop to that.
Instead, McHenry has found a new way to interact with people, including Presbyterian Manor’s residents.
McHenry and Cheyenne have taken to standing outside windows at Presbyterian Manor and waving at the residents inside.
After waving and saying hello, McHenry starts holding up signs. He uses the signs to tell the residents who he and his dog are, that he hopes they stay safe and to remember to sing and dance.
He then walks Cheyenne out a few feet from the window, instructs her to roll over and high-five.
“What we’ve learned about therapy animals is they help reduce stress in people and provide comfort and support,” McHenry said.
As McHenry offers support to those stuck indoors, his greatest reward through volunteering is his being able to share Cheyenne.
“She has a knack for people,” McHenry said. “Cheyenne just kind of spots people and then just moves in … She’s been that dog since the day I brought her home, so when you have a dog and you want to give them something meaningful to do, you just sort of learn to play to their strengths. Her strength is meeting and interacting with people.”
“I would post some of our things that (Cheyenne and I) were doing online and all of a sudden, I get this reply from a classmate and she said, ‘Love what you’re doing and we would like to step up and help you during your furlough by connecting you with dog food,’ ” McHenry said. “Two days later, there’s a 40-pound bag of dog food sitting on my patio.”
McHenry said COVID-19 has shown him that tragedy brings out the good in people.
“People are doing things that maybe they hadn’t considered doing before and either because they have the time or they have the resources, they just have the ingenuity,” McHenry said. “They’ve found a way to impact people around them.”
When the coronavirus pandemic comes to an end, McHenry said, he hopes the giving doesn’t end, as well.
“When all this is said and done, are we still going to be those people that continue?” McHenry said. “I think we will. I think we’ve carved a niche for ourselves here.”
Onaga resident Ashley Hain is doing her part to recognize the good deeds happening in her community and beyond.
She recently created a Facebook group called Random Acts for Ross Alton that she started after experiencing heartbreak.
Toward the end of February, Hain was about halfway through her pregnancy and everything was going great.
On Feb. 27, she headed to the doctor to find out the gender of her baby, but the news she would receive wasn’t good.
“That was when we found out there was no heartbeat,” Hain said. “So they sent in a doctor just to confirm everything and the doctor kind of talked to us and explained everything.”
The doctor recommended Hain and her husband, Ross, go to Stormont Vail Hospital to verify there wasn’t a heartbeat.
The next day was a whirlwind for the Hains as Ashley was induced and delivered their baby boy. He was named Ross after his father.
“As I was waiting to deliver, I just kind of thought about I don’t want anyone to ever forget our son, and I know that we won’t, but my husband and I both really love helping people so I know our son would like to do the same,” Hain said.
Hain’s Facebook group created in honor of her son has over 100 members. People are encouraged to post the random acts of kindness they have done.
“I just thought this would be an awesome way to spread some kindness in the crazy world that we live in with or without the coronavirus,” Hain said. “People have been telling me that they are thinking of ways that they can go out of their way to do something nice for someone if it’s big or small. It just makes me feel like (Ross) is going to live on forever through these random acts of kindness.”
Hain said the number of people who join the group doesn’t matter to her as long as she knows there’s people out there helping others.
The Facebook group has also contributed to Hain’s healing process, she said.
“I know people probably do nice things for people all the time,” Hain said. “Especially with this coronavirus, we all need some extra love. But I think people are doing it in honor of our son and that just makes us feel amazing.”
The Topeka Capital-Journal asked its readers earlier this week to share the random acts of kindness they have experienced. The following list is a compilation of those responses and posts from the Random Acts for Ross Alton Facebook group:
My friend and her mother, Misty and Jan Rogers, dropped off a lovely hanging basket which was so nice. I haven’t made it to Jackson’s or Lowes for flowers or anything garden related so to have a basket for my front stoop just made my week — Brianna Berggren
I want to thank the person who paid $5 of my bill at the Dairy Queen at 29th and Arnold on Monday, April 27. I was in the drive thru and when it was my turn to pay, I was informed that the person ahead of me, had paid part of my bill. It was totally unexpected but very much appreciated. Nice people in this world are not recognized often enough — T R Harries
Friends and family have been dropping off meals and supplies to help my husband and me as we take care of our newborn — LN Aftwe
Someone left a full Dairy Queen gift card in a library book I had checked out before TSCPL closed. I just got around to reaching the book and had a nice surprise waiting for me — Rachael Roberts
Neither my dad nor I, since Halloween, can currently get out to the front sidewalk to retrieve our newspaper, but our neighbor to the south has been bringing it in daily — Kendra McEvoy
This week a police officer I have known since school was in line in a store here in town. Before he had a chance to pay for his items, he was called away for an emergency. I felt the urge to grab his items and take care of the bill, and make sure they got home to his wife and children as they were for dinner that night — Bethany Sheffer
Today we headed to a drive-by birthday party. On the way we stopped to get a gift card at Dairy Queen. I paid for the truck in front, a family full, in honor of your sweet baby — Tammy Moore Burgett.
Therapy Dogs Are Here To Help
Video call meetings and work-from-home regulations are no longer just for humans. Illinois-based organizations that offer therapy dog services are having their canines offer their emotional support online.
Typically in disasters, therapy dogs are dispatched to physically comfort those affected, said Tim Hetzner, president and CEO of Lutheran Church Charities. But, with growing concerns and physical limitations because of the COVID-19 pandemic, video calls have comforted those who need it the most. With the physical restrictions of the state’s stay-at-home order, many Chicagoans are also choosing to foster pets for companionship.
“Many states have stay-at-home orders, and we thought of how we could continue to touch people without being able to physically go out with the animals,” Hetzner said.
The organization, based in Northbrook, has a comfort dog ministry that trains dogs and dispatches them to other churches, schools and universities as well as places hit by disaster or crisis. Virtual appointments with the dogs can be made by filling out an online form. Currently, there are 130 trained comfort golden retrievers in 26 states, with 39 dogs across Illinois, according to the organization. The dogs work from home and are available for virtual visits around the clock. Trained caregivers house the good boys (and girls) when they are not hard at work.
“Many visits are for nurses and doctors,” Hetzner said. “We’ve done visits in emergency rooms where they have us on an iPad and pass the iPad around. It’s been rewarding because a lot of hurting people right now just need to talk and have a friendly face and a friendly canine face.”
The benefits of a friendly canine face even translate virtually, he said.
Megan Kirchen, a nurse at Amita Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, has helped coordinate Zoom calls with the comfort dogs over the last several weeks. Nurses working both day and night shifts in the COVID-19 ICU, COVID-19 medical unit and oncology nurses have had virtual visits with the dogs, said.
Calls have lasted up to 45 minutes, with nurses cycling through the video chats for a glimpse of the dogs, Kirchen said. She estimates more than 30 nurses have interacted with the dogs online.
“I’ve seen tears and smiles,” she said. “It’s great for the nurses to hear the gratitude from the local community. It’s good to see people come together nationally for the nurses and for the sacrifice that they’re giving. The visits are like a little break for their minds as they’re taking care of other people.”
According to recent research, physicians and nurses who interact with a therapy dog for several minutes have lower stress levels.
“We weren’t sure how the virtual visits would work, but people on calls just start smiling,” Hetzner said.
Though Canine Therapy Corps has suspended all training, certification and programs due to COVID-19, the organization is still looking for ways to engage people with their therapy dogs, said Ann Davidson, an operations manager with the organization.
People in search of virtual companionship can request video chat sessions and photos of the dogs, Davidson said.
“It’s tough for all of us right now. We can’t do the type of work we want to do,” she said of physical visits. “We are figuring out ways to keep helping. We know our dogs could help, but the risks are just too high and it’s just heartbreaking for every one of us.”
Davidson also mentioned people can seek animal companionship by fostering or adopting pets.
Since March 13, there have been more than 286 animals placed in foster homes said Bridget Bittman, a spokeswoman for The Anti-Cruelty Society.
Simon Elliott of West Town decided to foster a pet during the pandemic to help an animal rescue group, and get a little extra companionship. Elliot and his wife are fostering Taco, a 7-month-old hound mix, from The Anti-Cruelty Society.
Elliot said he had been wanting to get a dog for some time, and the stay-at-home order pushed him to start small and foster first.
“It’s a good way to help out these organizations,” Elliot said. “Now we walk around the area and it’s an excuse to get out.”
Supporting Healthcare Workers
Some furry friends were out on this Sunday, showing their support for frontline healthcare workers.
Paws from the Heart Pet Therapy, held a “Thank You Parade” Sunday morning in front of Kent Hospital.
More than 20 certified therapy dogs and their families were on hand, standing across the street from the hospital. There was a lot of waving, cheering, smiles, and thank you messages. Proceeding from Kent Hospital, the group took the show on the road to Women and Infants, Hasbro, Rhode Island Hospital, and Miriam Hospital.
Dog Owners In Need During Pandemic
The initiative called Underdog Unity consists of a network of volunteers across the UK who can be matched with people who need help caring for their dog – whether that be walking their dog, shopping for food and supplies, taking dogs to the vets and even caring for the dogs for extended periods in their own homes.
This service is now available in Sheffield, with Underdog Unity volunteers able to provide all necessary duties to locals who may not be able to look after their animals through these unprecedented times.
Sheffield volunteer, Megan Senior, said: “We are getting a lot of support at the moment, and with it being a new initiative, we are just getting the word out in Sheffield to create awareness for anyone who needs help when it comes to animal welfare in our region.
“The coronavirus breakout has ensured a busy start for us as it continues to disrupt people’s routines, we’ve met many people stating they haven’t been able to walk their dogs in weeks. Volunteers like myself are here to help as best we can.”
All Underdog Unity volunteers are vetted and have received guidance and training to ensure they understand the responsibility of their role in looking after someone else’s dog – many volunteers are dog behaviourists or dog walkers by trade, and all others have experience with looking after their own dogs.
The service is offered through Underdog International, which was set up as a registered UK Charity in early 2019 by Nadine Kayser, who had previously co-founded Wild at Heart Foundation in 2015.
The charity aims to reduce the world’s 600 million stray dog population and has become a leading component in the global activity working to address this issue.
Charity founder and CEO, Nadine Kayser, said: “I had this idea a couple of weeks ago to create this network of volunteers across the UK, who can help dog owners who have been impacted by the coronavirus.
“It’s really taken off, we have around 3000 volunteers around the country. All the fantastic volunteers are helping people who are facing various issues, some are key workers who haven’t been able to look after their pets all the way through those suffering from mental health challenges.
“Now all of the volunteers are just trying create sufficient awareness for the service we provide, in the hope of letting people know that they are not alone even when it comes to the welfare of their animals.”
Underdog International runs a comprehensive ‘dogs in school’ programme and have a UK network of therapy dogs and volunteers who provide life lessons in schools.
Surf Therapy Dog Helps First Responders
Along with people adapting during the pandemic, our four legged friends are making their own adjustments.
Especially Ricochet the Surf Therapy Dog who has over 90,000 followers on Instagram and uses her platform to serve others. COVID-19 health orders are now forcing her to get creative with how she helps.
Dog Tested Positive For Coronavirus
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the risk for animals spreading COVID-19 to people are low but the agency now says it appears that it can be spread from people to animals in some situations.
The CDC said that was the case for a family in North Carolina, whose pug tested positive for coronavirus.
“This has been very stressful, and we’re grateful we made it through,” said Dr. Heather McLean a pediatrician at Duke.
Back in March Dr. McLean and all her family, except for her daughter, tested positive for COVID-19.
“We’ve all recovered. We’ve felt great for the last two weeks. Everything seems very back to normal,” said Dr. Heather McLean.
The family joined a study that was being conducted by Duke.
“They all came out to our house and did blood samples. For the humans, they swabbed our noses as well as our mouths, and then for the animals they did oral swabs for both dogs and the cat,” Dr. Heather McLean said.
The study showed that the family’s dog, Winston, contracted the virus.
Researchers told WRAL to their knowledge, this is the first instance in which the coronavirus has been detected in a dog.
Dr. McLean said, “his symptoms were mild. Pugs are a little unusual in that they cough and sneeze in a very strange way. So it almost seems like he was very gaggy, and there was one day when he didn’t want to eat his breakfast, and if you know pugs you know they love to eat, so that seemed very unusual.”
Winston is doing much better and was only sick for a few days.
“Hopefully we’ll learn more through the research study, and I think because there’s not a lot of studies and sampling pets, we just don’t know yet. My advice is just not to get too worried about it,” she said.
The CDC said to treat pets as you would other human family members, do not let pets interact with people or animals outside the household.
