Support dog lift spirits
Many people would probably agree, we’ve never needed a dog’s love more than right now.
COVID-19 restrictions mean therapy dogs are no longer allowed in our hospitals or nursing homes, but Chance is still finding ways to keep people comforted and calm.
His owner calls him the “gentle giant.”
“They see him and they smile and they’re happy and they hug all over him, of course to try to get kisses, which he’s not supposed to do, but they try to get kisses and hugs,” said Marcia Pearce.
Chance is used to spending his time visiting patients and staff at Moses Cone Hospital and residents at Spring Arbor Senior Living in Greensboro.
But since the threat of the coronavirus, visitors have been shut out.
“It’s tough for him. He doesn’t understand why he can’t go in the door and see his friends,” said Pearce.
That’s why Pearce decided to find a new way to give back. She’s been sewing and delivering masks and surgical caps for health care workers.
“They look forward to us dropping stuff off, and they can see him through the car window or they can sneak a hug and pet now and again,” said Pearce.
At the retirement home, it’s hands and snouts pressed up to the window.
“Even now with this going on, it’s still giving them stress relief because they’ll talk about his visit for hours and days after he’s been here,” said Pearce.
Pearce says at the end of their visits it’s a tradition to stop by Freddy’s for ice cream to let Chance know he’s a very good boy.
Virtual Canine Therapy
Certified therapy dog and champion surf dog, Ricochet is offering FREE virtual canine therapy and video conferencing sessions to families who experienced the unfathomable reality of not being there when a loved one passed from covid-19, as well as frontline workers and school children affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Doctors, nurses, other healthcare workers, first responders, essential workers and grieving families can take a few minutes to lower their stress and anxiety through Ricochet’s program. Teachers, home school educators and parents can find fun educational lessons through Ricochet’s Paws on learning activities as well.
To schedule a session, send an email to Ricochet’s guardian, Judy Fridono at pawinspired@aol.com.
Or, if time is limited, visit Ricochet’s virtual canine therapy web page. In every other crisis, therapy dogs are called upon to provide comfort and healing. But, due to social distancing and quarantine, animal assisted therapy programs have been suspended.
First, there is a web page that has close-up photos of her eyes coupled with calming music. Hundreds of individuals who have visited the page have reported they felt a calm, connected state of being. Eye contact is one of the anxiety-reducing techniques that Ricochet uses in her face-to-face therapy dog sessions. Gazing into a dog’s eyes stimulates the release of oxytocin—a hormone associated with positive, happy feelings. Cultivating these moments allows for deep experiences of connection regardless of whether physical contact is made. Another facet of the program is video conferencing which uses apps such as Zoom, FaceTime and Skype.
These sessions are offered to families who lost a loved one to covid-19, doctors, nurses, frontline workers and anyone else suffering a loss or feeling stressed and anxious. Ricochet provides a calm demeanor of comfort and support where a participants emotions can be safely released as they are spun into a cocoon of positive energy, healing and recovery.
The most recent facet added to the program is Paws on Learning activities with Ricochet. This facet is for children of all ages and also uses video conferencing. Kids can talk to Ricochet while doing activities like reading to her, coloring pictures of her, teaching her tricks, show & tell, boredom busting, Q&A’s and more.
Many kids know her from the IMAX film, Superpower Dogs that she’s in. Although movie theaters are closed due to the pandemic, kids can still interact with Ricochet from the safety of their own home! They can watch the movie trailer, download the activities booklet and view a behind-the-scenes video. Ricochet’s virtual canine therapy will support individuals NOW, as well as into the future. But, she needs your help in reaching those in need. Please share this information and the program with your followers. Let’s help the world at large take a few minutes to breathe and decompress… through the healing power of a dog.
Therapy horses
First there were therapy dogs, and there are therapy horses.
Two of the On Eagles’ Wings Therapeutic Horsemanship in Fairmont brought two of their horses to visit the Morgantown Health and Rehabilitation Center Tuesday afternoon.
xecutive Director at On Eagles Wings, Carol Petitt explained that she was happy to see everyone on their feet and smiling, even if it was through a window.
“We let some time pass when the pandemic started, and I think we just started feeling more comfortable with that and you know, not concern a lot of people, including the ones who work at the nursing home,” Petitto explained.
Stormy and Toby are brother and sisters who typically visit nursing homes and school during stressful times, but took a break at the start of the pandemic. The sun came out, there was a break in the rain and employees at On Eagles’ Wings thought it was the perfect opportunity to make others smile, and where better during a pandemic than at a nursing home.
“I think it brought a smile to our faces, that we got out in the public and got to do something,” Petitto said. “It feels like there is a lot of loom and gloom right now, and we just want to try to being some sort of happiness to people, as much as we can right now.”
Stormy and Toby took two laps around the nursing home and everyone was up on their feet with smiles ear to ear. They even caught the attention of a few children stuck at home in the apartment right next to the nursing home.
Guide Dog Puppies Zoom
Dog lovers around the world can join a Zoom call with a host of adorable puppies on Wednesday, April 29 (or, if you’re in the U.S., the evening of Tuesday, April 28th), thanks to Guide Dogs Australia.
Posting on Fcaebook, the charity in Queensland said: “To celebrate International Guide Dog Day on Wednesday 29th April, we’re inviting you to join our first (and cutest) Zoom puppy meeting!
“Tune in on your lunch break (12:00-12:30pm UTC) to meet our Guide Dogs and learn about the special role they play in the lives of people living with blindness or low vision.”
The puppy participants of the virtual call will include a three-week-old guide dog puppy named after the event itself, Zoom. Zoom is a video conference call app that has been keeping people connected during lockdown.
So far, over 1,200 people globally have signed up to watch the dogs from the comfort of their own homes. Looking for something to brighten your day? Usually, the charity celebrates International Guide Dog Day by hosting a day packed with fun-filled events for the public. However, after social distancing restrictions have been put in place, the team had to quickly rethink.
“COVID-19 hasn’t stopped the clients’ need for a working dog, and once a puppy is born it’s important we get them on the path to becoming a quality seeing eye dog as soon as possible,” Jane Bradley, Vision Australia’s Seeing Eye Dogs development manager told The Dily Mail.
“We’ve quickly had to become experts in training our people and dogs via video conferencing.”
police gets comfort dog
The Claremont Police Department is expanding its K-9 force, adding a comfort dog to the roster.
The Stratham-based non-profit, Hero Pups, is working with the department to train a rescue dog to serve as a comfort dog. Comfort dogs have become popular among first responders as they can help people dealing with the immediate effects of trauma.
“Our comfort dog’s responsibilities will include supporting victims of all crimes, engaging with families and children during difficult times, and being a resource that the community as a whole can access,” Police Chief Mark Chase said.
Chase said he first encountered Hero Pups at a charity event and learned that the organization pairs venerates with trained rescue dogs.
“We met them at a CHaD Hero baseball game last year and started up a relationship,” Chase said.
Hero Pups has supplied comfort dogs to Concord and Manchester, and has a program to have prison inmates train dogs. Laura Barker, president of Hero Pups, said the organization gives out about 20 dogs a year.
Barker has been working with rescue dogs her entire life, but got started training comfort dogs for veterans after seeing what the dogs could do for soldiers dealing with injury. She was visiting a relative who had been shot in Afghanistan when a therapy dog entered the room and approached another injured soldier.
“I could see the way this young man reacted, and his whole demeanor changed,” Barker said. “I was like, ‘My whole life has been leading up to this moment,’” Barker said.
The connections that the dogs make help people dealing with stress and trauma, whether it is for victims of violent crimes, veterans dealing with war wounds, or first responders who are susceptible to post traumatic stress disorder and depression, she said.
“These dogs are like a key that unlocks a door that sometimes has been sealed closed for so long they didn’t know it was a door anymore,” she said.
Claremont’s dog, a black Labrador-mix already has a sibling, Patch, getting ready for the Manchester Police Department. Barker said the dog has some more training to get through, but should be in Claremont within the coming months.
Chase is asking residents to vote on names for the dog, with Sarge, Sullivan, and Goose being the leading candidates. The department plans to live stream the name announcement on its Facebook page on Friday at 1 p.m. following a demonstration by Claremont’s current K-9, Maverick.
service animal nominated for 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.
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 bring joy
When Terry Gallogly trained her first therapy dogs, she had a simple goal: to bring joy to her little niece.
Lily was born in 2009 with a developmental disorder called lissencephaly, in which the brain does not have the usual creases and folds. The condition, also called “smooth brain,” affects her ability to grow, move and speak.
“There really wasn’t too much I could do for her,” Gallogly, of Smithtown, New York, told TODAY. “It was pretty severe.”
Even as a baby, there were moments when Lily seemed to light up, like when she saw her toddler big brother. That spark started Aunt Terry thinking about other ways to brighten Lily’s days.
“For her to smile, that was a huge thing, that was a huge movement,” Gallogly said, “and her brother could make her smile. I just felt that the energy of dogs and … small children were similar and I said I was going to get therapy dogs and visit her.”
Gallogly bought and trained two goldendoodle puppies named Ken and Barbie. At a year old, Ken was certified for “animal-assisted activities,” often referred to as dog therapy. She said it took six more months before Ken was allowed to visit then-4-year-old Lily in the hospital, but her reaction was instant.
“She’s in a wheelchair and I took her hand and put it on Ken’s head and she started processing right away,” Gallogly told TODAY. “We’ve been visiting … every week since.”
Ken, and later Barbie, started visiting other children at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children on Long Island, too. They play fetch and receive pets from the kids, some of whom Gallogly said had never interacted with a dog because they’d always been in the hospital. Lily is now 11 years old, surpassing estimates for kids born with smooth brain. Gallogly was touched by the response the children had to Ken and Barbie and wanted to be able to bring the therapy dogs to kids who went home. In 2016, she started the nonprofit Therapy Dogs of Long Island, which now brings certified dogs to people with physical or mental health challenges at private homes, schools and senior care facilities, in addition to hospitals. Animal-assisted therapy has been shown to help with psychological well-being in some studies, including for people in long-term care.
About three years ago, Victoria Gentile, a teacher at Fort Salonga Elementary School, called Gallogly to have her visit her special needs class. Many of her students have autism or learning delays and she thought the dogs could put them more at ease to help them progress.
This time, Gallogly brought her tiny-but-mighty shichon named Pumpkin. Gentile’s classes started with learning to line up when Pumpkin, and sometimes other small dogs, came. Eventually, she had them work on reading.
Teens who are facing a lot of anxiety, and sometimes trauma, have been receiving visits, too. Nearly 32% of teens 13 to 18 years old experience anxiety, according to the National Institutes of Health, and nearly 5% have post-traumatic stress disorder. Many public schools have state mandates to increase mental health resources for their students.
After a teen from Freeport High School, in Freeport, New York, was killed last year, some students appeared to be struggling and Rosa Medina, a senior at the school, requested the therapy dogs. Gallogly and other volunteers began regular visits with groups of students.
“There was people in my class that were mourning, visibly, and the whole school just had that kind of feel to it,” she told TODAY. “There seems to be a stigma around mental illness, especially with … teenagers who don’t know much about it. So, I was thinking of a way to make mental health resources more palatable and so I thought of therapy dogs.”
The nonprofit now has 18 volunteer dog handlers, in addition to Gallogly, to manage the growing requests. They also train and certify therapy dogs.
“I feel totally blessed,” Gallogly said. “If you can bring joy to anybody, and you could, why wouldn’t you? And the dogs do that. I have that ability. I have those type of dogs that will go visit and bring joy.”
Hero Dog Award
Joseph Hall and his dog Chance make up a therapy dog team and belong to Caring Canines, a part of the San Luis Obispo Dog Obedience Group (SLODOGs).
Chance has been nominated and is a candidate for the American Humane Hero Dog Award, which is set to be presented later this year.
From places like nursing homes, Grizzly Youth Academy, to Camp Roberts, Chance has made about 50 visits as a therapy dog and has even helped soldiers suffering from PTSD.
The American Humane Hero Dog Awards is an annual, nationwide competition. Seven finalists will be honored at a star-studded awards gala which will be broadcast nationwide on the Hallmark Channel.
Therapy dog parades
The coronavirus has taken a heavy toll on nursing homes and elder care facilities across the country. To brighten the spirits of residents, two Rutland facilities recently hosted therapy dog parades.
“They’re a great relief from the tensions and everything — to see the dogs — we enjoy them very much,” said Dorothy Delliveneri, a resident at Mountain View Center.
Caring Canines of Southwestern Vermont Association used to visit the Rutland area nursing homes once, or twice a month, but since the spread of the coronavirus, the dogs have not been allowed inside to visit with residents. So they did the next best thing — a parade of pooches.
“This has been a long time. It”s been weeks, and they wonder why they’re not going. Because we all become family with the residents we visit,” said the association’s Susan Traverse.
“Oh, it’s very special because we get to see our old friends,” Delliveneri said.
Dogs like Beau frequent the two Rutland senior facilities and the parade was an opportunity for residents to see old friends.
“I think it’s wonderful when they do something like this,” said Margaret O’Donnell, a resident at Rutland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center.
So does something as simple as a parade of dogs brighten spirits and momentarily take some fear of COVID-19 away?
“Yeah. I think it helps. It’s a happy time, it’s happy to see the dogs,” said Suzanne Whitcomb with the Mountain View Center.
“It certainly does, and we’re all looking forward to the day when it will be different,” Delliveneri said.
Pet Supplies
To Hailey Perkins and Amber Corduan, it means there is more to this community than you might see. There is a whole community of pet people that make Muncie an interesting, well-known, and diverse city!
For example, PineAcre Kennels is one of the many hidden gems of Muncie. PineAcre has been a staple in Muncie for over 80 years now. We even found newspaper articles and advertisements from 1941 with information about PineAcre and its previous owners. Previously, Phil and Jane Gray owned PineAcres for 27 years. In 2007, Amber Corduan bought the kennel and has owned it since, joined in 2014 by Hailey Perkins. The kennel offers boarding, grooming, daycare, behavioral training, and nutritional guidance.
The property is located just out of city limits on County Road 400 North, behind Carrington Woods. They have 5 completely fenced in yards, all with security runs and 6 foot fencing, and smaller areas for the little guys! The kennel buildings were built with indoor/outdoor runs that offer the boarding pets their own private area both inside and outside with daily playtime in the yards alone or with others in daycare. The best part – the owners live on site! Peace of mind is a huge deal when trusting your pet with someone and having a house right there provides that. Multiple security features are used as well, with immediate fire response and security cameras.
Hailey and Amber have both been extremely involved in the pet community with the business and on their own. Their own dogs participate in conformation (dog show), agility, rally, barn hunt, lure coursing, dock diving, and service dog work. In addition to these activities, they also volunteer with the Muncie Animal Care and Services to provide evaluations for dogs and training for those that need it, as well as for other pet rescues. Often times they take the shelter dogs home to work closely with them on manners, socialization, behavioral issues, and health issues. They also foster kittens during peak season, one summer specifically helping with over 57 kittens at one time! Boy, that was a lot of work!
The biggest passion for both owners is pet nutrition. In September of 2018, they took the plunge and opened Roo’s Holistic Pet Supplies in Lyndenbrook Plaza in Muncie. The sole purpose of opening this store was to provide nutritional guidance for people and their pets to help them live healthier, happier lives. Their biggest seller is the dog food Blackwood and the Systemic Yeast Kit from Nzymes. This combination has cured over 450 dogs right here in Muncie of their painful, constant skin issues, frequently labeled allergies.
Outside of Muncie they have consulted with and helped cure over 1000 dogs with these issues. They work hard to search for products and companies that are reputable and make great products. Most of this knowledge comes from Phil and Jane Gray and Linda Arnt with First Choice Naturals – another hidden gem right here in Muncie. The process of finding the right food and supplements is never just from hearsay and reading the bag, it comes from private food trials that they do themselves with real clients that show real results. They have advocated against grain free foods for over 12 years even before the recent DCM issues, using the science of nutrition to point out some of the consequences that these diets would have.
They participate in many seminars, classes, educational experiences, and work directly with food companies to find and produce the best products for pets. The future goal of the store is to partner with veterinarians in the area to help provide great service. When customers trust Roo’s because of the great results, they ask for recommendations for other pet care. Hailey and Amber want to be able to partner with reputable veterinarians here in Muncie so their clients have a safe place to go and get great care for their animals. Vet care is extremely important for the wellbeing of our pets, but many people feel weary of trusting anyone when they have had such bad skin issues or other health issues and have gotten no results. By partnering together, Roo’s and veterinarians can break the cycle and work together to make pets healthier!
Breaking through the monotonous routine of health care is always a challenge and they are working hard to do just that. Currently, they work with veterinarians all over the country, consulting on especially complicated nutritional cases and working to help pets. Often times, they take in dogs from all over the United States to treat for horrible systemic yeast cases, as well as treating cases from right here in the Muncie shelter. Again, the goal is to help pet owners give their pets a happier, healthier life.
In addition to nutritional guidance, they also help pet owners understand their pets mental and physical needs, encouraging appropriate exercise and mental stimulation with toys, slow feeders, games, and other great activities. The other staple at Roo’s is selling raw dog food from reputable brands like Answers, Steve’s, Primal, Smallbatch, and other great brands. They have helped many pet owners get their pets on a species appropriate diet to increase the health of their pets!
Neither Hailey or Amber grew up in Muncie, but both of them have made this town their home and love the community. They help put on a dog show every year at the Muncie Fair Grounds. They help teach classes with Paws Up Pups, an agility training facility in Muncie, and they volunteer and foster with numerous pet groups, including Muncie Animal Care and Services, ARF, Grateful Sanctuary, and Action for Animals, as well as starting their own rescue called Roo’s Relief.
