Service Dog Gets Degree

When Maggie Leptrone, a nursing student at the University of West Georgia, walked across the stage at Commencement Saturday morning, she wasn’t alone.

Mona, her Diabetic Alert Dog, fetched herself a diploma, too.

Mona, a Labradoodle, became the first canine companion in UWG history to receive an honorary “dog-ree” during in-person Commencement ceremonies that honored all members of the class of 2020 – human or otherwise.

“I am so excited that Mona can be a trailblazer at UWG for students like me who require a service dog to manage their health,” Leptrone said.

Leptrone, who has had Type I diabetes for nearly two decades, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the Tanner Health System School of Nursing (THSSON). She said diabetes has always been a part of her life.

“In my junior year of high school, there came a day when my blood sugar went way too low and I could not get it back to where it needed to be for a long time,” Leptrone said. “I drifted into a mini-coma during my sleep, and my parents could not wake me up for a long time. Once I came to and got my blood sugar back to a manageable level, my mom decided that I needed something I could really depend on in my upcoming college life.”

Enter Mona, who was trained by Diabetic Alert Dogs of America to detect changes in blood sugar. Diabetic Alert Dogs of America is an organization that provides individuals and families who are challenged by diabetes with service dogs. The service dogs trained by the organization enhance an individual’s quality of life by providing independence, companionship, and life-saving abilities.

“Getting Mona meant wading into unknown waters and learning new ropes in dealing with the general population,” Leptrone said. “I have gotten a pretty good handle on informing the public about what it means to have a service dog and what kind of service dog mine is.”

Dr. Jenny Schuessler, dean of THSSON, said Leptrone’s furry friend has accompanied her throughout her nursing education at UWG: in classes, clinical placement and labs.

“Maggie – and Mona, of course – are truly extraordinary,” Schuessler said. “Having been a diabetic for most of her life, Maggie knows what it’s like to need good nursing care, so to see her excel through nursing school has been such a rewarding experience. She credits the supportive care from her nursing professors for her success, but the faculty give all the credit to Maggie.”

Now, with her nursing degree in hand, Leptrone has accepted a position in the intensive care unit with WellStar Health System in Douglas County. She said that opportunity wouldn’t have been possible without the “amazing and supportive care” she received from the faculty at UWG.

“Every one of my professors has been a blessing to me,” Leptrone said. “They have been understanding of my situation and welcomed Mona and myself with open arms. My professors did not see a hindrance to my education but saw a student who has overcome a lot of odds to get where she is today. Each professor worked with me and helped me find ways to do my job with Mona staying at my side.”

Caring Canines

Add a couple more veterans who can ease their stress a bit thanks to the Canines Assisting Service Heroes program.

David White’s bond with Chief was evident during a ceremony inside the Reidel K9 facility Saturday afternoon, while Edward Heddinger and Gunny were unabashedly sharing affection for all to see.

The CASH program, created by the Delaware-based Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 850 and including partner Reidel K9, provides service dogs to veterans who are amputees, diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and/or traumatic brain injury.

Reidel K9 owner Nelson Reidel transferred the leashes and the responsibilities attached to them to veterans Mr. White (United States Army) and Mr. Heddinger (United States Air Force), growing emotional while officially parting with the 2-year-old canines trained through the program.

It was all for the greater good, Mr. Reidel acknowledged in remarks before a gathering of about 30 persons, including Chapter 850 representatives Joe Startt and Raymond Harris.

“I do want to thank all of our veterans,” he said. “I didn’t serve so this is part of me giving back to you guys and I thank you for fighting for our freedom.

“It’s our turn to give back and that’s for all veterans, I really appreciate what you did for us and our country.”

Mr. Heddinger, a Cheswold resident, said Gunny was like a magnet to him when checking out canines who might make a suitable partner.

“I was looking at three dogs and he found me, he came to me, he sat next to me and that right there created the bond as far as I was concerned,” said the 11-year USAF veteran who was deployed to Iraq and Guantanamo Bay Cuba during his military career, and worked as a Delaware Department of Correction officer for 17 years.

The death of correction officer Lt. Steven Floyd during an inmate uprising at James T. Vaughn T. Vaughn Correctional Institution in 2017 “kind of pushed me over the edge,” Mr. Heddinger said, “and Gunny is just a calming, loving dog.”

For Magnolia resident Mr. White, who served 10 years in the 101st Airborne Division (also known as the “Screaming Eagles”), Chief’s arrival into his life will have a significant impact.

‘He’s going to be a great partner and will be able to distract and redirect me from anxiety (that I experience),” he said.

Mr. White had been looking for a service dog, but only found opportunities that came with two- to three-year waiting lists. His wife Emily found Reidel K9, which led to contacting the Chapter 850 organization.

“It’s been great, I’m just overwhelmed, it’s been a long time coming,” Mr. White said.

According to Mrs. White, “Initially I think we were in a bit of disbelief, we were afraid it still wasn’t going to happen, but when we realized it was actually going to happen we became really emotional.”

Mr. Reidel described Chief as “Our goofy dog … but he is a sweet dog.

“Chief always looks for direction. He can get a bit playful but I like his personality, he has a very cheerful personality.”

Gunny, Mr. Reidel said, “is a lover. He can sit there and lay with you all day and not have to get up and move.

“If you don’t mind your face being licked then Gunny is the one for you.”

CASH is set to present two more dogs (Major and Maggie) in 2021. The program is seeking two to three more candidates for train and transfer to veterans in 2022.

The program is in need of foster families for the puppies in the program in conjunction with Reidel K9, Mr. Reidel said.

Helping Vets And Pets

AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR Phyllis Limbacher Tildes always had a soft spot for those in need, and when she saw a video of rescued shelter pets being trained to help veterans cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, she felt compelled to give back.

This burning desire helped inspire her to create a project she calls “Art Benefiting Vets and Pets,” where she creates pet portraits for those who want their pet immortalized in art, with 100% of the profits going to various organizations, including the SD Gunner Fund, ECAD (Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities), and the Humane Society of Greater Savannah.

“I just got started over the summer and I’m sure Covid had something to do with it,” said Tildes. “I was in-between book publishing, I had a book come out in the spring and I’m sort of working on another, and I had gotten an email — I can’t even remember who it was from — with a video having to do with training therapy dogs, particularly for veterans with disabilities. For a number of years, I have been doing pet portraits for people and I thought, ‘Maybe if I offer my services and give all the money to these kinds of organizations it might pique some interest.’”

The paintings can be of any animal and differ from a wide range of mediums and price ranges. Depending on the size, customers can receive a pet portrait via oil on canvas ($350-700), watercolor ($200-350), or colored pencil ($150-200; if photographed by Tildes $50). After the purchase and the painting process is complete, Tildes distributes the profits among the three organizations.

“I choose which organization I send it to, but any thank-you notes I get from those organizations, I send those to the person who commissioned me,” said Tildes. “If people aren’t sure about taking the photographs, then I will photograph the animal. Most of the time people can take decent pictures. Sometimes, I might work from six different pictures to get just the right image. Most of them are small, close-up portraits. Some years ago, I did a full-size painting of a German Shepherd, as the woman who requested it wanted it to be the actual size of the dog.”

As an author and illustrator of children’s books published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc., Tildes has plenty of experience drawing animals, even dating back to when she was just two years old.

“As a child I loved books, I loved to read,” said Tildes. “I always liked to draw from the time I was two and a half when I first drew a butterfly and surprised my mother, who couldn’t believe I could draw a butterfly at two and a half. They always encouraged me, one thing led to another, and eventually, I got published. My 24th book, Bunny’s Big Surprise, was released in the spring of this year.”

Service Dog Community

No longer will emotional support animals be considered service animals. A service animal is defined only as “a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability.”

That means “emotional support” peacocks, pigs and horses will no longer be able to fly.

For Kelly Rosequist and many in the service dog community, the new restrictions come as a welcome change.

Rosequist has been working with her 6-year-old Golden Retriever, Arrow, for five years. He provides pulmonary support.

“He is trained to detect an asthma attack prior to it happening, alert me that it’s going to happen, and bring me my medication,” Rosequist said.

Arrow can also open the fridge on command to retrieve juice for Rosequist, who often deals with hypoglycemia. Rosequist flies with Arrow several times a year.

“It’s not easy is because of other people or other dogs,” she said.

While her dog is well trained, she almost always encounters problems with other people’s pets.

“There was an emotional support animal sitting across the aisle from us that barked at Arrow for the entire three-hour flight,” she said.

The distractions from un-trained pets don’t allow Arrow to focus on Rosequist’s needs.

“He’s been attacked by another service dog in an airport,” she said.

So, when she heard of the new restrictions, Rosequist was relieved. “We are excited that there are more laws and regulations to protect legitimate service dogs,” Jenny Castro-Conde said. She works with Rosequist at Dog Training Elite and has her own service dog, Duke. The new regulations, Castro-Conde said, will weed out those bringing fake emotional support animals who are untrained on flights.

Both women agree it will allow their dogs and other legitimate service dogs to do their jobs without distraction.

“It’s going to mean less incidents for our service dogs, less incidents for the pubic, less incidents in the airport,” Castro-Conde said. The new regulations will take effect in January. Airlines can now require passengers traveling with service dogs to provide service forms up to 48 hours before their flight. Dog Training Elite will be working with their clients to make sure they know the protocols before flying with their service dogs.

Health Wellness For Dogs

As humans, we’re increasingly taking care of our health and wellbeing in holistic ways – and now, it’s the same when it comes to our dog.

Subsequently, a growing market of pet treatments, therapies and supplements are now available meaning our pampered pooches have never had it so good.

“Dog owners consider their dogs as members of their family,” says veterinarian Dr Trish Santos-Smith.

“This phenomenon has been called the rise of the fur baby and people are spending more money on health care, diet, doggy day-cares and other services such as grooming.”  Dr Santos-Smith notes that, while the wellbeing industry for dogs is growing as a whole, there are some trends that are proving to be a howling success. Here we explore a few.

Research has shown the benefits of probiotics for improving and maintaining our gut health. So, it makes sense that they can be just as beneficial to dogs.

“An imbalance of good and bad bacteria can occur in the gut which can cause diarrhoea,” explains Dr Santos-Smith.

“Probiotics help to balance this out and the prebiotics help to ‘feed’ the good bacteria in the gut and reduce gastro-intestinal symptoms in dogs.”

Dr Santos foresees that using yeast as a probiotic, instead of bacteria, will soon become more common.

“If bacterial probiotics are being taken in conjunction with antibiotics, the probiotic won’t be as effective because antibiotics can kill beneficial bacterial,” she explains.

“Yeast, on the other hand, is not affected by antibiotics so can be used in cases where dogs are taking them.”

Just like us, dogs can be affected by a number of skin conditions, most commonly itching and dry skin. But, a growing number of solutions are on hand to help with these, making for a happier pooch.

“There’s a big market in natural shampoos and conditioners which help keep dogs’ skin moisturised and healthy,” says Dr Santos-Smith.

“Balms or creams that have omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are proving popular as they help nourish the skin and reduce any inflammation.”

And, because beauty comes from within, Dr Santos-Smith notes that dog multivitamins are similarly increasing in popularity, with ingredients such as silica, chia seeds, flaxseeds and biotin supporting healthy skin, a shiny coat and strong nails.

In addition to fresh, healthy food, many owners are now giving their dogs supplements to boost their health. The most common of these supplements support joint health.

“Joint conditions such as arthritis, cruciate ruptures and hip dysplasia are common conditions,” says Dr Santos-Smith.

“Supplements can help delay the onset of joint issues and also provide anti-inflammatory effects to reduce pain and improve mobility.”

Research backs this up, with a study published in The Veterinary Journal , finding that dogs treated with glucosamine-chondroitin sulphate showed less pain and more mobility after 70 days of treatment.

“Joint supplements can also reduce the need for other drugs or replace them completely,” says Dr Santos-Smith. “They’re less likely to cause side effects like those caused by common medications for joint conditions.”

As a dog behaviourist, Lara Shannon is seeing growing numbers of pet parents seeking help for doggie emotional issues.

The most common are fear-based aggression or reactivity, barking, anxiety and destructive behaviour including chewing and digging.

“People want to understand their dog’s feelings and behaviours better, so they can handle them in situations where they may be anxious or aggressive,” says Shannon.

“A professional can help assess whether the dog’s lacking critical mental and physical stimulation and suggest training or treatments.”

Popular treatments on the market include pheromone sprays, natural calming drops, tablets and herbs, thundershirts, remote treat dispensing cameras, long lasting chews, interactive toys and calming music.

“Knowing how to address a dog’s issues makes for a happy owner and a happy dog,” says Shannon.

Power Of Dogs

Paws With A Cause

Therapy Dog Jax

After every home game, Chandler head football coach Rick Garretson meets his wife, Wendy, and his kids at the north end zone at Austin Field.

It’s there he greets his family and takes the leash of his German shepherd, Jax, who is a certified therapy dog. The two then walk toward the team huddle where Jax is met with boisterous cheers and many pats and scratches.

“The boys love him,” said Wendy, who brought Jax and the Garretson’s other German shepherd, 2-year-old Gracie, to Chandler’s Thanksgiving morning walkthrough practice.

“When they come out, they all notice him right away. And he just feeds off their energy and loves being out here.”

Often referred to as “50-point Jax,” he has established himself as a good luck charm of sorts for the Wolves. Wendy first brought him to a Chandler football game when the team was in California playing Corona Centennial. Chandler, already an established powerhouse, scored 49 points in a close loss to the out-of-state power.

The nickname, and legend of luck Jax brings to the program, carried on from there. Since that first win, the Wolves have gone 59-4, winning four straight championships and are two wins away from their fifth.

“He’s not a wolf but he kind of looks like a wolf,” Rick said. “The standard rumor is whenever he comes to a game, we put 50 points on the board, which is pretty much true. He comes to the passing league tournaments and big man challenges, all of those things. The kids, whether they’re high school kids, little kids or the kids in the hospital, they all love him.”

Jax was adopted into the Garretson family as a puppy by Wendy and Rick’s son, Darrell, who at the time was the quarterback at Utah State University. Darrell and Wendy went to look at German shepherd puppies after a game and the two knew right when they saw Jax, he was the one.

However, a problem arose later as Darrell’s landlord did not allow dogs in the home. That led to Rick making the 16-hour car ride from the family’s home in the East Valley to Logan, Utah to pick up Jax and bring him to Arizona.

“He hasn’t been back to Utah since,” Wendy said.

Jax always had a mellow personality and showed patience around young children when they approached to pet him. One day while at a training event at Freestone Park in Gilbert, the instructor told Wendy Jax’s personality would make for a great certified therapy dog.

After rigorous training, which included several tests and the ability to climb up and down ladders, Jax was certified. It was at that point Wendy began taking him to local hospitals, leading him into rooms of patients who agreed to have him come in.

Once inside, Jax bonds with the patient, often standing at their bed side and allowing them to pet him. Wendy said energy Jax gives off when with a patient is calming, and the heart rate monitors often show them relax in Jax’s presence. He and Wendy will also make stops at the nurse’s station. Just like the patients, nurses and doctors often need the same type of calming energy.

Wendy said she also takes Jax into waiting areas of the hospital, where families gather when a loved one is in surgery or the emergency room.

“His job is to let the patients, the nurses and doctors and families pull the calming energy from him,” Wendy said. “They can be a bit hesitant at first because they see an 85-pound German shepherd, but they warm up to him pretty quick.”

Part of Jax’s training helps him recognize when certain situations call for a calmer approach to a patient. Wendy and Jax went into a room at a local hospital where a mom, her daughter and son awaited. The boy, sitting on the floor reading a book, immediately caught Jax’s attention.

He got down on all fours and slowly crawled to the boy, head low to the ground and ears pinned back. He then laid his head on the boy’s lap, who proceeded to smile and pet him.

“I turned to the mother and I said, ‘I think my dog is sensing something with your son,’” Wendy said. “She told me he was autistic. Jax recognized the boy was autistic and knew not to approach him in the manner he normally would. It’s amazing what he is able to sense.”

Whether it be the Chandler football program or patients in the hospital, Jax has been able to make some sort of impact on the lives he comes across.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions set forth by hospitals against visitors, Jax has not been able to make his routes there since March. Wendy said they hope to go back into hospitals and local libraries soon, as long as it is safe.

So, for now, Jax will continue making his impact on the Chandler football team. Which means more excitement every Friday when the bright lights of Austin Field come into view. Once the pandemic subsides, Jax will return to comforting those in need the most and making even the slightest difference on their lives.

“It feels great because he’s making a difference in the community,” Rick said. “It’s hard getting certified as a therapy dog, but Wendy has done a great job. The kids absolutely love him and I’m glad he can make a difference.”

Service Dog Training

Raising Money For Service Dog

One Somerset family is expressing their gratitude for their local community, which has come together to help them make life better and safer for two of their children.

Brothers Dylan, 13, and Chase, 12, are the sons of Jami Johnson. Both were diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum as toddlers. And while the family has adjusted well to their unique situation, it was further complicated in June of last year when Chase suffered a seizure. He has since begun medication in an effort to prevent them but when they do occur, there is a danger of aspiration due to vomiting.

“I need an extra set of eyes for him,” Johnson explained, adding that he exhibits no other symptoms before going lethargic.

In September, the mother applied to 4 Paws for Ability, an Ohio-based service dog organization geared toward giving children and adults with disabilities dogs that have been trained for the specific needs of each family.

The dog, Johnson explained, would mainly help alert her and others when Chase is about to have a seizure, but it should also help calm Dylan, who can exhibit self-harming behaviors.

“[T]he most important task of all is being their best friend,” Johnson wrote in a fundraising flyer. “…Our family and our boys would be ‘fur-ever’ grateful for your help and your support.”

To actually be placed on 4 Paws’ waiting list, the family first had to raise $17,000 — which they just accomplished Wednesday, mainly through the “4 Paws for Dylan + Chase” Facebook page.

One step closer to what will undoubtedly be a life-changing gift, the family must now be assigned a dog that will be trained just for the boys’ needs and then trained specifically with the family in class. “There’s a two-and-a-half-year wait,” Johnson noted.

In the meantime, Johnson is also working with the family’s insurance carrier to approve a special medical bed for Chase which would alert when he undergoes a rapid temperature change — a warning sign for seizures.

While distance learning through the pandemic, both Dylan and Chase currently attend Northern Middle School.