Four-Legged Friends On Campus
A yellow English Labrador is among the newest members of the Loras College campus community this fall.
Toksi, a service dog in training, goes to class with sophomore Ciera Hansen to help her classmates adjust to seeing service animals at the school. That will come in handy as students start to take on an active role in training service dogs on campus.
“A lot of people think that it’s just a pet, (that) you can go up to her and talk to her, pet her,” Hansen said. “Seeing the vest, I think it starts to click with them (that) this isn’t a regular dog.”
Hansen is the president and founder of DuDawgs, a Loras club through which students raise and train service dogs and spread awareness of the roles the animals play.
Eventually, students will start training dogs on behalf of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, nonprofit Deafinitely Dogs! Their efforts will help the nonprofit serve more people, while helping community members understand the impact that service dogs can have, said Sherry Steine Ross, a co-founder of the organization.
“It’s just an amazing service that (students) can offer to the community,” she said.
Hansen started raising and training service dogs with her mother when Hansen was in high school. During Hansen’s freshman year at Loras, she established DuDawgs to continue her efforts.
This year, students in the group are raising funds to support their efforts to bring dogs to campus. They also are talking to the Loras community about how to act appropriately around service dogs.
Hansen worked with Deafinitely Dogs! to host Toksi at Loras so people can get used to having a service animal on campus. Toksi’s presence also serves to help the wider Dubuque community learn more about service animals, Hansen said.
“A lot of people just love seeing her,” she said. “I’ll walk in a class, and I’ll just see everyone brighten up.”
Deafinitely Dogs! will provide the students with puppies to live with on campus and will visit with students to give training classes and provide instruction so students have the skills to work with the dogs, Ross said. The animals eventually will be placed as post-traumatic stress disorder dogs, hearing dogs or professional facility dogs.
“It takes two years, but beginning to end, (students) will be part of the process, from the potty training to the placement,” Ross said.
College campuses can serve as valuable training grounds for service dogs because the animals are exposed to diverse environments with people from different cultures and with different abilities.
“They have to be exposed to as many things as possible because it’s all new to them if they haven’t seen it,” Ross said.
The students’ efforts allow Deafinitely Dogs! to train more service animals and, in turn, place them with more people, she said.
While they are raising dogs, DuDawgs members also will assist with efforts such as marketing, fundraising and outreach, said Jake Kurczek, an assistant professor of neuroscience and psychology who serves as DuDawgs’ adviser.
Those efforts, in turn, allow students to significantly impact the life of whoever eventually receives the dogs, Kurczek said.
“I think it’s a good highlight for showing students who are dedicated to taking their learning in the classroom and applying it in the community,” he said.
Stolen Puppy In Denver
Police are looking for two teens who might have been involved.Meredith) — A couple in Denver is asking for the public’s help to find their dog after they say he was stolen at gunpoint.
Loki was the perfect addition for Shawn Rozinski and his girlfriend.
“He’s high energy, he’s very lovable, like he just loves to cuddle and play,” Rozinski said. “He has really big floppy ears like he will trip over them.”
The nearly 3-month-old Dachshund puppy held a key to the couple’s hearts from the moment they picked him up two months ago.
“Loved him ever since,” Rozinski said.
He said he was walking Loki with his girlfriend near a playground around 7 p.m. on Thursday when a group of teens asked if they could take photos with the dog. Rozinski said ‘yes,’ and one of the teens pulled out a gun before taking off with his dog.
“I was like is this real?,” he said. “And when I looked down the barrel I could see the bullet.”
“I started to try to get into the car, like try to open the car or open the car door, reach in and grab him,” he said. “The kid just kept smacking, like swinging the gun and was like ‘don’t.’”
Rozinski had plans to train Loki as an emotional support dog. Now, he is just trying to keep himself together.
“He was a big part of the family even though he was around for two months,” he said.
Denver police have identified two male teens, but no arrests have been made.
In the meantime, Rozinski has put out ads on Instagram and Facebook and has even reached out to the community for any security camera footage.
CrimeStoppers is offering a 2,000 dollar reward to bring Loki home. Any tips made can remain anonymous.
“Just return him back to us unharmed,” Rozinski said.
PTSD Service Dogs
esearch has shown that support dogs can speed up recovery from PTSD. Yet the cost of purchasing a service animal can be out of reach for many veterans. KMOX News discovered one local group that provides support dogs at no charge.
Nicole Lanahan sits on a chair and pretends to sob. “Recon,” a German Shepherd rescue demonstrates one of the techniques used to help alert and calm someone suffering from PTSD. He climbs on her lap and nudges her face.
Lanahan is founder and executive director of Got Your Six Support Dogs – military jargon for “got your back.” A professional dog trainer for nearly 20 years, she started getting calls from veterans desperate for help, but unable to afford a fully-trained animal. It was one phone call in particular that moved her. “And they just started crying on the phone and they told me, ‘look I can’t afford $20,000, I can’t leave my house, I can’t do anything, my life is this shadow of what it was’ and they just started sobbing and they’re like, ‘I just don’t understand why you can’t help me!'” Lanahan says.
“All of our dogs are in training for over 300 hours. 50 of those are public access,” Lanahan says. “They have specialty training. They are trained to alert to anxiety, interrupt nightmares, retrieve items, remind the recipient when it’s time to take medication.”
We met at the group’s training facility in Maryville, Illinois — a room ringed with chairs, dogbeds, medical equipment, even a platform with rows of airline seats that were donated by Southwest Airlines.
“I think what never fails to stun me or surprise me is how the dogs know, almost instantly, that this person is now their person,” Lanahan says.
The main requirement for veterans or first responders who apply for a dog – they must be willing to continue therapy. The goal is that the animal will ultimmately assist them in recovery nand someday retire to just be their pet.
“We hope that this will be the last service dog you ever need,” says Lanahan.
ESA Boogs Helps Staff
A Delaware Valley dog has joined his owner on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing joy and hope to vulnerable adults sheltering from exposure to the virus.
For the past several weeks, Boogs, a black and white Shih Tzu, has been visiting residents of Divine Providence Village (DPV), an intermediate care facility (ICF) for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Located in Springfield, DPV is part of the larger Communities of Don Guanella and Divine Providence (DGDP). Administered by archdiocesan Catholic Social Services (CSS), the DGDP communities provide a continuum of support through community and campus-based living arrangements, life sharing through family living, in-home assistance, respite care and day programs.
Residents of DPV had been “receiving pet therapy for years” through the center’s Fatima Day Program, said DPV administrator Jean Calvarese-Donovan.
Rabbits as well as dogs would visit and cuddle with residents, offering reassurance as well as “a sensory experience,” she said.
However, COVID restrictions forced the day program to close, leaving DPV residents – already confined to the campus by the virus – anxious and lonely, she noted.
During her long shifts at DPV, health care coordinator Mimi Meeder saw that “residents were feeling isolated and … grieving the loss of (loved ones) and their routine,” said Calvarese-Donovan.
In response, Meeder snapped a leash on her dog Boogs and took him to meet the DPV residents.
The connection was immediate, said Calvarese-Donovan.
“It was such a positive experience, and she saw that his presence was helping to decrease anxiety and stress for the ladies,” she said.
Having aced his interview, Boogs was quickly registered as an emotional support animal to the delight of both residents and staff, who benefit equally from the canine’s gentle presence.
He’s also right-sized for his new role, said Calvarese-Donvan.
“He can easily sit on someone’s lap, even if they are in a wheelchair,” she said, adding that Boogs has brought “comfort and joy during some very sad times.”
Although fluent only in barking, Boogs has evoked some heartfelt words.
“One of our ladies who is more on the quiet side began to initiate speaking while petting Boogs,” said Calvarese-Donovan. “Then her conversation expanded to talking about her feelings.”
With his coffee-colored eyes and fetching underbite, Boogs draws residents and staff out of themselves, and helps build community, she added.
“One person was feeling down and didn’t want to leave her room,” she said. “Knowing that Boogs was in the building, she was motivated to come out of her room and join the others to see him.”
In fact, Boogs may be the most popular DPV staffer, even rivaling his well-regarded owner.
“Everyone looks forward to seeing Boogs,” said Calvarese-Donovan. “As soon as they see Mimi coming, they look down toward the floor to greet him. And they love Mimi too!”
Therapy Dog Brings Joy
At Hoffmann Hospice, people receive end of life care and assistance in grieving loved ones who pass away. This is naturally a very emotional place to be, and one therapy dog is helping in such a wonderful way.
In this week’s “Kern’s Kindness,” meet Bernie and his owner Molly Mier.
“We adopted Bernie from a rescue in 2014 and we’ve been volunteering with Hoffmann for about five years now,” said Molly.
Four legs, and a big heart. Bernie is a therapy dog at Hoffmann Hospice. He greets people coming into Hospice, brightening their day and giving them a sense of comfort.
“We volunteer for the grief groups for both adults and children. So he kind of acts as a greeter when they come in. Gives them a sense of calm. And we also visit a skilled nursing facility here in town,” said Molly.
Molly said Hospice patients love Bernie, and he loves them right back.
“He loves it. Bernie loves people. He’s never met a stranger, so he just gets very excited whenever we get to go somewhere and see people,” said Molly.
She said their basic obedience trainer suggested training Bernie to become a therapy dog.
“She thought Bernie would be a great candidate for therapy work based on his personality and his skill set,” said Molly.
And sure enough, Bernie picked up the training very quickly. The duo first tested to become a registered therapy team in March 2015, and they re-take the test every two years.
Molly said she loves watching the impact Bernie has on people’s lives.
“To see him to be able to have that positive influence on a lot people, especially people who are going through troubling times, is very rewarding,” she said.
Molly said her favorite memory with Bernie is when they were volunteering at a local hospital and they met a man who had been there for awhile. He was missing his own dogs back home.
“He just started crying when he saw Bernie because he was so happy to be around a dog,” she said.
Molly said she and Bernie look forward to volunteering with Hospice and the rest of the community for as long as they can, continuing to bring joy into people’s lives even during difficult times.
Paws Of War
War is hell. And puppies are swell.
Take one-year-old Harley, who became best friend to a team of U.S. servicemen during their recent stint inside a Middle East combat zone. When Amjad Kerrish and his fellow Air National Guard fighters were shipping out, they were too enamored of Harley to leave the dog behind. But a paperwork snafu left Harley in limbo, with the lovable rescue pooch now stuck at John F. Kennedy International Airport awaiting imminent deportation and likely euthanasia if returned to the Middle East. “It breaks my heart, it really does,” said Kirrish, a California firefighter who was battling the state’s raging wildfires when he received word of the snag. “I thought the hardest part of this was over.”
Harley was brought to the United States from Jordan by Paws of War, a Long Island-based organization that matches rescue dogs with American veterans experiencing the emotional effects of war.
For Kirrish, Harley was the source of endless smiles no matter the horrors of life in a war zone — and he vowed the dog would accompany him home when his tour ended this past spring.
“Seeing Harley was the one thing everyone could look forward to at the end of the day,” recalled Kirrish, 30. “All she wanted was love. Love and treats, of course … I knew we couldn’t leave her behind. We had to bring her back home.”
The mission of mercy to get Harley to safety in the U.S. appeared to reach the home stretch last week after Paws of War arranged for the pooch to be flown on a rare repatriation flight. But a paperwork snafu left Harley in limbo. The lovable rescue pooch is now stuck at JFK, still under a federal deportation order and likely euthanized if returned to the Middle East.
Hoping to tilt the odds toward Kirrish and Harley are all five members of Long Island’s congressional delegation. The quintet signed a rare bipartisan appeal to the Centers for Disease Control asking for a reconsideration of the deportation order and granting an exception for Harley to head west.
They have yet to hear back, and the CDC did not immediately comment.
Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) of the Veterans Affairs Committee sang the praises of Paws of War and its mission of linking up veterans with emotional support animals.
The pets can help veterans readjust to civilian life stateside and prevent trauma from combat, she said. They also can help maintain bonds between service members who become scattered across the country after being together virtually 24/7 for weeks or months while on duty.
Kirrish said his fellow service members had planned to link up for reunions if Harley wins her life-and-death battle.
“It goes without saying that if any of them come to southern California, they’re going to come by to see Harley,” Kirrish said. “She kind of became a dog for all of us.”
Members of his unit first spotted Harley while on patrol last winter. She was easy to notice: Harley was the only puppy from her litter to survive in the harsh battle zone of an undisclosed nation.
The puppy was soon sharing a cot with Kirrish inside his tent. As the unit bonded with Harley, the dog provided a welcome diversion from fears about COVID-19 and their loved ones back in the states.
Kirrish recalled talking to his wife regularly about the pooch’s latest antics to avoid the rising coronavirus toll or her worries about the economic collapse.
“My wife grew to love her as much as I did,” he said, choking with emotion. “It is just heart-wrenching to know that this is happening.”
Service Dogs
September is National Service Dog Month and this week a veteran from Central Texas began training with his own new helper.
Rhea Hambright and Beatrice are spending the week training at Service Dogs Incorporated in Dripping Springs.
Hambright is a Marine and was injured during the Vietnam War. He and his new service dog are getting to know each other after meeting for the first time on Monday.
Living alone on a farm in Fayetteville, Hambright says Beatrice will not only be a great companion but she’ll also be able to help him around the house by doing things like retrieving dropped objects, opening closed doors, and even helping him with his jacket.
“The way she looks at me. It’s just – to have an animal look you straight in the eye and concentrate there – it’s unbelievable. It’s a great feeling,” Hambright says.
“This is going to turn my whole life around. Everything I do – is going to be for that dog now. Not only is that dog helping me – I hope I’m helping that dog,” Hambright adds.
After 13 weeks of in home training, Hambright and Beatrice will be on their own. The cost of training a service dog is about $50,000 but there’s no charge for the dogs.
Rescued Animals Need Homes
After being evacuated from flooded areas in Louisiana and the Panhandle in the wake of hurricanes Laura and Sally, 24 rescue dogs have found new homes in Tampa Bay.
In the past three weeks, the Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty have transported 78 dogs and 11 cats from rescue shelters in Louisiana and the Panhandle to the SPCA Tampa Bay in Largo. The pets were transferred to Tampa Bay to free up space in animal shelters for pets rescued after being separated from their families during the flooding.
As of Wednesday, the SPCA Tampa Bay has seven dogs from Louisiana and three from the Panhandle that are still waiting for new homes.
In addition, 11 cats from the Panhandle are ready for adoption.
More pets will be cleared for adoption after completing medical treatment by the SPCA Tampa Bay.
Saving Dog From A Fire
With the west still feeling the heat from this season’s wildfires, an organization is on a mission to help our four-legged friends who are also victims of these fires.
For nearly a decade the Emma Zen Foundation in Anaheim, Calif. has been supplying fire departments and first responders with life-saving pet masks for dogs, cats (and other animals!) saved from fires. And this season is no different. With California and Oregon seeing an unprecedented wildfire season, it’s imperative that animals are also considered in rescue efforts.
Yet, Debra Jo Chiapuzio, the founder of the Emma Zen Foundation, believes a major hurdle in saving pets is the fact that communities don’t think about the issue until it’s too late.
“We are emergency preparedness, not emergency aid,” says Chiapuzio about her nonprofit organization, which relies on public funding for the masks. “We can not just go drop off kits — local fire department needs to be established with them prior to their need.”
And while human masks can work for dogs, they aren’t ideal.
The masks used on people have a small curve to them that allows them to fit our faces, so when it came to aiding pets, the best they could do is lay it in front of an animal’s nose and turn the air all the way up. This is commonly referred to as “blow-by air” technique, says Chiapuzio.
But the masks Chiapuzio donates to fire departments and first responders are cone-shaped, allowing them to snuggly fit over snouts. “They have rubber seals that allow for closure over the nose, creating a directional flow of oxygen into the nostrils while holding the mouth closed,” she says. “This simulates proper pet first-aid CPR.”
The mission behind Emma Zen Foundation began back in 2007 after fires had ravaged through Orange County, Calif. and Chiapuzio and had just gone through a life crisis.
“I didn’t feel super comfortable socializing at that point in my life, so I found myself at the local shelter looking for a companion,” she says.
It was here, that she saw a quiet dog who was a victim of the fires, and while many were stressed, she remained calm, even after a chicken got loose. Chiapuzio knew her zen-like demeanor was much needed in her life. As a medical tattoo artist, Chiapuzio was also a pet first-aid instructor. “I found myself in the position to see my first pet oxygen masks and like many didn’t know it’s purpose,” she says. But what she did know is she wanted the pets in her city, along with Emma to be safe (who is a bit of celebrity in the biker community, having traveled more than 75,000 miles in a motorcycle sidecar).
After launching in 2010 with her local fire department, she realized there was a need beyond her community. “I started reading our online post comments, with people saying ‘I wish my pet had that same advantage’ or ‘How can I protect my dog like this?’”
Chiapuzio began tracking fires and contacting fire departments in the area to see how she could get pet masks in their vehicles.
“I felt like I was ‘behind’ the fire, but it was a start,” she says, adding, “Today with so much of the west on fire, I watch the morning news and find myself thinking, ‘okay that department is covered’ or ‘that county has pet oxygen masks.’”
To date, the Emma Zen Foundation has donated more than 7,500 masks but Chiapuzio knows there is still opportunity for growth. “Emergency preparedness is an action! We can’t sit back and do nothing and then be astonished when we have nothing to work with when that an unexpected predicament happens.” she says.” If your town has this equipment, it isn’t a reason to not support the Emma Zen Foundation. Most of the time it’s some person in another state that allowed your area to receive your department’s Pet Oxygen Masks’ kits.
Animal Kingdom
Pet owners will lead, carry or coax their treasured moggies, pups, lambs and birds to Nelson Cathedral on Sunday for a service arranged especially to bless them.
The annual event has in the past attracted a menagerie of all-sorts, including rabbits, goats, cats, dogs, kunekune piglets, and once even a box of worms.
This year’s guest preacher will be Pepin Island farm manager Andrew Newton, accompanied by his sheepdog, Flo.
Dean Mike Hawke said it might sound like a recipe for chaos, but all the animals he had blessed in the past had been remarkably well behaved. He said the service normally coincided with St Francis Day – the service recognising the patron saint of animals, but it had become too noisy.
“This year we have some folk who are of the Order of St Francis, and they want to have a special service to renew their vows, so we thought we’ll have a separate service for the animals because it’s so rowdy and irreverent and fun so we’re having it a week earlier.”
He said it was just not possible to have that much barking and meowing over what was a very sacred service.
“I mean, it’s the noise level – one dog starts barking and they bark … and then the cats – they don’t know what to do. It’s fascinating.”
Dean Hawke said the service required all the animals to come up to the altar, near the choir which sang hymns in context with the occasion. The animals and the owners were then blessed.
“That’s the high point. We ask each animal’s name, say a prayer and give thanks to God for creation.
“This year it’s particularly exciting because the preacher is Andrew Newton, the farm manager of Pepin Island.”
Newton was in the news recently as the farmer who lost a sheep during an attack by a run-away husky dog.
“So I’m intrigued as to how Andrew will either dodge that or say, ‘well, in God’s creation there are all sorts of conflicts’.”
Dean Hawke hoped the husky in question, Banshee, might turn up to the service.
“Wouldn’t that be great! Andrew has a few of his own sheepdogs coming, but the other thing is, there will be some sheep there … peace and tranquillity in creation eh?”
He said that was in itself a bit of a sermon.
“They are the hunted, and they are our friends and I guess in the end it’s how we treat each other and how we treat animals.
“This is a worship service at a cathedral where we’re open about giving thanks to God’s goodness and his part in creation, and we’re the recipients of that wonderful creation.
“We have the privilege of having pets who always greet us in the morning and at night, as opposed to the grumpy husband, or wife or kids or teenagers.”
Dean Hawke said cleaning up afterwards was a shared effort.
“We all have a crack at it but actually we’ve been very fortunate in the past. There’s not too much debris but dog-owners are well-trained, and the sheep? Well, that could be a problem but they’re only little pebbles and besides, there’s not a lot of carpet in the cathedral – it’s a hard stone floor so we’re fortunate.”
He said it was nothing in comparison to what donkeys could leave behind, as witnessed at Easter services he had attended elsewhere.
The one-hour service will start at 10am on Sunday, and will have a mixture of hymns, prayers and readings mainly involving the animal kingdom.
