Toby The Therapy Dog

With a new school year underway, there may be students entering the year feeling anxious and overwhelmed.

Scottville Gateway 2 Success Academy also know students may be going through issues in their personal life.

“Sometimes, we see what’s happening on the outside, but there’s so much going on inside of people,” said Superintendent and Principal Jamie Bandstra. “With students that have experienced trauma, they come into a school building and they feel a lot of anxiety and stress.”

G2S wanted students to feel welcomed and supported when they come to school, and weighed the option of having a therapy dog. An anonymous donor paid for both the dog and the training.

“That kinda opened the door to go down that road,” said Bandstra. The future therapy dog needed a billet family, similar to a foster family.

“We were approached as a billet family,” said virtual learning/instruction learning coach Phil Quinlan. “My wife chose the dog. From there, we found the best breeder in the state of Michigan and the best trainer.”

The Quinlans chose a goldendoodle, and let the school name him in a poll. The winning name was Toby.

“We’re responsible for the day-to-day upkeep and love and care for the dog,” said Quinlan. “We are not the owners of the dog, the dog is a D2S student, owned by the G2S Academy.”

Toby went through eight months of training before graduating in August. Toby will be coming regularly to school by the end of September. For now, he’s getting familiar with his new job.

“He’ll be in the classrooms, he’ll be involved in counseling sessions as needed,” said Bandstra. “Could be if a student is having a hard time kind of in a crisis situation he might be part of that solution.”

The students are getting familiar with Toby, as well.

“When he came in the building this week it was really cool to see their reactions to Toby,” said Bandstra. “They kinda of lit up and were wanting to see him and pet him.”

Quinlan gets to see those reactions firsthand.

“There’s not a single head that won’t turn and will say, ‘Toby!’ or want to touch him,” said Quinlan.

Toby took a liking to one student on the first day of school.

“My grade was the first to see Toby and he just like came to me first I guess,” said 9th grader Haley Rose. “I love animals very much so he could probably tell by that.”

Toby’s connection with Haley was moving for Quinlan.

“The thing about Toby…Toby does not judge,” said Quinlan. “To see Toby connect with Haley day one, we won.”

Best Dog Breeds For Kids

If you’re looking to buy a dog for your children, make sure it’s one that will suit their personality perfectly. Here are five dog breeds that match different needs your children might have.

Many of us had a fluffy best friend when we were growing up. Every kid should have a dog, and every dog should have a kid. Not only do they make super friends, but they teach kids a sense of responsibility.

If you’re considering adding a pup to the family, do you know which kid-friendly dog breed would be best for your child? Here are five kid-friendly pooches and the type of kid they’re great for.

Golden Retrievers

These fluffy pups are super gentle with kids and are known for their amazing bite pressure control. This automatically makes them a great choice for children.

If your kid is energetic and active, a Golden would be the perfect match. They’re filled with energy and love any bit of exercise from wrestling to running to swimming.

It’s a bonus that they’re extremely trainable and eager to please their humans. Your kid will get plenty of exercise and have the satisfaction of teaching your Retriever exciting tricks. They can also get involved in feeding and walking the pup.

Golden Retrievers mature at a chilled pace, so they’ll be a goofy, happy, puppy-like companion for your kid for many years.

Cocker Spaniels

A Cocker Spaniel would be a wonderful dog companion for a shy child. They’re not too large that your child would be intimidated, but not too small to be unhuggable.

Those fluffy coats are perfect for snuggling and comforting. Spaniels are also incredibly loyal. If one has bonded with your child, they’ll be friends for life.

Cockers can be shy too, but not when it comes to their humans. They have lovely temperaments but can be quite sensitive, so it’s important that your child treats their fluffy Spaniel with plenty of love and gentleness.

Labradoodles

Labradoodles are known to be great therapy dogs. It’s recommended to choose an adult Labradoodle whose background you know, as you never know if a puppy will turn out to be boisterous like a Labrador or more poodle-like.

This breed is amiable and intuitive, which is what makes them great therapy dogs. They’re highly intelligent and want to please their owners, which makes them very attentive to what their parent is feeling.

Although they can be boisterous, if they sense anxious energy coming from their human, they’ll happily sit and be hugged for a while.

Doodles will need exercise and mental stimulation, so it could be a super thing to pour your anxious child’s attention into. Letting them walk and feed the pup can be a remedy in itself.

Irish Setters

Some children are just more nurturing than others. If your caring kid wants a doggy friend, an Irish Setter could be the right fit.

Their sweet nature and flowing coats make them perfect for a child who needs a friend to hug, brush, and cuddle with.

At the same time, they love to play. An Irish Setter will keep your caring child active and having fun, and be happy to settle down for a good pampering later on.

Beagles

If your child is one who spends more time with his imaginary friends than in the real world, a bouncy Beagle will bring him right back down to earth.

These little guys and girls are sweet, curious, goofy, and very tolerant. Loyalty is huge with a Beagle, so if he bonds with your child, they’ll be buds forever.

He’ll be able to match your child’s energy and keep him attentive and present. Hopefully you now have a better idea of which furry friend would fit right into your family, so your new family member can feel right at home the moment they come home. Good luck!

Dog Training Center

A new dog training center will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday.

All That Canine, at 849 Main St., will kick off the day with the ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. Saturday before a day of activities hosted by the businesses’ co-owners and trainers, Linda Mazzeo and Erica Kasper.

There will be an agility set-up for people stopping by with their dogs, music, hot dogs and selfies with the dogs, Mazzeo said. They’ll officially open their doors for dog training on Monday, she said, adding that they’re expected to have a few puppies coming in for a sort of “puppy kindergarten” school program, learning things like how to sit, get down, leave items alone and more.

“And it’s all 100 percent positive reinforcement training,” said Mazzeo, who has lived in Monroe for about 28 years. “We’re very gentle on the dogs. We’re not tough cookies here. It’s a game-based training that we use — so we make the dogs have fun, because if dogs want to do it, they come back and they’re eager to do it and they want to learn.”

Mazzeo and Kasper, who have worked with or trained dogs for at least 20 years, bring extensive experience to the business. They worked for a service dog organization for “many years,” Mazzeo said, and one of her primary goals is to train therapy and service dogs at the new center.

“The hope for the future is that we grow in Monroe and we train a lot of dogs and make a lot of people happy, make a lot of families happy with their dogs,” Mazzeo said.

Rocky The Therapy Dog

Rocky isn’t your typical police dog.

He doesn’t sniff out drugs or chase down suspects. His specialty is, in fact, quite different, yet valued.

“I think the perception is that police dogs are what we commonly call ‘bite dogs’,” said his handler Officer Matt Masci of the Perry Police Department, who’s also the district’s School Resource Officer. “Rocky is only specifically trained for his current task as a therapy dog, not as a detection or search dog — different than a ‘service animal.’

“Police therapy dogs are commonly used to support victim advocacy,” he continued. “Rocky will be used in interviews with juvenile victims, with victims of domestic abuse, on scene after traumatic events, etc. in addition to being a regular uplifting force on daily rounds in the halls and classrooms with our students.”

Rocky is an 18-month-old shepherd/husky mix. He was rescued from a shelter Cocoa, Fla., by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office’s “Paws and Stripes” program.

BCSO trainers pair dogs with inmates who train the canines over several months before being paired with their handlers, Mascii said. The BCSO is the leader in therapy dog initiative, he said, and graduates classes of approximately 10 dogs, twice a year.

Rocky graduated from the program after more than four months of training. He was fully certified as a Police Investigative Therapy Dog and also passed his Canine Good Citizens exam for the American Kennel Club.

He’s the first such police canine in the immediate area.

“Rocky will be training with me over the course of the next month or so to get fully adjusted to his new job and environment,” Masci said.

So why bring a therapy dog to Perry?

At a time when communities are facing hardships through COVID-19 and perceived mistrust in law enforcement, Perry Police Chief Michael Grover said in a statement that “there couldn’t be a better time for this sort of resource in our community”.

The Erie County Sheriff’s Office currently has two such trained dogs and deputies assigned as School Resource Officers and the program has proven successful. Grover and Masci recognized the idea as an opportunity to offer the same in Perry.

The program was made possible with a donation from Pioneer Credit Recovery, which has a facility in the village. It helped pay for Masci and Rocky’s training, along with outfitting Masci’s patrol vehicle for the canine.

The Perry Veterinary Clinic has partnered with the police department as Rocky’s exclusive provider for his basic and annual needs.

The village board and school district likewise supported the idea.

“We are fortunate to have a thoughtful local business and dedicated police department support this innovative initiative,” said Superintendent Daryl McLaughin. “The therapy dog program will enhance our students’ experiences at PCS.”

Rocky can work with students from kindergarten to seniors, and will also serve in overall village. He’ll be with Masci full-time in the school district.

“Therapy dogs are no stranger to hospitals, nursing homes, etc.,” Masci said. “Those are commonly referred to as ‘facility dogs.’

“The Police Investigative Therapy Dog is a bit more involved as he will be used in so many environments,” he continued. “Just yesterday, Rocky was used in his first youth interview and was able to provide comfort to a juvenile that might not have normally opened up to an authority figure.”

And that’s the point.

Rocky has undergone specific training that makes him and Masci a valuable resource in the community when working with juvenile or domestic violence victims, or people involved in other tragedies.

“Children don’t always feel confident speaking to adults or police officers, but bringing a dog in really changes the dynamic of the room in a troubling time,” Masci said.

Grover said the police department is excited at the opportunity and grateful for the support.

“Our local partners have really stepped up for our community and, most importantly, for our kids,” he said.

Labradoodle Crossbreed

Labradoodles — the small, family-friendly crossbreed dog beloved by many a celebrity — is far more poodle than Labrador Retriever, a DNA analysis has revealed.

Researchers from the US studied more than 150,000 points along the labradoodle genome to determine how the breed has developed over the decades.

They found that changes in very few genes are capable of defining a new breed — and that many labradoodles also feature small numbers of spaniel genes as well.

Among the celebs known to have adopted labradoodles — raising their popularity — are actress Jennifer Aniston, golfer Tiger Woods and TV presenter Graham Norton.

‘We have used nuclear DNA markers to determine the genetic history of the Australian labradoodle and develop an understanding of how breeds stabilise traits given particular breeding strategies,’ the researchers wrote in their paper.

‘Our data shows that despite the major contributions from poodle and Labrador retriever, additional breeds contributed to the modern Australian labradoodle.’

These, the researchers explained, included minor contributions from spaniels.

‘Today’s Australian labradoodle is largely poodle with an excess of poodle alleles related to coat type.

‘This study demonstrates that changes in very few genes can define a new breed and demonstrates how breeds can form in a small number of generations.’

The labradoodle is an example of a so-called ‘designer breed’ — one intentionally bred from two purebred dogs with the goal of combining positive traits from the parent breeds while avoiding the health problems that can impact some crosses.

For example, the labradoodle was reportedly bred to have the hypoallergenic coat of poodles — suitable for owners with allergies to fur and dander — but the temperament of a Labrador that makes the suitable for use as service dogs.

The first service labradoodle was bred by one Wally Conron, who introduced the breed while working for the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia — now known as Guide Dogs Victoria — in 1989.

A dog from his first litter of labradoodles — named Sultan — went on to act as service dog for a woman in Hawaii whose husband was allergic to long-haired dogs, and whose request for Mr Conroy’s help has prompted the breeding effort.

However, controversy surrounds the suggestion that Mr Conroy bred the first-ever labradoodle — with British speed record breaker Donald Campbell said to have used the term in a 1955 book to his describe his Labrador–poodle cross, Maxie.

Regardless, Mr Conroy has gone on to express regret that he created the breed, citing how their popularity combined with poor breeding practices has led to many of the crossbred animals having health issues.

The finding of the new study may help inform the development of genetic tests that could be added into breeding programs to mitigate such problems — which can include joint conditions of the elbow and hip, and congenital eye diseases.

One of the most coveted and recognisable dogs, the labradoodle, may actually be a ‘monster,’ says the breed’s alleged progenitor.

According to Wally Conron, an Australia native is often said to be the first person to breed the labradoodle —a cross between a poodle and a Labrador —the dog opened up a ‘Pandora’s Box.’

‘I bred the labradoodle for a blind lady whose husband was allergic to dog hair,’ Conron told Australia Broadcast Network.

‘She wanted to know if we could come up with a dog that she could use as a guide dog and her husband wouldn’t be allergic to.’

The issue, says Conron, who was working for the Royal Guide Dogs Association of Australia at the time, was not in finding a breed less harsh on one’s allergies, but was finding one that was hypoallergenic and had the right temperament.

Poodles, though they met the shedding criteria, didn’t quite have the same friendliness factor as Labradors, so Conron decided to mix the two.

After nine weeks, Conron successfully brought his first-ever Labradoodle pups into existence and just like he expected, the dogs were mostly hypoallergenic like poodles and amiable like Labradors.

What Conron didn’t know, however, was that his attempts to publicise the breed would rocket his creation into an international phenomenon.

Following a six-month period of unsuccessfully trying to convince organisations to use the labradoodle as a service dog, Conron said he turned to the Royal Guide Dog’s Association PR department.

After his organisation released information to the press, the labradoodle officially took off.

‘I could not visualise the publicity that a crossbred dog would get,’ Conron told ABC.

‘Cars would stop and people would get out of the car and say to me: ‘Excuse me, what sort of dog is that?’ I’d say “it’s a labradoodle!” ‘

From there, Conron said he received interest from breeders and other hobbyists who quickly latched onto the dog’s characteristic coat and temperament and began to create versions of their own.

‘I realised the reason for these unethical, ruthless people [was] to breed these dogs and sell them for big bucks,’ Conron told ABC, adding that his intention was always to breed the healthiest dogs.

‘I opened a Pandora’s box and released a Frankenstein’s monster… When I’m out and I see these labradoodles I can’t help myself, I go over them in my mind.’

Popularity and loose adherence to breeding practices have worked to undermine the breed’s health, he says.

‘I find that the biggest majority are either crazy or have a hereditary problem. I do see some damn nice labradoodles but they’re few and far between,’ Conron told ABC.

Pet Walk

Air Force Veteran Sonya Heilmann says her therapy dog, Jock, a seven-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi (pictured above), seems sad since he cannot visit patients in medical centers. The visits are his favorite activities.

“He really needed to go and do his job. Once we get to the hospital and I put his little vest on, he gets a bounce in his walk. It looks like he’s actually smiling.”

Heilmann, who lives in Marion, Iowa, is a volunteer with Pet Partners, which promotes the health benefits of animal-assisted activities and therapies, which use specialized animals for patients’ benefits. She and Jock have visited patients in their region several times per month since 2016.

Pet Partners partnered with VHA in 2019. The goal of the partnership is to bring the health benefits of the human-animal bond—which is the beneficial relationship shared between people and animals—to more Veterans.

Research shows that this bond can lower blood pressure, lessen anxiety and pain and decrease feelings of loneliness.

To uplift the importance of physical activity, in addition to animal companionship, Pet Partners will host the annual World’s Largest Pet Walk 2020 event on September 26.

Anyone can participate from anywhere. Heilmann and Jock are participating to support her recovery from a knee injury and help raise awareness about Pet Partners.

“My plan was to go out and walk at least half an hour. Walking is very good for my knee therapy.” The walking is good for both her and Jock, she explains.

“Corgis are herding dogs. They need to get out and have exercise and some sort of enrichment every day. Once I see how much fun Jock is having when I’m outside in the sunshine and fresh air, I’m feeling much better. My mood has improved.”

Funds raised for Pet Partners from the Pet Walk will help make therapy animal visits possible and help launch Pet Partners’ Animal-Assisted Crisis Response Program.

The Pet Partners partnership, which is managed by VHA’s Office of Community Engagement (OCE), has promoted other Pet Partners activities, such as encouraging families and children to read to their pets and virtual pet visitation. There are plans to provide training webinars for volunteer animal handlers like Heilmann. One of the most meaningful visits was their first, Heilmann said. She and Jock went to see a young boy undergoing cancer treatments. As he visited and cuddled with Jock, the boy said, “Oh, I’m so happy, I love you, you’re the best little dog, I wish I could keep you.”

“Here he is with tubes and wires on him but for a few minutes his eyes were just glowing. I thought this is exactly what we’re supposed to be doing with Jock.”

Pets Improving Lives

This year has taught us all about the importance of immunity. Many of us are doing our best to improve immune function. Strategies to reach this goal vary widely in practicality and scientific grounding. But could it be that one of the ways to improve immune function is right under our noses? Could our pets be influencing our immunity, and if so, how?

Modern-day humans spend a big chunk of our lives with pets, with 65 percent of U.S. households having at least one. So, it’s no surprise that researchers want to know whether all this time with domesticated animals influences our health. Though the science has been somewhat mixed, recent data has supported several health benefits associated with pet ownership.

One of the most basic connections between our health and our animals is the psychological benefit of having a pet. In a recent review, having a pet was associated with better psychological wellbeing for those with mental health conditions. Of 2,000 pet owners surveyed, 74 percent reported mental health improvements from pet ownership. Other research suggests that pets may even help stave off death. A 2019 review of data from over 3 million people revealed that dog ownership was associated with a 24 percent reduced risk of dying over a 10-year period.

More specifically, how do our pets affect our immunity? One way may be by lowering our risk of developing allergic diseases. While the data are again a bit mixed, a clearer picture emerges when looking at the immune effects of specific pets. For example, in a 2012 meta-analysis, early life exposure to any pet was associated with a decreased risk of developing eczema, an allergic skin condition. While the benefit was strong for dogs, it vanished in those exposed to cats. Similarly, dog exposure in early life has been associated with a lower risk for subsequent allergies, but cat exposure was not.

There’s also data suggesting that exposure to pets may influence specific aspects of the immune system. After petting a dog, volunteers showed a significant increase in salivary levels of an immune antibody called IgA, a key player in our immune defense. When exposed to an immune-activating signal, the cells of children exposed to cats produced different immune molecules than those of children exposed to dogs.

In addition to directly influencing immune markers, it’s likely that one of the biggest effects of animals on our immunity involves our stress response. Chronic psychological stress is well known to damage our immune function, compromising our ability to fight off infections while increasing inflammation. Pets may be able to help ward off this destructive effect by dampening stress through companionship and the facilitation of social connection with others. Research has indicated that exposure to a therapy dog may help lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. In another experiment designed to induce stress, children with access to their pet dogs felt less psychological strain.

Finally, it’s worth noting that the immune effects of pet ownership may be in part due to changes in our microbes. Scientists are increasingly studying how the bugs that live on and in us affect our health. It turns out that our microbes heavily influence and are influenced by our immune system. That’s why it’s interesting to note that adult dog owners and their dogs share  similarities in their skin microbes. Though in early stages, this type of research seems to indicate that our wellbeing and potentially our immunity could be affected by microbes from our pets!

In the bigger picture, it seems quite likely that multiple aspects of our health are affected by our contact with animals. While it’s notable that some pets may rarely increase our risk for certain infections, research indicates that our furry friends may provide many of us with immunity benefits. These positive effects appear to occur through a combination of direct influences on our immune system as well as indirectly by lowering stress and improving social connections. At a time when so many of us are seeking to better our immunity, we should be aware that our pets may be granting us far more than simple companionship.

Service Dogs Graduate

Cue “Pomp and Circumstance” because these smart pups are graduating from Saint Francis Service Dogs.

The organization is holding a virtual ceremony for its new graduates on Sunday at 7 p.m. to celebrate the end of their service dog training.

Saint Francis Service Dogs is a nonprofit organization in Roanoke that matches professionally-trained service dogs with children and adults with disabilities who need assistance to lead a more independent life.

It takes a rigorous two-year training period for each puppy to become a service dog, according to organization officials.

The graduation will honor their commitment from the application and screening process to all the training classes and matching interviews.

This year, friends and family will be able to celebrate ten new furry graduates.

“The people we serve are our inspiration to tackle a new pandemic reality with resourcefulness and grace. Although we miss being together and celebrating in person, the silver lining is that we can include even more people in our celebration this way, and we are excited to honor our wonderful graduates and their Saint Francis Service Dogs,” said Executive Director Cabell Youell.

K9s For Warriors

Amanda Peterson tried to go places with her family.

But she was limited to 40 minutes. That’s all she could stand before a tingling in her spine and a surge of overwhelming anxiety would set in causing the veteran of Michigan’s U.S. Army Reserves to panic.

“When people are scared they exhibit the flight or fight response. When I got an anxiety attack I came up swinging,” Peterson said, explaining how Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder impacted her life.

While she would never hit one of her children the possibility was there which only compounded her anxiety. She also suffered from suicidal thoughts and intentions brought on by nightmares and a tremendous guilt at not being able to be the wife and mother she wanted to be for Doug and their daughters Ariannah, 12, Leilah, 8, and Myrah, 5.

Then she got the help she needed. After battling PTSD for eight years Peterson sought the support she needed to overcome that which had taken over her life.

“Military personnel are always looking out for others – saying someone else is worse than me or whom am I to say I need help when there are so many more in trouble,” Peterson said. “Until a soldier is ready to ask for help there’s not much people can do.”

When Peterson joined the Army in the summer of 2001 it was to get an education. “I distinctly remember my mom being worried. I was 18 when I signed up and she asked me, is there any chance of a war?”

That fall the World Trade Center in New York was attacked and after six-months of basic training to become a member of the Military Police, Peterson found herself fighting terrorists in Afghanistan, where mortar attacks were an everyday occurrence. It the carnage created by these bombs, rocketed into buildings and city squares where crowds of people congregated, that haunted Peterson.

Among the worst, was an attack on a hospital in the middle of the night. Peterson said she remembers being knocked out of bed by the sounds and scrambling to get dressed into her uniform, grabbing her gun and rushing to the scene.

“It was a horrible site,” she said. Men, women and children, families that had gathered in a waiting room while their loved one was being cared for, by doctors and nurses going about their duty, broken to pieces by a mortar shell.

“I did everything from helping in the emergency room to locking down exits to make sure everyone was safe,” Peterson said, of her duties on that long and terrible night.

One would think after that she would be done. But Peterson carried on and was deployed two more times. It was on her second deployment that she became friends with a fellow member of her military police unit, who made her laugh despite the world they were in and easily transitioned from best friend to husband. “We got married at the church where I grew up wearing traditional wedding attire,” said the 37-year-old daughter of Gary and Christine Adams. Doug served alongside Peterson but by the time they were parents to their first little girl, he was able to serve as a stay-at-home dad.

As Peterson was shipped off to Iraq. “My last deployment was the hardest because my oldest daughter had just turned 1 when I left,” Peterson said.

Yet, she had to go. The mission required someone with her qualifications and skills. So, she weaned her daughter off breastmilk and with the promise from her husband, that their daughter would not forget her, Peterson headed overseas once again.

“I knew he would not let her forget me. He put a picture of the two of us on the fridge at her eye level and every day he reminded her to give mom a hug,” Peterson said.

While deployed she also participated in a USO program that allowed her to record herself reading a book. Knowing Ariannah would hear that every night before bed also helped her deal with the anxiety of being separated from her child.”I never realized what an emotional strain it would be. It was so hard. When I joined I had no one to worry about but me,” Peterson said. Once she became a wife and mother forced to leave her family behind every day in the military made it harder to stay.

“I got out in July of 2010,” Peterson said. “I knew after going through three deployments in nine years I could not do it again.

However, while she left the military it was not until she reached out to K9s for Warriors that she was able to enjoy her life at home.

Since 2011, K9s For Warriors has served as the nation’s largest provider of Service Dogs to military veterans like Peterson, who came home suffering with PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury and/or Military Sexual Trauma. The program has a 99% success rate, which is one of the highest suicide prevention rates in any organization fighting to mitigate suicidal ideations.  “I always thought I did a good job of hiding my problem but my children,” Peterson said. “But when we told them I was going into the K9s For Warriors program and that it would help me, my daughter said, ‘Does that mean we can finally go places.'”

And oh, the places they have been. “We visited the aquarium at Great Lakes Crossing,” Peterson said, with a tone of triumph in her voice.

“We also went to a Jojo Siwa concert,” she added, referring to Joelle Joanie “JoJo” Siwa, who is a singer, actress and YouTube personality popular among tweens and teens. “The girls had so much fun. It’s amazing to see your children experience such undiluted happiness.”

Tagging along on all of their trips is Chesdin, the friendly service dog named after the lakeside community in Virginia that supported his training to become a K9 for warriors.

“Now when start zoning out and feeling a need to leave he will bump my leg or draw me back. Chesdin senses my anxiety building and instead of worrying about things that might happen I see the situation we’re in and what’s going to affect him instead,” Peterson said.

Paying It Forward

Luke Tordy says his service dog, Dragon, reconnected him with his life. His family agrees. But such a simple statement hardly seems adequate to describe the wholesale transformation that has taken place since Santa-Rosa, Calif.-based Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) brought Tordy and Dragon together.

Since receiving Dragon in 2017 to help with emotional and social adjustments, Tordy has sought ways of giving back. In 2018, he broke fundraising records, giving CCI $5,000 in advance of the annual DogFest Walk ’n’Roll celebration. This year, the Covid-19 pandemic has prevented CCI from holding a live gathering, but the event will still be held virtually, on Sept. 12. Dogs from Nassau County will be put through their paces, and new pairs of dogs and companions will be introduced.

In anticipation of the event, Tordy and a team of volunteers made stands for the dogs’ water bowls. “It was part of my Eagle [Scout] project,” Tordy said. “I originally thought we could do it in just a couple of days. But because of Covid, I could only have one or two people over at a time, so it ended up taking about two weeks.” The Wantagh High School junior expects to receive his Eagle Scout award in about two months and said he is filing the paperwork next week.