Having An ESA In College

If a student at WKU has to go into quarantine or isolation because of COVID-19, emotional support animals will not be allowed to stay with their owners.

According to Bob Skipper, WKU director of media relations, ESAs have an emergency contact with whom the pet will stay with if their owner gets sick.

Jalissa Novotney, a senior anthropology major from Chicago, has an ESA and said that the idea of having to be without it for two weeks is a little frightening.

“If I get sick, my aunt in Tennessee will come get Hazel and take care of her until I’m able to come get pick her up,” Novotney said. Novotney came to campus in 2017 and dealt with homesickness and depression.

“I saw all these animals on campus and was like mom, maybe I should do this with my anxiety and depression,” Novotney said.

Novotney said she spoke with her physician who wrote a letter and coordinated with the Student Accessibility Resource Office in DSU who approved her request for an ESA in around two weeks.

While she’s a little frightened at the idea of not having Hazel for two weeks, she also says she understands the possibility that she can’t take care of her in quarantine and thinks she would be better off with her aunt in Tennessee for that time.

This is consistent with WKU’s policy regarding sick residents and emotional support animals.

Dogs In Classrooms

Imagine being excited to attend a difficult class, not only to learn, but to embrace the calm and comforting atmosphere of having a dog or other pet in the classroom.

Heather Vitko, an Assistant Professor of Nursing, hopes to make this vision a reality for nursing students at SFU to experience.

“Health science (fields) are intensive majors, with high-stakes exams, which often cause stress and anxiety for students,” said Vitko.

“What would be better than to pet a dog after not doing so hot on a test?”

Vitko said that researchers who have explored animal-assisted therapy have found significant differences in vital signs in patients in intensive care unit who have been exposed to dogs, versus those who have not.

“Research shows a reduction in heart rate and blood pressure when ICU patients on ventilators pet or have contact with a dog,” said Vitko.

The nursing faculty member is a firm believer in animal therapy, especially in today’s educational setting, when more and more students are struggling with depression and many are being prescribed anxiety medication.

Panther, a dog who is enrolled in the University’s K9 Learning Behavior class, attends Vitko’s Pathophysiology and Pharmacology class with a nursing student who is enrolled in this course.

“Panther has been the opposite of a disruption,” said Vitko. “He’s wonderful and very well-behaved.

“He lightens things up a little bit because we will be getting into some intense subject matter and I see the students start to zone out. All of a sudden, here comes Panther, barreling up to me at the lectern because he wants a cookie.

“This sort of wakes the students up and helps them to refocus.”

Several universities currently offer fields of study in animal therapy, and some nursing programs have a department pet that comforts students when they need it.

“The benefit of animals to humans’ emotional and psychological well-being is well-documented,” said Vitko.

Training Service Dogs

A local woman is trying to raise money to help people who can’t afford to get a service dog.

Jacqueline Gori is the director of Partners with Paws, an organization that helps provide individuals in need with a service dog.

Gori says she has first-hand knowledge on the importance of a service dog because her service dog Samson has saved her life multiple times.

“So when I have a PTSD flashback, he is trained to interrupt any harmful behaviours. He has literally knocked knives out of my hands, pills out of my hands. He has intervened in seven suicide attempts.”

She says her dog Samson can see a flashback coming 15 minutes in advance — and he has in the past also used that power to help strangers.

“I remember in a shopping mall, there was a child who was hiding behind a clothing rack and he wouldn’t come out to his father. Samson went in behind the clothing rack and he brought this child out to the father and the father was in tears because he had never seen this before.. the power of a service dog.”

Gori says she’s raising money with her book of illustrations to help people who need a service dog but can’t afford it.

“It’s a book about 50 of these amazing labradors. Some of them are pets and some of them are service dogs. So it’s really our loveable friends being clowns and rascals, stealing things, not getting into boats.. or getting into the wrong boats. Just having fun!”

Service Dog Saves Life

Australian Labradoodles

The creator of the Australian labradoodle set out to mix poodles and Labrador retrievers to develop a hypoallergic service dog. But, according to a new study by Elaine Ostrander at the National Institutes of Health, published September 10th in PLOS Genetics, the breed that developed from that cross is primarily poodle.

There are about 350 recognized dog breeds in the world today, many resulting from intense breeding programs that unintentionally created dogs at high risk for certain health problems. These high rates of disease were one motivating factor behind crossing two purebred dogs to create so-called “designer breeds,” coupled with the desire to combine positive traits from the parental breeds. The Australian labradoodle is one of the most popular designer breeds, and so researchers analyzed genetic variations at more than 150,000 locations along its genome to understand how the breed has developed over the past 31 years. The findings show that genetically, the Australian labradoodle is mostly poodle, with smaller genetic contributions from the Labrador retriever and certain types of spaniel. Breeders appear to have preferentially chosen dogs with a poodle-like coat, which is associated with what many people consider hypoallergenicity, and without strong preference for specific traits from Labrador retrievers.

The new study demonstrates that changes in very few genes, over a small number of generations, can define a new dog breed. The results of this genetic study may also inform the development of genetic tests that can be incorporated into thoughtful breeding programs to avoid some of the health problems that commonly afflict Australian labradoodles. Currently, Australian labradoodles supporters are lobbying to have the breed officially recognized by an international registry.

Corrections Dog Saves The Day

Excellent sniffing by Passive Alert Drug Detection dog Carrie led to drugs worth an estimated $48,000 being seized from a woman intending to visit Townsville Correctional Complex (TCC) last month.

Carrie and her handler were taking part in a joint weekend operation by Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) and Queensland Police Service (QPS) on August 22, conducting searches of TCC visitors.

On one of those searches, Carrie gave a conditional response to a potential visitor which indicated to her handler that the woman may be carrying illicit substances.

After a locker search and questioning by QCS and QPS officers, the woman retrieved a package from her bra which was subsequently found to contain a quantity of Buprenorphine, used to treat opioid addiction, worth an estimated $48,000.

The woman was then taken to Stuart Police Station where she was charged with unlawful possession of a restricted drug.

TCC General Manager Chief Superintendent Louise Kneeshaw said QCS had a zero-tolerance approach to contraband in prisons.

“No matter the reason, if people attempt to introduce contraband into QCS properties or facilities, there will be consequences,” Chief Superintendent Kneeshaw said.

“The introduction of contraband, particularly drugs, is a significant risk to the safety and security of our officers, prisoners and visitors, and our officers work diligently to thwart attempts to smuggle contraband into our centres.

“I commend our intelligence and custodial officers on their ongoing efforts, in conjunction with QPS, to ensure the safety of our officers working in the centre.

“This is just one example of the work they do every day to keep our community safe and ensure their colleagues on the front line remain safe.

“Our Delta Units provide another layer of security for our centres, and they work hard to keep their colleagues safe by sniffing out contraband.

“It is not worth the risk trying to smuggle contraband into our centre – you risk ending up in prison yourself.”

Taking or attempting to take a prohibited item into a corrective services facility is an offence with a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment.

In addition, introducing dangerous drugs into correctional centres is classified as “aggravated supply” under the Drugs Misuse Act 1986, with a penalty of up to 25 years’ imprisonment.

Dog Day At The Pool

The dog days of summer are over, but the dogs stretched it out one final day at the Rocky River Recreation Center pool Tuesday evening.

The pool closed to people at the end of Labor Day, and so the dogs received a chance Wednesday to splash, play fetch and make new friends with a pool party before it is drained for the season.

About two dozen dogs attended the two hour-long sessions with their owners on a perfectly hot summer evening.

Some dogs were a little hesitant and slowly made their way into the pool, whereas other sprinted into the pool full speed ahead soaking anybody nearby as they landed in the cool water.

Ester Schrager of Rocky River was there with Gari, a 13-year-old German Shepherd who spent 12 years as her service dog.

“Last year we really had a lot fun here, this year he’s just enjoying swimming around,” Schrager said as they sat by the poolside watching the other dogs splash and play.

Owners were allowed to go into the water up to their waist with their dogs if the pooch was hesitant about going in. A $2 donation was requested from owners as they came. The event was open to Rocky River residents, who had to register in advance.

Watch video as reporter Hannah Drown follows the pooches around the pool.

Bear Dogs

Lake Tahoe promises a few things: falling snow, tall trees, breathtaking views and bears.

Living in the Tahoe Basin comes with responsibility. Residents must understand the surrounding wildlife and do their part to remove attractants and properly manage trash. As more people come to Tahoe, more conflicts arise with residential communities.

Last summer a beloved and known Tahoe Vista bear was killed in North Lake Tahoe by a homeowner. The bear was reportedly killed after breaking into the car of a homeowner in search of food. The homeowner obtained a license to trap and kill the bear through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

For wildlife that become too habitualized with people, it can be a death sentence.

Residents and wildlife advocates have urged for nonlethal methods to resolve conflicts and pressured agencies to adopt the same, such as rubber shotgun bullets and noise makers.

Nevada Department Of Wildlife adopted a program in the early 1990s that has since been gaining popularity called the Karelian Bear Dog Program.

The program involves the use of Karelian Bear Dogs to haze wildlife away from property in human-wildlife conflict situations by creating an unpleasant experience for the bears known as aversive conditioning.

This rare, specific breed of dog originated from a place between Finland and Russia called Karelia. The dogs were originally used to seek out big game for hunting. Unlike their lookalike, the Border Collie, these dogs have a primitive demeanor and are far from the “typical” dog.

Karelian Bear Dogs have been used to minimize conflicts in Washington, Nevada, California and other countries such as Japan and Canada.

The purpose of the program is to teach bears to be wary of humans. The dogs are trained to create an unpleasant experience for the bear by nipping and incessant barking. When the dogs chase the bears it gives the bear a feeling of pursuit that relates back to primal dominance according to Nevada Department of Wildlife’s website. Rich Beausoleil, Bear and Cougar Specialist of Washington Department of Wildlife has two Karelian Bear Dogs; Cash and Indy. Beausoleil said that he first got involved in the program in 2003 because he wanted a more self-sufficient way to conduct research captures of bear and mountain lions for radio collar and population estimation work. He also said he wanted a better way to address human-wildlife conflicts.

Beausoleil said that killing and relocating does not solve the problem.“It’s merely putting a Band-Aid on a bullet hole. It’s about getting people to listen and understand why the animal was there in the first place.”

Washington state has used Karelians for research captures, finding injured or orphaned wildlife, outreach events and human conflict resolution. “We’ve saved over 80 orphaned mountain lions and over 150 bears, not all, but the majority with KBDs,” said Beausoleil. “One [KBD] even found a missing person where authorities suspected foul play – turned out he was killed in a rock slide and was underneath the slide.” California Department of Wildlife’s bear biologist Mario Klip also has seen success with KBDs. Klip, who owns KBDs, says that it is a lifestyle you must be comfortable with.

Klip conducted a research study for UC Berkeley where he observed spatial and temporal patterns of American black bears in the Tahoe Basin and found that aversive conditioning using Karelians can help a conflict temporarily and meets the communities’ expectations.

According to Klip’s study, “Besides short term gains, KBDs have impacts on bear behavior that makes bears less inclined to interact with people in the first place.” The study indicates that it might be more challenging to find dedicated biologists or wildlife managers who are willing to take care of the dogs after retiring from active bear duty.” Klip notes that KBDs are a beneficial tool when the dogs are partnered with an active bear manager or biologist for mitigating urban bear-human conflicts. The study stated “use of aversive conditioning by dogs adds significant synergistic effects to traditional approaches for addressing human-wildlife conflict.”

However, the program still doesn’t fix the root problem.

“It’s painfully obvious that this is about people management and not a bear or cougar concern or population increase,” says Beausoleil. “Anything we do with dogs is temporary — we aren’t teaching bears or anything else to avoid people. It’s a temporary diversion so you can address the attractants … and get people to change.”

The Karelian Bear Dog Program has been used in the Sierra Nevada to haze bears away from specific locations. The Bear League is a nonprofit that is committed to protecting bears in their natural habitat using education, aversion and by responding to conflicts.

“We tried to use them in conflict areas in a community, it doesn’t work well,” says Ann Bryant of Bear League, who lives in Homewood on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore.

Bryant trained two KBDs 15 years ago in hopes of using them to help mitigate the human-bear conflict.

“Bears can’t just run around in neighborhoods with dogs chasing them,” Bryant said. “In areas like Tahoe, dogs could run a bear into a major road. It is a false panacea.”

In Tahoe, human-bear conflicts come from bears getting into trash and damaging property which can constitute for a bear getting killed.

“Karelians can work well if in a big rural area, campground, grazing land … areas like that,” said Bryant. She said that this program would work in the perfect scenario but Tahoe’s landscape does not allow that. “In an appropriate place and if they are well trained, well cared for … they can be valuable and serve a purpose. This is not going to work here with the amount of people that we have,” said Bryant. In 2019, NDOW’s bear mortality rates were reduced while 2018 had the highest rate in the previous four years even when the program was in place.

NDOW declined to talk to Tahoe Magazine about the program. Carrie Hunt and the Wind River Bear Institute have had great success with their “Wildlife K-9” (WK9) programs that have span throughout western North America and Japan.

Hunt, bear biologist in Florence, Montana founded the Wind River Bear Institute which is dedicated to reducing human caused bear mortality.

The Institute has used KBD’s with black bears, grizzly bears, polar bears, cougar, moose and big-horned sheep. Her innovative approach has helped pose non-lethal solutions to wildlife conflicts.

Nils Pedersen, bear biologist and director at the Wind River Bear Institute lives in Fairbanks, Alaska. Pedersen started by training WK9s at the institute. His first winter in the field, he helped train WK9s for polar bear den detection in the Arctic.

With a mission to avoid den abandonment and mortality, Pedersen has worked with WK9s to survey and detect denned bears to prevent them from being disturbed by industrial activity.

“These dogs are uniquely fit for this kind of job,” Pedersen said.

Every dog has a purpose that comes from Wind River Bear Institute, which along with Glacier National Park trained the first National Park Service WK9, a Border Collie/Australian shepherd cross named “Gracie.” Gracie’s job is to shepherd big horn sheep and deer away from places where humans are.

“These dogs have done important work at every major national park in the west,” Pedersen said.

“The difference between KBDs and other breeds of hunting dog is that the KBD can safely and effectively dance with a grizzly bear on the ground and hold the bear at bay.”

The institute has been working for 25 years and have never had a major injury to a dog, person or bear.

Pedersen said that determining when the use of WK9s is appropriate is absolutely key.

The dogs may not be appropriate in all settings.

“Bears are trainable and can understand lessons,” he said. “For instance, they can understand that one area is unpleasant. Our WK9s are highly trained and very well socialized with people.”

A huge part of the program is training and testing the dogs. WRBI does comprehensive working aptitude and personality testing to determine the environment the specific KBD would do best.

Only 20-40% of KBDs from good working lines actually end up being fit in the testing process for bear-conflict work and WK9 certification. Bear conflict dogs would be extremely difficult pets making them only suitable in a human-wildlife conflict realm.

Using the dogs in an urban setting is not as simple as just letting the dogs loose on an animal.

On-leash work is almost always deployed in an urban setting. Pedersen says that there are only really a few circumstances of off-leash work. The picture in your head of the dogs chasing the bears away through the forest is not completely accurate.

A well trained KBD will try to draw the bear away from their handler and hold it at bay. Pedersen explains that the most challenging part of solving human-bear conflict issues boils down to managing people. “Bears are remarkable at coexistence,” he says. “Sometimes we will just monitor the bear or close down a particular area of the park to prevent conflict.”

John Griffin, Senior Director of Urban Wildlife Program for the Humane Society of the United States said that human-wildlife conflicts will continue to rise and the program is useful for teaching both bears and people while raising public awareness.

“All of these programs need to be tailored to the specific bear country,” says Griffin.

Pedersen made it clear that he and the institute does not promote the breed.

“We place the right dog with the right person in the right place,” he says. The WRBI is very selective with whom they place their dogs with.

They see the tragic implications of when KBDs get placed in the wrong hands. These dogs aren’t like the typical golden retriever. They were bred to leave you. The dogs are primitive and have an innate instinct to hunt.

“Some breeders do it irresponsibly and are exploiting the dogs’ popularity,” Pederson said.

He explained how WRBI’s process is extremely selective and there are breeders who don’t respect the nature of these dogs and don’t properly educate people on the breed.

Irresponsible breeders are using the increasing popularity to market these dogs as hunting dogs or protection dogs for the general public.

“There are breeders sellings KBDs to people who have no place in owning one of these dogs,” said Pedersen.

Pedersen explained that if KBDs are not trained and socialized they can become a nuisance and harass livestock, kill wildlife and end up in a dog pound. “The dogs are time and resource intensive.”

Beausoleil said, “There are no Sunday walks — they’re all hunts so it’s much more involved than having a pet dog. Too many people get Karelian Bear Dogs because they think they’re cool and then realize they are hard to own because they have to exercise, and work, and hunt. On days I don’t work, it’s 5 miles of walking in the morning and 5 miles in the evenings. No exceptions.” These unique dogs need vigorous exercise, time and constant stimulation.

“People are getting excited to get these dogs as a solution to human-bear conflicts only to realize that they are extremely difficult to care for. KBDs are being killed or returned to shelters,” says Bryant. “The downfall of these dogs are that they are not cuddly lap dogs, they are very primitive, wild. They think differently, not like a traditional house pet. That same reason is why they are used. They are fearless. There have been reports of them attacking children.”

These dogs are meant to have a human companion with a similar mission and enthusiasm.

SOLVING THE MAIN PROBLEM

These dogs can be an important tool for wildlife conservation in certain locations and can be a great outreach tool to get the community involved in doing their part in reducing conflicts.

Pedersen says that the dogs can be used to get the dialogue started and a message remembered. He says, the dogs act as “wildlife ambassadors”, providing an opportunity to talk to people about bear safety and attractants. “Dogs appeal to people in a memorable way. They help get the science out there.” People are more likely to remember a wildlife conservation message and connect with it through the use of working dogs.

The WRBI wants people to understand that bears deserve our respect and that it is a shame that bears are killed for reasons that are entirely preventable. Pedersen said, “Bears aren’t often represented accurately in the media.”

“It is challenging because there are a lot of people with a lot of garbage,” Pedersen says.

The number one problem contributing to bear conflicts is garbage.

Pedersen says that real solutions need to come from combating the major trash problem by talking to waste management, passing and enforcing ordinances along with installing bear proof garbage containers.

“It can become political.”

Pedersen said, “The solution to human-bear conflict issues is not a KBD in everybody’s home, we need to secure garbage and other attractants so we aren’t actively baiting bears into human occupied space. The KBD is a bear management tool to reduce the need for lethal removal and relocation of bear and other large and potentially dangerous wildlife, but the dogs won’t be effective if people don’t play their part in preventing bear access to food-garbage.”

K-9 Team On Dr. Phil

Deputy Sheriff Derek Morrell and his canine partner K-9 Deputy Jara of the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office will be featured guests during an upcoming heroes segment on the “Dr. Phil” television talk show.

Morrell and Jara have received international publicity, including numerous interviews and a Heroic Dog Award from PETA, for their efforts in successfully locating and rescuing a missing child in Rock Springs last summer, according to a press release.

On a hot afternoon in July 2019, a mother reported that her 4-year-old boy wandered out of the yard while playing with their dogs and she could not find him. She added that her son suffered some developmental delays that inhibited his ability to speak.

Sheriff’s deputies and officers from the Rock Springs Police Department immediately began canvassing the surrounding neighborhood in vehicles and on foot. Morrell and Jara arrived on scene and deployed from the residence in an effort to track the child.

Jara picked up a scent almost immediately. After persistently and forcefully dragging her human partner down an alleyway blocks away from the child’s home, Jara adamantly indicated a parked vehicle that was locked. While attempting to secure Jara on her leash, Morrell peered inside the vehicle’s window and found the missing child curled up on the driver’s floorboard. With the help of RSPD Officer Jennifer Chick, they quickly located the vehicle’s owner, opened the vehicle and rescued the boy, who was crying hysterically and sweating profusely but otherwise appeared unharmed.

After a precautionary evaluation by emergency medical personnel on scene, the child was reunited with his mother. It was later determined that the boy found the vehicle unlocked and accidentally locked himself in the car after climbing inside.

n December 2019, executive producers from the “Dr. Phil” show arranged for an all-expenses-paid trip to fly Morrell and Jara to Hollywood for a weekend to film the special heroes segment in front of a live TV audience. While backstage speaking with Dr. Phil McGraw after the show, they also met American singer-songwriter and recording artist Meghan Trainor.

The dynamic duo are scheduled to make their nationwide television debut at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, on NBC networks.

When asked about flying to Hollywood to meet Dr. Phil, Morrell said, “Dr. Phil is incredibly kind, and his whole team treated us better than we deserve. Jara was a big hit with everyone we met. It’s an honor and a privilege to get to work with her. Most of the time, I’m on the dumb end of the leash with her leading the way. She’s an amazing asset to our agency and the community we serve.”

Morrell is a 10-year-veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and is currently assigned as team leader of the canine program.

Serving since 2016, Jara is a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois from K9 Working Dogs International LLC, whose

acquisition and continued service is made possible, in part, through the use of the agency’s drug seizure fund.

Dog Daycare

Diggity Dawg Daycare, along with the Kutztown University Small Business Development Center, will present a Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting ceremony at 11 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 4. Diggity Dawg Daycare is located at 5100 East Penn Avenue, Wernersville, PA 19565. Please join us and experience a new and valuable service coming to Wernersville.

The grand opening is a free, public, family community event. Social distancing will be observed and face masks will be required. Come out and checkout the daycare, lodging and grooming services available and why the business is a perfect fit for the community.

Nicole and Eric Ray have opened Diggity Dawg Daycare in hopes of creating a meaningful service that, in return, creates a more connected community. Diggity Dawg Daycare is a safe, fun and healthy place for a dog to spend time while the owner is away at work or other daily commitments.

Nicole and Eric worked in the corporate world for nearly 30 years. After getting married in 2014, the Rays introduced Kodi, a German Shepherd, into the family not knowing he would be the inspiration for their new business venture. They found their lives were centered on him and while Kodi needed more attention during the day, the Rays needed something more exciting for work. The inspiration to open Diggity Dawg Daycare had finally come to life.

Nicole and Eric have always been attracted to the idea of providing a service to help animals. They feel that the daycare and grooming industry is a perfect fit for them and the Berks County area. Diggity Dawg Daycare promises to provide your dogs with a clean, safe, fun and stress-free environment that welcomes dogs of all sizes and breeds. This is a new and unique service that is uncommon to the Berks County area.

Diggity Dawg Daycare was founded in 2020 and opened in January 2020. This business will allow for residents to experience a dog facility like no other. It is so much better than your dog sleeping on the couch waiting for you to get home!