Therapy Dog Supporting Members

A hearty Saturday Salute goes this week to Dawnell Glunz, a speech and intervention specialist at Grand Island Central Catholic, and Shire, a certified therapy dog, for their work to provide emotional and mental support to GICC students and staff members now that in-person classes have resumed.

Glunz and Shire became certified in June as a therapy team through Healing Hearts Therapy Dogs.

With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, Principal Jordan Engle said, providing mental health services to students and staff members is critical. He said Shire will help with this.

“We have to make sure that, from a mental health standpoint, we are taking care of our students and staff, and providing opportunities for people to relieve stress if needed and make sure they acknowledge their mental health,” Engle said. “Having a dog here is definitely a good thing.”

Glunz is taking Shire into four full-time classes each school day and they also visit a rotation of classes.

“Shire’s job is to just be here for the emotional and mental support, as well as academic progress,” she said. “There is a ton of research that shows that dogs in schools provide emotional and mental support for the students. Therapy dogs across the board will bring down your anxiety, bring down your blood pressure and increase focus.” This is a unique approach that GICC has been able to take in lifting up both students and staff members. It is helping the school community cope during a stressful time. GICC deserves a treat on this one.  Mr. Habitat candidates boost Habitat for Humanity mission.

Eli The Therapy Dog

When students returned to iAcademy at Athens Elementary earlier this month, they were welcomed by a new member of the school’s faculty. He may not be much of a talker, but he still has a way of brightening everyone’s day.

His name is Eli, and he’s a 2-year-old Labradoodle serving as iAcademy’s new therapy dog. The good boy is hard at work, helping to ease student and faculty stress while everyone adjusts to modified school conditions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We love him,” said Beth Patton, acting superintendent with Athens City Schools. “The kids are crazy about him. He is very helpful during this time when stress is high.”

iAcademy Principal Amanda Tedford said getting Eli at the school has been a two-year process started by former principal Cindy Davis. She said Davis and a Title I teacher attended a workshop that included a session on therapy dogs, and they were intrigued by the idea.

Tedford said Eli was supposed to begin working at the school in March, but his first day happened to be the same day schools closed due to coronavirus.

“The mental health of our students has been a great concern of ours, especially during this pandemic,” Tedford said. “Having Eli gives students a great opportunity to have some emotional support. He is there to help. He sits with students who need some comfort or who need to see a friendly face.”

Tedford said Eli spends most of his time away from iAcademy living with teacher and handler Cindy Greenway, but the lovable pooch actually belongs to the school itself. Like Patton, Tedford said everyone at iAcademy loves Eli.

“Everyone’s faces light up when they see him come into the classroom,” she said. “We spent the first couple of days letting the students meet him, and taught them how to interact with him. We taught them how to pet him the right way and to not startle him. It has been neat to see their reaction.”

Eli goes to different classrooms regularly, and Tedford said teachers can request a visit. Even remote students got a chance to meet Eli when he recently sat in on Zoom teleconferences.

Eli was trained by Service Dogs Alabama, a group that helps provide medical and psychiatric assistance dogs for those in need of them. Tedford said the therapy dog will be a member of the school for a long time.

Dog-Robot

Hospitals often bring in therapy dogs to help soothe patients as they receive treatment.

But a new type of canine could be used to help doctors gather vital information from COVID-19 patients.

Robot dog “Spot” comes equipped with an infrared camera and three other monochrome cameras to get a patient’s vital signs without a doctor present.

The robot would take skin temperature, breathing rate, pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation remotely.

The science could help keep down exposure to COVID-19.

Researchers in Boston are testing out the robot-dog on volunteers.

While the idea is to use the robots in triage situations, it could eventually be expanded to continuously monitor patients in their hospital rooms so doctors can check-in on them virtually.

UK’s Police Dogs

A national charity to support police dogs has been launched, with retired police dog Finn, a Britain’s Got Talent finalist, named as the official ambassador.

Finn, who appeared in the 2019 series of BGT, alongside his handler Dave Wardell, wowed the celebrity judges, including Alesha Dixon and Simon Cowell, with his magic tricks and mind-reading skills.

Remembering Therapy Dog Gus

The legal profession recently lost a bit of joy, comfort and unconditional love. Gus, the 10-year-old golden retriever and JLAP therapy dog who was a regular sight at state and local bar association events, died July 3.

Fittingly born on Valentine’s Day 2010, Gus was a rambunctious 14-month-old when he was rescued by JLAP Executive Director Terry Harrell and her husband, Stan Rorick, through GRRACE, a nonprofit golden retriever rescue organization in Indiana. Terry and Stan gave Gus a loving home with regular exercise, treats and belly rubs, plus summer trips to Mackinac Island, where he loved playing in Lake Huron.

Gus was certified as a therapy dog in 2014 by Therapy Dogs International (TDI). Thereafter, he became a regular at Indiana State Bar Association meetings and events, as well at the law schools in Indianapolis and Bloomington. Lawyers dashing between sessions at the ISBA Annual Meeting or Solo and Small Firm Conference would find a brief respite by stopping for a moment to give Gus a scratch behind his ears or to pet his glistening coat. At the state’s law schools, Gus provided a few moments of calm amid the stress of exam weeks.

But perhaps Gus’ greatest contribution was that his presence became an entryway for lawyers and law students alike to make a connection with JLAP and its programs. Among those stopping by to pet or scratch, some would take time to talk with Terry or one of the other JLAP counselors or volunteers about issues they were facing. Gus and Kirby, the other original JLAP therapy dog who passed away earlier this year, were instrumental in connecting JLAP to lawyers and law students dealing with depression, stress, grief, anxiety or substance use issues. Without Gus and Kirby, many of those who have been helped by JLAP would not have found their way to make a needed connection. Gus and Kirby saved careers and lives.

Gus was perhaps the first dog in the nation to take part in a CLE panel, participating in a program on managing stress at the 2016 Indiana Solo and Small Firm Conference.

Gus was also an author. His article, “The world according to Gus,” appeared in Res Gestae in early 2016, offering life advice to lawyers. He had assistance writing the article, but the ideas were all his.

1. Get plenty of sleep.

2. Exercise regularly.

3. Eat the right food.

4. Wag your tail when you work.

5. Deal with what is in front of you.

6. Include time in your day for play.

7. Reward yourself with small treats.

8. Approach everyone with the presumption that they are good.

9. Show affection and let others show affection to you.

10. Find humor in life.

11. Work hard.

12. Care for yourself.

And finally, bathe occasionally, but not too often. It takes the shine off your coat.

Gus is survived by his owners, Terry and Stan, the entire JLAP staff and hundreds of those in the legal community whose lives were touched by him.

While Gus is gone, his mission continues. Other JLAP therapy animals continue to attend bar association events. JLAP continues to provide confidential services to judges, lawyers and law students facing issues of depression, grief, anxiety, stress or substance use disorders.

Giving Families Hope

Rochelle Stephens’ dog and best friend, Sophie, was going to die.

But that is when the Clermont County Humane Society (CCHS) stepped in to help save Sophie’s life and her family from a heartbreaking and preventable loss. The 9-year-old white and tan bulldog-boxer mix, known as a valley bulldog, is stout in stature and is prone to severe ear infections.

And in March 2019, she was in a lot of pain from a swollen, infected ear. However, the 40-year-old mother was in no position to financially help her dog, who she proudly calls a member of her family. “She’s like our child,” she doted. “She’s like our daughter.”

Stephens, of Blanchester, fondly remembers the moment she and her family laid eyes a then-2-year-old Sophie at the Warren County Humane Society shelter in 2013.

She had been abandoned by her owner who could not pay for boarding fees, so she was up for adoption. She had kennel cough and therefore, she could not bark when they first met her at the shelter.

“She kept on wanting our attention,” Stephens recalled. “She wouldn’t give up even though she couldn’t bark.” So, they relented and adopted the dog they lovingly refer to as just a “big baby.”

“She has to be the center of attention—anyone who comes, it’s like, ‘Hey, look at me first.’ She always wants to jump up in your face. She’s a very happy dog,” Stephens said about Sophie, who is also protective of her family, sleeps with them and pretty much just wants to be with them wherever they are.

The “loveable” pooch, who lives for car rides, swimming and camping with her family and enjoys her back end scratched, is also highly susceptible to ear infections.

Last spring, Stephens and her children moved out of their home because of a turbulent relationship she ended, and it took every penny she had to get a place of her own. Then, Sophie’s ear became infected again.

“I knew she was hurting because she was whining and very sore and very red. She was so miserable,” the desperate dog mom said. “It was constantly bothering her, and I just wanted to get her some type of relief.”

But she could not afford the treatment needed for Sophie’s ears, and at that point, she needed to have surgery. So, Stephens started calling around to find out if she could find aid for her “baby.” That is when she received a call from the CCHS, who told her that they could help.

Within two days, Sophie was at Lifetime Pet Center in New Richmond and was prepped for surgery. CCHS paid for the surgery and all of the treatment she needed in full. “I was grateful; I was crying,” Stephens remembered. “I was happy just to get her relief because I knew she was in pain and I couldn’t do anything about it.” Without the surgery, Stephens revealed that the infection likely would have traveled to Sophie’s brain and ultimately killed her.

Today, inside Clermont Animal CARE, Sophie lies on the floor panting with her healthy ears perked up, listening to her owner tell the story about how CCHS saved her life. “She’s just a really big part of our family, and if we would’ve lost her, it would’ve been devastating. She’s one of a kind,” she said.

With her hind legs stretched out behind her, Sophie dons a pink camouflage harness and bubblegum pink leash, matching Stephens’ pink Harley Davidson logo T-shirt. As the two are getting ready to leave, Sophie sits outside in the grass and looks up at the sun with her tongue out. Her brown eyes sparkle and her jowls sag, revealing her bottom teeth, with what could be mistaken for a smile. “I’m just glad Clermont County was there when I really needed them,” Stephens said gushing about the Humane Society’s swift action. “They were there; they were on top of it. They were awesome, and I couldn’t have done it without them.” In 2014, they stopped operating the shelter and focused on what their next step would be for the community and its needs. A year later, they revised their mission.

Its board members reorganized and completely reinvented its vision in an effort to focus on helping pets stay in their homes, because according to their brochure, “when life gets complicated, people more than ever need the unconditional love and emotional support of the pets that share their lives.”

Sue Radabaugh, the CCHS president since 2016, could not agree more and said that their new mission has helped prevent owners from surrendering their pets, or worse: pets dying from needing medical attention like Sophie.

“Most people—if they surrender their animals—are surrendering them because they can’t afford the food, they can’t afford the vet bills, and perhaps they have to go into the hospital—particularly seniors. If they have to go into the hospital and be in the hospital for a while, and they have no other family members available to help them, what do they do? They have to surrender their animal. And that’s probably the biggest, most important companion in their life. So, we thought, we’re going to help there. We will take them temporarily and help them,” said Radabaugh, who has been on the CCHS board since 2008.

While the CCHS no longer operates the county’s animal shelter, they do partner with the Clermont Animal CARE shelter in Batavia, whenever they have someone in need of food, care, boarding or whatever the need might be.

The CCHS supplies dog and cat food, beds, toys and litter, as well as partners with the county’s senior services, who deliver pet food for their residents on their Meals on Wheels route, if they have a pet.

Further, folks who call their hotline in need of assistance are pointed in the right direction based on their needs, she said. They partner with veterinary clinics and kennels within the county to reduce the costs and then pay for those fees for the pet owner.

“Women, who are in battered women shelters or the homeless that are in homeless shelters, they cannot take their dogs or their cats there. So, what are they gonna do? We will take them until they’re back on their feet (and) can find a place to live,” Radabaugh said.

Rayne Colopy, 45, was fleeing from domestic violence last winter when she ended up at a women’s shelter. Against the advice of the women’s shelter, she returned to her house to rescue her blonde terrier-mix dogs, Chloe and Honey, who were tied up outside in the bitter cold. “I said, ‘I have to, these are my dogs,’” she said. But she could not take her beloved furbabies back to the shelter with her.

“If you’re a dog person, an animal person, you do what you have to do. And there was no way I was just going to give them up. That wasn’t an option—it’s never been.”

The shelter supplied her with a list of places to call for help, but it would take about 20 “no, sorry” responses before she reached the CCHS. “It was a Godsend because it was a hard situation,” she said.

And parting with her “children” who she had rescued from shelters within the last few years, was gut-wrenching. “It was hard. It was hard. I really had to trust God that they would be OK, and I knew that they were in good hands here, and that was definitely a difficult thing. Because I did fear, well, what if I can’t get them back? What if things go terrible? But I just had to keep the faith and keep pushing, and I prayed for my dogs every night basically,” said Colopy, who prayed for her dogs every night before falling asleep inside the women’s shelter.

With the help of the CCHS, the friendly duo was boarded at Country Lane Pet Resort in Moscow with a reduced fee that was paid for by the CCHS. They remained there for four months while Colopy was able to get back on her feet.

“It’s amazing; it’s awesome because literally, I love my animals so much. I told the shelter worker at one point, ‘If I didn’t find a place for my dogs to stay, I was going to sleep in the car with my dogs.’ I literally would’ve done anything to accommodate them, whatever I had to do because I was not going to give up my animals because I love them.” Colopy will never forget the day she picked up her girls to take them home in March. “It was like a family reunion, and they were licking me the whole way home,” she said.

And they made a pit stop for some well-deserved treats: McDonald’s hamburgers. “It means everything that they helped me. I’m teary-eyed. I’m so happy,” she said.

To date, no pet owners have had to surrender their animal if they did not want to, said Carolyn Evans, Clermont Animal CARE director, who works hand-in-hand with Radabaugh and the CCHS to help families stay together.

Clermont Animal CARE is an organization that has run the county’s shelter since 2014, when CCHS handed over the reins to refocus their efforts. Since 2018, the shelter’s animal save rates are at 96 percent, which is a record high, according to Evans. In 2011, she said, before her organization took over operations at the shelter, four out of every five animals were euthanized. Clermont Animal CARE is essentially a no-kill shelter because of volunteer foster homes, Radabaugh said.

Further, during COVID-19, the shelter has upped their game to keep animals alive approximately 300 animals currently in their care, Evans said.

“We do everything we can so that they don’t have to surrender,” she said. “We’ve boarded for months. We’ve helped with medical bills. We’ve taken litters of puppies so they can keep the moms,” Evans continued. “That’s the last thing we want is to bring an animal into the shelter. As good as any shelter is, you can have the best shelter, (but) it’s not where an animal should ever live.” In addition to working with other organizations and businesses to help families stay together, during the pandemic, the CCHS has given nearly 70,000 pounds of free food, treats, litter and toys to the community and their pets.

Now, more than ever, dogs are needed in families, Radabaugh said about those who are completely isolated during COVID-19.

“Animals are just therapy. Period. They are wonderful,” Radabaugh said. “Having a cat or a dog that’s there to bother you and nudge you on your leg and, ‘Come on, let’s get going’ or ‘I’ve gotta go out’ or ‘feed me’—every individual needs that kind of need. And animals just fill it. They just fill you up. You can come home grumpy or a bad day, and there they are, ‘Let’s play, let’s go out.’” “It changes your life,” said Radabaugh, who has a rescue dog herself, named, Buddy. “They’re magic. I think they’re all angels.” But the CCHS cannot help pets and their families on their own, because they operate completely through volunteers and donations.

Irresponsible Dog Parents

September is Responsible Dog Ownership month. That’s all well and good because you’re probably an amazing dog parent. You stay informed, you follow safety tips, and you do what’s best for your pup.

But there are those other dog parents out there who make things worse for the rest of us. You’ve probably met some, or all, of the irresponsible people on this list who probably shouldn’t have a dog in the first place. Here are some of the most annoying dog parents that we can all agree are the absolute worst.

The ‘I DON’T PICK UP POOP’ Dog Parent

It’s great that you have such delicate, pristine hands that dare not go near poop, but germophobes should probably not be dog parents.

Dog poop spreads diseases between other dogs. So when you don’t pick up your dog’s poop, you’re putting every other dog at risk. It also attracts rats and pests, which bring even more diseases into the area.

Having a dog can get dirty, and if you can’t pick up poop, you can’t have a dog.

The ‘DON’T WORRY THEY’RE FRIENDLY’ Dog Parent

You may have seen these off-leashers around the park or walking down the street. They have no problem letting their pup run over and greet other people and dogs without permission.

It’s great that your pooch is friendly, but not everyone wants to meet your dog, and not every other dog is friendly. You’re creating a risky situation with strangers and other animals where anything can happen. Don’t be that person.

The ‘FAKE SERVICE DOG’ Dog Parent

Service dogs are incredibly important for the people who need them. They aren’t just pets; they’re valuable assistants for getting through day-to-day life.

But some people believe they’re above the rules and should be allowed to take their dog anywhere. So they pretend their dog is a service dog or say they need the animal for “emotional support” when they really don’t. Emotional support dogs are necessary for many people, but you’ve probably seen the fakes who ruin it for everyone. These people make it harder for those who actually need service dogs or emotional support dogs. It’s a scam, and it needs to stop.

The ‘YOU’RE DOING THAT WRONG’ Dog Parent

You probably appreciate good advice. That’s probably why you read a lot of dog articles written by experts and vets. But when you’re not asking for it, unsolicited advice can be downright irritating.

Everyone has an opinion on everything. Even experts can disagree about how dogs should be walked, fed, trained, or cared for.

So when some stranger comes up out of nowhere and tells you you’re holding your own dog’s leash wrong, or you’re not being strict enough, or you’re not asserting dominance properly, you immediately want to tell them to “buzz off” in the least polite way possible.

And the worst part about these know-it-alls is that they tend to refuse to listen to any advice, themselves. Live and let live, and save the advice for your Facebook friends.

Iowa City Landlords

A recent Iowa Supreme Court ruling on how landlords and property managers should navigate whether or not to allow emotional support animals in pet-free buildings has left many questions unanswered.

On Wednesday, Aug. 26, Iowa City’s Office of Equity & Human Rights released a memo detailing what the ruling has clarified and what has yet to be decided by the legal system.

In July, the Iowa Supreme Court concluded that a landlord had to pay damages of one month’s rent to an Iowa City tenant who has a severe allergy to pet dander after the landlord allowed another tenant to live with an emotional support dog despite the building’s no-pets policy.

The case was first dismissed in small claims court before a district court said the landlord shouldn’t have allowed the second tenant to have the support animal. The district court also dismissed the case because the law was “not clear.”

The tenant with the allergy then appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court. At the time of the ruling, Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen emphasized that their decision was “not a one-size-fits-all test.” “If a landlord allows an ESA, the landlord may be faced with legal action from existing tenants, as the landlord was in this case,” reads the memo. “If the landlord refuses to allow the ESA, the landlord may be faced with enforcement action from HUD.”

The Human Rights investigator who wrote the memo, Kristin Watson, said that this second scenario could lead to further clarification. If someone is faced with action from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the landlord could use the Iowa City case as defense, Watson wrote.

In that scenario, the memo reads, they could ask for a declaratory judgment about what should be done.

Additionally, the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling said that because the tenant with the allergy was first to sign the lease, she had priority over the tenant who signed after. The second tenant later requested the emotional support animal.

The ruling doesn’t decide how severe the existing tenant’s allergy has to be to allow the “first in time” rule to apply.

The ruling does say medical documentation is required, but doesn’t specify the level of severity of the allergy needed to take priority over the emotional support animal, according to the memo.

Watson also writes in the memo that the Federal Housing Act was written when the term “handicap” was still acceptable. The Iowa Supreme Court references the act in its ruling.

Watson says that although the court uses the term because the law was written with it, the word is considered offensive to people with disabilities and should not be used unless when directly quoting the Federal Housing Act. Finally, it’s important to note that the Iowa Supreme Court ruling only applies to emotional support animals, not Americans with Disabilities Act service animals.

A True Teacher’s Pet

Tips For Your Service Dog

It’s crucial that your loyal support dog accompany you wherever you go, but it’s even more important that your animal is safe riding in your accessible van. You can’t simply let the pet hop into the vehicle and sit wherever they want. You need to properly secure your service dog in your vehicle before you strap your wheelchair in. Here are some reasons and ways to do that.

Mobility assistance dogs are very beneficial for wheelchair users. They can retrieve items, bark when you’re in danger, and provide emotional support in uncomfortable situations. When you’re driving, though, you don’t want your animal to get in the way. Although your service dog may be well-trained to behave in the majority of situations, riding in a car can be a very different experience.

For your safety and theirs, it’s important that you secure your animal when transporting them. For any pet, wandering unrestrained through a vehicle cabin can be deadly. A sudden stop can throw them against the windshield or hit them with a powerful airbag.

The most secure option is to lock your dog in a travel kennel that’s strapped to the floor of the cabin. That way, if the van rolls or is in a collision, the animal won’t be tossed around. If you can’t do this, at least harness the dog with a short tether that keeps them restrained to sit or stand on a car seat, essentially functioning like a seat belt. This still limits their movement and keeps them within the car were the door to open in an accident.

Whether you’re a veteran with an emotional support dog or a wheelchair user with a new puppy, you need to make sure that your animal is just as secure while travelling as you are.