Dog Calendar Competition

Think your dog is fit for a calendar shoot? In Worcester, it’s not a far-fetched goal.

Worcester’s Redemption Rock brewery is bringing back its dog calendar competition, with submissions for the 2021 calendar open through Sept. 30.

The brewery off Shrewsbury Street held its first competition last year and 100 people submitted their pup for a spot in the calendar. Nearly 4,500 people voted online to select the 12 winners.

Anyone who wants to submit their pet this year can bring their dog to the taproom and fill out a short questionnaire. A Redemption Rock team member will take the pooch’s photo.

After all submissions are in, online voting will take place in October. The 12 dogs that receive the most votes will get a dedicated month in the calendar with professional glamour shots.

Redemption Rock said employees will sanitize pens in between submissions. Mask and social distancing rules apply. A pet photo can be taken outside if preferred, the brewery said.

Calendars are expected to be for sale in December. A portion of the sales will benefit NEADS, a company that provides service dogs to people with disabilities, Redemption Rock said.

Woman Refused With Guide Dog

A visually impaired young woman was left horrified and embarrassed last week when two taxi drivers refused to take her guide dog into their cars.

Allie Reilly (30) was trying to get a lift home with her guide dog Evie when she approached the taxi rank in Navan, Co. Meath where the two drivers flatly refused to take her fare because of the specialised trained dog.

Allie is totally blind in her left eye and only has between 20 and 40 per cent vision in her other and getting Evie last March has completely transformed her life.

However she says she was heartbroken when the taxi drivers refused to take her expertly trained and gentle-natured dog.

“Myself and my partner Noel Farrelly went to get a taxi last Thursday evening and the first taxi driver at the top of the rank just said he didn’t take dogs, end of story,” she said.

“The driver in the next car along the rank also just waved no with both hands and said he didn’t take dogs.

“At that point, I felt so saddened and I just couldn’t believe it. They would have left me stranded.

“Thankfully Noel noticed a taxi driver at the back of the rank who had obviously seen what had happened and was flashing his lights and beckoning to us.

“He was delighted to take us home, saying that he couldn’t believe either that anyone would refuse a guide dog.

“I’ve never been refused a taxi before in my life. I was embarrassed and horrified at the time but I’m absolutely disgusted now .

“Evie cost €53,500 to train. Did they think she was going to get sick or go to the toilet in the car? I’m sure she’s much better behaved than some of the customers coming home from a night out.”

Allie whose mum is from Kilcloon in Meath lived in Celbridge, Co. Kildare before moving to Navan and reached the finals in the Kildare Rose of Tralee competition three years ago.

She pointed out that she underwent stringent evaluations before getting Evie.

“I applied for Evie in 2018 and had to go through a litany of assessments before they matched me with a guide dog earlier this year.”

“She has changed my life. She is my eyes and she has made me feel more confident when I’m out and about now.

“I really think taxi drivers should be made more aware of the huge lifelines that guide dogs are and the intensive training that they undergo before they are matched with anyone who is visually impaired.”

According to a spokesperson for the National Transport Authority: “A guide dog or assistance dog may accompany their owner free of charge.

“It is a legal obligation to accept a passenger with a guide dog or an assistance dog. All guide dogs wear a harness that indicates the type of guide dog they are: guide dogs for the blind have a white and yellow reflective strip (older harnesses may have an orange reflective strip); assistance dogs (for families of children with autism) have a blue harness.

“Guide dog owners and assistance dog owners will often carry an ID card giving their name and the name of their dog. “We would definitely encourage anyone to report incidents like this to the NTA.”

According to Léan Kennedy, Advocacy and Policy Officer for the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind: “People who are blind or vision impaired, travelling with their guide dog, should not face difficulties when getting a taxi or hackney service.

“The door to door service they provide is a basic means of transport for people with disabilities. It is distressing to blind or vision impaired people, with a guide dog, when they are refused a service by a taxi or hackney driver.

“Taxi and hackney drivers are lawfully entitled under the Taxi Regulation Acts and the Equal Status Acts to travel by taxi without discrimination and at no extra charge for their guide dog, their essential mobility aid.

“The guide dog is highly trained and hygienic, lying in the passenger foot well, alongside its owner’s feet.”

Officer Helps Struggling Woman

Pandemic Puppies

With more time at home, many people are adopting or purchasing young dogs and asking “when should I start training my puppy?” Service dog trainers and responsible breeders start working with puppies when they are just three days old. Programs such as Puppy Culture, Early Neurological Stimulation and AviDog outline age-appropriate exercises to complete with puppies while they are still with the mother.

Retailers can establish themselves as experts and develop customer loyalty by providing free educational resources for new puppy owners. Consider establishing an email list to send out training tips and resources. Collaborating with a professional dog trainer to host “Ask the Trainer” sessions in your store can attract new customers as they purchase recommended products from the session.

So what should we be training our dogs as soon as we get them home? While many owners are eager to work on potty training or obedience skills such as sit, down, and stay, there is more to puppy rearing than that.

Socialization is a top priority for new puppies. We want to consistently expose our dogs to new stimuli in a wide variety of environments. We must do this carefully and thoughtfully to create a confident and resilient puppy. Allowing puppies to see novel or potentially scary things at a distance and reinforcing them for calm or inquisitive behaviors will create a dog that doesn’t startle easily. We should allow puppies to engage with the items on their owner terms; never pushing the puppy past their comfort zone or flooding them with scary stimuli.

With social distancing suggestions in place for the foreseeable future, it can be challenging to socialize our dogs in ways that we were once guided to. Previous socialization protocols called for playing with lots of different dogs and being greeted or petted by a wide variety of people. While this is not inherently bad, it can create a dog that is overexcited to greet people and dogs. Teaching our dogs to passively observe people and dogs will create a stable temperament with our dogs. Taking puppies to dog-friendly parks, and people-watching is one safe way to get started. Positive Reinforcement dog training helps build behaviors in our dogs. I’m a big fan of wearing a treat pouch around and reinforcing all of the behaviors I like and want to see continue. For example, if I find my puppy relaxing in the house, I’ll quietly walk over and drop a treat in front of their paws. They may pop up and follow me around after that, but I’ll just wait for another calm behavior before dropping a treat to them again. Similarly, if I find my puppy making good choices around the cat, or choosing to quietly observe the people walking past the front window, or ignoring the plate of food I left on the coffee table, I’ll reinforce all of those good behaviors. Reinforcement by design increases the frequency of the behavior. An alternative to wearing a treat pouch is to have small jars of treats or kibble around the house. Strategically places these jars in locations where problem behaviors may occur, such as the front door, in the kitchen, or near the dining room for quick access. By reinforcing good behaviors, or the absence of problem behaviors early on you are likely to avoid serious issues later.

Pet owners are often curious about basic obedience skills. Life-saving cues such as “Come” and “Leave It” are critical cues to teach and can keep the puppy out of trouble. Teach your dog to respond to their name and come racing back to you. A fun exercise to try in a fenced back yard is to call the puppy by name, and then turn and run away from them when they look to you. Reinforce the puppy with a high-value treat when they catch up to you. Leave It should be taught in small approximations. Start with a cookie in one fist. Show the hand to the puppy and say “Leave it.” When the puppy stops investigating the cookie hand, mark with a clicker and reinforce with the opposite hand. Gradually build to being able to set the cookie on the ground without the puppy stealing it.

To find a professional trainer, I recommend checking the trainer look up features at ccpdt.org or apdt.com. Working with a professional to offer educational session or provide written tip sheets for your customers can help establish your retail location as the go-to expert in the area and build customer loyalty.

Pet Industry

There’s only one Bo Derek, the actress who shot to superstardom in 1979 after appearing in 10, followed by Tarzan and Bolero in the 1980s. Thanks to memorable appearances on such TV talk shows as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Late Night with David Letterman and the Arsenio Hall Show, in addition to being in films like Tommy Boy, the iconic celebrity continued to be a household name through the ‘90s.

Derek made her first foray in the pet care industry in 2000, when she launched Bless the Beasts, a pet care line (shampoos, conditioners, pomades and fragrances) that was exclusively available in Petco stores. She redeveloped the pet grooming line, rebranding the name to Bo Derek Pet Care, and released a shampoo, conditioner and tearless face wash in 2017. The products are currently available in select pet boutiques, grooming salons and other brick-and-mortar stores.

This past July, Derek appeared on talkshoplive, an e-commerce platform that enables the public to interact with celebrities—including Garth Brooks, Alicia Keys and Julie Andrews—and shop small businesses via a live video stream. It was Derek’s first time hosting a segment on the platform, which saw her bathing her dogs outside a horse stall on her California ranch while answering questions from viewers, several of whom appeared to be regular customers who she knew by name.

During the talkshoplive segment, Derek detailed the ingredients, which include such exotic botanicals as meadow foam oil and amino acids that nourish, soothe and protect the pet’s coat. According to Derek, the product line features a signature fragrance that’s “specially formulated to neutralize canine malodors, not simply mask them.” This is Bo Derek, who possesses a genuine passion for animals, including her dogs. I had the opportunity to speak with Derek on several occasions since her talkshoplive appearance to learn more about what inspires an iconic celebrity to design a line of pet grooming products and make it available to independent retailers. BD: It went really well. We sold well. The people who were asking questions were great. It was a little complicated. Instead of sitting at a computer screen and reading questions, which most of the hosts do, my sister was reading the questions off my iPhone and throwing them at me. I’m trying to wash my dogs at the same time, and my dog was trying to bite my horse. It was a little chaotic, but that’s part of the fun. It was fun being on camera with my dogs Chico and Smokey, we were lucky with these two rescues. They have their “things” and rescue dogs come to you older, but they’re great dogs. I have three big German shepherds, and that’s a lot of dog. In the past, I’ve had a dozen dogs, but right now I have three.

BD: With the formulations and production, I’ve always been with Cardinal Labs. The first time I got into this business was quite some time ago. This journey started about 20 years ago when I was working with a perfume/menswear designer named Bijan, who was a friend of mine. Michael Jordan and I were doing a campaign for Bijan and, in the process, I found my partner in this business, Gene LaPorte, who was working with Bijan. We hit it off, and Gene was the one who took me to Cardinal Labs and [Cardinal CEO] Tony de Vos.

The Cardinal Labs plant [in Azua, California] is solar powered and clean water, and they’re great people. They’re so much fun to work with, and they’ve always been very patient with me.

From the very beginning, Tony’s been great. The quality of ingredients and product is superb. It’s been so consistent. And he’s fun to work with. He’s always got so much going on, and he’s an energetic, full-of-joy kind of guy.

I’ve learned so much from Tony. When I first visited the plant, he and I were walking through it and talking about the pH of a dog and talking about ingredients. I told him I wanted the best ingredients and that I didn’t want to throw money at something that doesn’t make a difference. He was the one who told me that some products are just industrial strength ingredients and there is a difference, so we started playing with the formulations. You can tell, you can tell right away. And when you’re rinsing the dog, you can tell that it’s coarse and doesn’t feel good.

I remember in the beginning he told me I’ll never make any money with just a line of shampoos. [she laughs] You know what? He’s right!

BD: You want everything to be natural today, and this is an example of using the latest in science in grooming products but it’s not a chemical. It’s taken a long time, but these products were really made for me trying to keep the dogs in the house with me.

When I got into this and worked with Cardinal Labs, I learned that most shampoos aren’t even pH-balanced for a dog. Tony and the Cardinal chemist taught me about cationic and anionic, which is not uncommon but is just another added expense in product production. Products can say “natural” and all these things, but it doesn’t feel good on the dog.

My shampoo is anionic, which is a negatively charged ion that enhances the shampoo’s ability to cleanse and release surface debris. The conditioner is designed to be cationic, which is a positively charged ion designed to adhere to the hair shaft for maximum sheen and softness.

The tearless face wash is good for even puppies and kittens. It’s super gentle. You could say it’s like baby shampoo for puppies and kittens. You’ll find some tear stain removers and facial wipes, but I needed something to clean my own dog’s face, and a damp sponge isn’t going to do it for my dogs when they put their face in manure.

There are some great botanical oils and moisturizers. The meadowfoam seed oil is a really amazing ingredient. The benefits for the planet in all kinds of ways are very appealing. Meadowfoam seed oil is a great substitute for sperm whale oil, which was always considered to be the finest oil for cosmetics and grooming products. Meadowfoam seed oil is good for the skin, it’s botanical and it feeds wildlife. I made sure to make that my number one moisturizing ingredient.

And I have the patented fragrance that is in everything. It’s called Neutriff. It’s a combination of fragrances that actually neutralizes doggy odors or canine malodors. It works. This does not just compliment the dog, it doesn’t fight with the dog, it really neutralizes the odor due to the blend of fragrances. It’s the recipe of fragrances.

BD: The product formulation today is different, and there are more natural ingredients in today’s product. As for me, my experience in 2000 was very discouraging. But I think what’s different now is the time I can personally give to the company. I’m fulfilling orders right now as we speak. And I’m involved in all the social media promotion of the company because I have the time. I’m personally hands-on involved in the company. In 2000, I wasn’t. I had investors. I had a marketing person. It was very different.

When my products hit the market in 2017, it was as a small, family-owned company. It’s me and my sister. We do it all. My niece has a social media company, and we hired her for a few months to get us going. But my sister and I do it all. It’s great. The people I meet and the contacts I make are really fun. But when you’re manufacturing in small batches as we are, it’s really expensive. But Cardinal Labs can bump up my production at any time.

I do have opportunities to use my name in more of a licensing capacity. There are investors who want to come in and make it a good, financial, “let’s make a lot of money” thing, but I would lose control. This is what I care about, and I feel good about it. I’m not going to change the formulations. It’s super concentrated, but that’s so they last a long, long time. I have three dogs, and it would be depressing if I used up one bottle every time I washed my dogs.

I’m doing store visits now to help promote the products. Muttropolis will send me a note and ask “Can you do this?” or “Can you make a call?” or “Can you go to a radio station?” I’m available to do that now. I can help support the product for the retail market. I just did an ESPN show [Cofield & Co.] and we talked about the product. So I’m available to use my cache to help promote the product for brick-and-mortar stores.

And so many other things have happened since 2000. People’s relationship with their pets has changed. Twenty years ago, there were more backyard dogs that got a bath only once a year. Pet grooming products are more important now and are part of our lifestyle now.

It was funny, when I did the ESPN show, we were talking and one of the show’s hosts asked if I thought his getting a blueberry mask facial for his dog was too much. It shows you how it’s different, and pets are now part of our family. I have more customers today because people want to spoil their dog, and they want their dog to smell and feel good and not have skin allergies.

BD: I enjoy being able to give away product to various charitable causes, particularly military dogs on deployment.  I like to help military working dogs. They’re doing us all a service. I want the dog to have a happy life with their handler, and I don’t want the person to have to pay vet bills and food bills and have it be a burden.

Even before 9/11 I was aware of these working dogs. I got my first protection dog, which was bred and trained by the same people who train military working dogs. I grew up with dogs and horses, and thought I knew a lot about them. I got to learn a lot from my trainer, Howard Rodriguez, who trains protection dogs. I found the training so fascinating—the breeding, the intelligence of the dogs—it’s a dog bred and trained just for their service. I found them to be very friendly dogs, but when you turn on that switch, they do their job.

Then 9/11 brought it everyone’s attention, no matter what we do and spend in our defense department, these dogs do what no machinery can in saving lives. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, dogs were so important.  I have wanted to help these dogs for so long. I admire them and the people who train them.

When we started up the company again, I felt that was a natural place to support. There’s one charity that sends gift boxes for military dogs. I’ll send 200 bottles of shampoo, and it goes to dogs all over the world on deployment, and that’s in addition to the financial donations. Some of the handlers will post pictures from an undisclosed location of a dog getting a bath with my bottles of shampoo, and it makes me very happy. BD: I think the product will definitely perform for them. We’re offering them something that they’re not going to get with the big chain stores. And I’m here to support the products.  I’m the one opening and personally answering all the emails. I’m talking to people every day. I’ll go into stores like Muttropolis—it’s like a community gathering place. I’ll watch the customers and interact with them. I truly stand behind the products.

Animal Shelters In LA

Since August 16, 2011, shortly after Brenda Barnette was appointed GM at Los Angeles Animal Services, Best Friends Animal Society (NKLA) — one of the nation’s strongest proponents of Pit Bull ownership–has occupied the new Northeast Valley “Mission” Animal Shelter rent-free and as a “service provider.”

The construction of this facility was deemed by consultants to the City to be necessary because of population increase in 2000 and is still being paid for by Los Angeles City property owners under Prop. F bonds.

Best Friends has developed and marketed its plan called “No Kill Los Angeles” from this location since then, initially predicting LA would reach a “live-save” rate of 90% by 2017.

Best Friends is also one of the nation’s most-outspoken promoters of Pit Bull ownership, maintaining several sections on its website expounding on the virtues of this breed-type. Pit Bulls are also by far the dominant breed in L.A. Animal Services shelters, with the longest impound periods.

Best Friends has dramatically decreased the number of animals it “saves” from City shelters under its annual contract with the City of LA and indicates it is making further changes in its “lifesaving” center, which according to the description, would preclude many of these long-stay dogs — in favor of concentrating on cat and kittens.

This could be a very temporary indicator; however, largely due to COVID allowing GM Barnette to minimize intake of animals by closing two busy shelters–West Valley and North Central, serving downtown LA and Hollywood).

In fact, LAAS stats show that in July 2020, City shelters had impounded only 14,527 animals in its four open shelters, compared to 27,657 by July 2019, in all six.

And that makes us wonder what happened to the other 13,000+ pets/strays. LAAS advises that lost/stray animals be left where found on the streets, taken in and kept by strangers, or brought into an open-shelter location by appointment only has dramatically decreased impounds–and, thus, lowered the number that were euthanized for severe illness, injury or aggression, which would help its “No Kill” stats, but not necessarily the animals.

Best Friends admits that COVID has helped: “We could not have dreamt up the support we received from the community at the start of COVID and want to keep the momentum going . . .As a result, we are making a few changes in Los Angeles. These changes really seize the acceleration opportunities that COVID helped bring about.” It also states, “In Los Angeles, we’ve seen how effective we can be when working with a coalition of partners, Best Friends, Los Angeles Animal Services and our incredible NKLA coalition has already made LA no-kill for dogs, and we are primed to continue to support LAAS as well as expanding our work beyond the city’s borders.” Here are excerpts from the “overview” under “The Best Friends Lifesaving Center in Mission Hills, “We will continue that evolution by ending the long-term housing of dogs and cats on-site and shifting our focus and resources to a community embracing, foster-based model of lifesaving programs. . .this will include transferring long-term resident dogs out of kennels to the Sanctuary. . .by the end of 2020.” It continues, “Mission Hills will continue to be open to the public for cat and dog adoptions who are there for short-term stays.”

“No Kill” is supposedly achieved by achieving a 90% live-save rate at the shelter (meaning 90% left alive, no matter where they went.) So, in July 2020, LAAS stats show a “live-save” rate of 93.84% of dogs; 94.25% of kittens; and 83.05% of cats reportedly left alive. Averaged out this equaled an overall 91.19% = BINGO!  It appears Best Friends quickly announced that Los Angeles has reached the magical “No Kill” —  before the doom-and-gloom reality forecast by GM Brenda Barnette and Commission President Larry Gross — all based on “evictions,” not loss of jobs or closing businesses — to justify changing the West Valley shelter to a Community Services Center, which will allow free space for New Hope rescuers with pets from other City shelters/areas and a rental/eviction office. (Larry Gross heads one of the most prominent rental-advocates groups in Los Angeles.)

Barnette has not been able to make a plausible explanation of how closing one of the largest City shelters to homeless animals in the community is going to solve or assist this problem AND not add to it, since 40% of the entire City of Los Angeles will be left with only the smaller East Valley animal shelter located in Van Nuys.)

The database of current dogs impounded in the four Los Angeles city shelters remaining open during COVID shows that  at least 85% are Pit Bull-types — some stating “for rescue only,” which indicates behavioral/aggression issues too dangerous to release them directly to the public, thus “rescues” are allowed “re-home” them. Many came into the shelter as early April 2019.

Best Friends Animal Society is undoubtedly the nation’s strongest supporter of  “saving them all” when it comes to Pit Bull-type dogs, even featuring a Pit Bull on the “No Kill” announcement to LA volunteers.

According to Los Angeles Animal Services statistics, there are only 243 dogs currently held at the four shelters (North Central still closed and Barnette planning to “reconstitute” the desperately needed West Valley shelter as a “Consumer Service Center,” which would not impound the animals for which it was built and paid.”)

She assures that the thousands of others (14,527) have been “fostered” or adopted into wonderful homes. On April 27, 2020, Mayor Eric Garcetti transmitted a “First Amendment to Contract No. 128954 with Best Friends Animal Society, to provide Facility Operation Services for the Northeast Valley Animal Shelter,” to extend the contract for one year, from January 1, 2020, through December 30, 2021. The CAO’s report states that the Northeast Valley (NEV) shelter will be included in the $500,000 provided for animal-shelter Capital Improvements.  “Approval of the recommendation in this report will have no additional impact on the General Fund. An allocation of $500,000 is included in the City’s Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Capital Improvement Expenditure Program. . .to support maintenance costs at all Animal Services facilities, including the NEV (North East Valley). The animals that have the longest stays in Los Angeles Animal Shelters are Pit Bull-type dogs. Does this mean Best Friends is abandoning the breed it most extols?

Rodeo Queen And Her Dog

Most people have a strong bond with their dog, but Hayven Chase, Bonner County’s reigning rodeo queen, has a unique connection with 6-month-old pup Scentinel.

Hayven, of Athol, has Type 1 diabetes. When her blood sugars are low, the service dog lets his young owner know so she can take care of the matter.

“I wear a continuous blood sugar monitor on my arm. He can catch it about 15 to 20 seconds before my monitor does,” said the 16-year-old daughter of Reed and Roxanne Chase.

The golden labradoodle is devoted to Hayven. During the nighttime while she’s sleeping, Scentinel has been known to awaken Hayven to tell her she needs to take care of her sugar levels, the teen said.

Scentinel’s mother was a Goldendoodle and her father was a lab. Goldendoodles are friendly, quick to learn and loving, and labs are an athletic breed that is happiest when they’re working.

“The breeder bred Scentinel’s mother with a lab — for a little more drive,” she said.

Scentinel’s training began early. As young as one month, Scentinel started his training with Hayven at Lily Grace Service Dogs in Sandpoint, learning to detect low blood sugar through the breath and through saliva samples in little tins with holes in them. One saliva sample would be a normal blood sugar reading and the other one a saliva sample taken when Hayven’s blood sugar was low.

When Scentinel chose the “low” sample, he received a treat. He associates the “low” smell with a reward and is now able to detect Hayden’s blood sugar levels even when he’s many feet away from her.

Training is now underway for detection of high blood sugars, Hayven said.

When Scentinel detects a “live low,” he sits and paws her to get her attention.

A service dog is expensive; Hayven’s family and Bonner County’s horse community held fundraisers to assist with costs.

Hayven is a busy young person. To earn her title as 2020 Bonner County Rodeo queen, she competed in horsemanship competitions, participated in opportunities for public speaking, attended a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association queen clinic, and attended clinics with Miss Rodeo Idaho and Miss Rodeo America. She had to demonstrate an extensive knowledge of rodeo and model fashionable western attire. Multiple judges, some with strong horsemanship backgrounds and some with strong rodeo backgrounds, were on the judging panel.

Hayven, who lives with her family on 10 acres, where they have a few cows and horses, will attend Timberlake High School as a junior. She’s an active member of Future Farmers of America and enjoys barrel racing, learning to rope, O-mok-see racing — a timed pattern racing event — running flags, and leathercraft. She is an instructor for the Mica Creek Horse Club and has earned several championships for O-mok-see racing.

“I am passionate about agriculture, the western way of life, the sport of rodeo, and advocating for people like myself — with hidden disabilities,” she wrote in an online report on the Bonner County Fair website.

“Having been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 8 years old, I’ve never let it stop me from attaining my goals. Instead, I have turned it into motivation to help and hopefully inspire others,” she wrote.

And now she has the support of a best friend “who also knows when I need help,” she said about her beloved service dog, Scentinel.

Tessa’s The Pet Of The Week

Every Monday we search through all of the photos submitted by our viewers using Chime In just to find that one special pet to feature as our Pet of the Week.

This week we chose Tessa, a 13-year-old Rat Terrier Mix who is also a certified therapy dog sent in by Beverly Oakes. Beverly says that she must be must be mixed with something really calm, because she doesn’t have any of that “Rat Terrier jitteriness.” Beverly adopted Tessa from outside of a PetsMart back in 2007. “It was 28 degrees outside and they were having an adoption even out in front of the PetsMart. I was not in any way planning to get a dog, but there was a large pen there with several large breed puppies and this other little one that was curled up on a bath rug, shivering for all she was worth with her nose tucked into her belly,” said Beverly. “I picked her up and stuck her inside my jacket and our hearts connected. I realized almost immediately she was not a puppy. I asked the lady there and was told she was about a year old and had been schedule for euthanasia that day, so they were trying to get her adopted. Of course I had already made up my mind she was mine.”

When she brought her home, she asked her what she should name her and started listing off some names. When Beverly said Contessa, the little dog raised herself up and did a little spin, so really, she chose her own name. It got shortened to Tessa because it was easier to say.

Tessa eats healthy, getting fed Science Diet but also loves her treats and chews. She loves any toy that squeaks. The squeakier, the better! And she loves to play fetch, but she selects which toy she wants to go after. Beverly has taught her to sit pretty, roll over, dance, crawl, wave and rest her head on a person. She said Tessa also knows “shh, go to sleep,” which was substituted for “bang, you’re dead” because that isn’t very appropriate when visiting hospitals and schools. Tessa is no stranger to the television spotlight, we shared her story back in 2011 showcasing her visiting hospitals and bringing joy to the patients. Like most beloved dogs, Tessa gets to sleep in her human’s bed. Beverly said,” She is the one dog that gets to because she is so good – never wakes us and never gets out of bed until we are ready to get up.” Tessa is also a great protector of cats, loving to cuddle up with them when given the chance.

Beverly said that Tessa has great energy, but is ultra calm when she goes visiting, almost like she can sense who needs a visit from her.

“Her cuteness shines in her willingness to wear these pink sunglasses I put on her for special events like Fiesta, Halloween parades, etc. Also, when she rests her head on a patient’s leg or arm, it melts hearts,” said Beverly. Tessa became a Registered Therapy Dog in 2008 with Therapy Animals of San Antonio and has been one since. She is tested every two years and always passes with flying colors. Therapy dogs are known to lower blood pressure, help to release endorphins that help calm people, diminish pain, lessen depression, encourage communication, increase socialization, reduce loneliness and much more.

Supporting Our Veterans

In honor of National Service Dog Awareness Month, Purina Dog Chow is launching its third annual “Service Dog Salute” campaign. A service dog can be life-changing in helping veterans with PTSD and other post-combat challenges. Unfortunately, due to the cost and time it takes to train a service dog, less than 1% of veterans in need can obtain one. Dog Chow is on a mission to help change that. The Service Dog Salute campaign supports the care and training of more service dogs for America’s military veterans — so that every hero in need can find a canine hero of their own.

Psychiatric service dogs are not the same as emotional support, therapy or companion dogs. Like service dogs for the blind, deaf and physically disabled, psychiatric service dogs for veterans must be specifically trained to help their handler perform tasks they cannot otherwise perform on their own. The training process can take from one to two-and-a-half years to learn to perform tasks such as:

Placing body weight on the veteran to promote a sense of calm during panic attacks
Waking the veteran from upsetting dreams or night terrors
Reminding the veteran to take medications
Alerting the veteran when someone is approaching from behind
Patrolling the perimeter of a room for triggers and threats
Over the next year, Dog Chow will follow the journey of several service dogs in training that are currently preparing to serve a veteran in need.

To help spread the word about the benefits of service dogs and how dog owners can help, radio and TV personality and avid military advocate Bobby Bones is joining forces with Dog Chow’s Service Dog Salute campaign for a second year.

“Service dogs provide so many benefits for military veterans, but it can cost over $20,000 on average to train one service dog – and less than 1 percent of veterans who need one can get one,” said Bobby Bones. “When our veterans come home from service, they may not be equipped to live their life without these dogs. I’m honored to be a part of a program that is helping more veterans get the service dogs they need.”

Dog Chow continues to help fund organizations that train service dogs for veterans with PTSD. From September 1, 2020, through Thanksgiving (November 26, 2020), for every purchase of a specially marked bag, Dog Chow will make a donation to its two partnering veteran service dog organizations, up to a total of $100,000. The donations will be split equally between the Pets & Vets program at Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) and Got Your Six Support Dogs. Over the last three years, Dog Chow has donated over $700,000 to support the training of more service dogs for military veterans.

“As a veteran, I am sensitive to the many issues fellow veterans face as they transition after their service; those who faced combat often have the greatest challenges” said Steve Degnan, Chief Human Resources Officer for Nestlé Purina North America. “It’s a privilege to be able to help my fellow service members, and I am proud that Dog Chow supports our nation’s military veterans in such an important and needed way.”

Purina and Dog Chow are also working with members of Congress in support of federal legislation to provide training and service dogs for veterans. The PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act (HR4305) will create a pilot program in the VA to give veterans access to treatment derived from working with service dogs. The bill has been approved by the House, but still awaits passage in the Senate. To support this legislation, Dog Chow is asking supporters to visit DogChow.com/service to send an email to their state senators urging them to pass the bill.

Four-Legged Heroes

What front-line heroes have four legs and a tail? Gracie the Goat, Porky the Pig and Dopey the Cat are a few. From farm animals to family pets, local organizations like Hospice of Chattanooga, Alleo Health System, McKamey Animal Center and Erlanger Health System work with volunteers to provide pet therapy in our community.

These stories are a tribute to the furry front-line heroes dutifully serving vulnerable populations during a time when a little unconditional love goes a long way.

Lining the sidewalk of NHC HealthCare, a parade of animals prances around the building smiling brightly at the residents inside. Don’t worry, they aren’t lost; they are front-line heroes.

One of these workers is Maggie, a middle-aged border collie who loves people and playing fetch. She starts her afternoon shift at NHC HealthCare among other four-legged friends.

Instead of pausing its Caring Paws Program, Hospice of Chattanooga took a different route, launching pet parades for the population most vulnerable to COVID-19.

The parades attract pet-lovers and volunteers from across the Chattanooga area, including Kathy Mindel, Maggie’s owner and local chapter leader for Love on a Leash, a national nonprofit that partners with communities to provide volunteers and implement animal therapy services in nursing homes, hospitals, schools and other places.

“The residents are not able to see many people right now, so you can imagine how overjoyed they are. It’s incredibly heartwarming to watch them engage with the animals through the windows,” Mindel says. “Often, we are with people as they undergo scary experiences like making a life transition, waiting on a lab report or spending last moments with a loved one. During these times, animals settle them in a unique way with their touch and gentleness.”

Under Alleo Health, Hospice’s Caring Paws is the only certified volunteer hospice pet program in the area. During regular operations prior to COVID-19, the program welcomes many visitors from Love on a Leash, including a retired veteran and his furry companion.

“When veterans are about to pass away, he actually does pinning services to thank them for their service. The ceremony gives these patients a sense of purpose and closure that they otherwise may not have had toward the end of their life,” says Lily Quinn, Alleo Health’s Strategic Communications Coordinator.

Even amid a pandemic, Hospice of Chattanooga operates with the belief that no one should die alone.

“We just want them to know, ‘Hey, we’re still thinking of you. We still love you. And we’re still here for you. It just looks different right now,'” Quinn says.

Every year, McKamey Animal Center (MAC) serves as a refuge to an average of 7,000 abandoned animals from the Chattanooga, Lakesite and Red Bank areas. During the pandemic, they saw a surge in adoptions.

Some adopters thought quarantine was the ideal time to commit to potty training. Others were looking for a companion who would ease their anxiety and console them during an uncertain time.

“As a social person, I thought to myself, it would be challenging to quarantine alone. Even if you’re not formally adopting an emotional support animal, there’s definitely something to be said about how animals help your emotional state, whether you realize it or not,” says Crystal Evans, MAC’s Executive Assistant and Program Coordinator.

No two work days are the same for Evans. She recently reflected on why she loves her job while driving home from a local nonprofit one Friday afternoon. The day before Evans received a call from Partnership for Families, Children and Adults (Partnership FCA), a local organization specializing in counseling, crisis intervention and prevention services.

Alongside animal adoption, domestic violence reports have spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April, the National Domestic Violence Hotline reported a 15% increase in its contact volume, and 10% of those contacts cited COVID-19 repercussions as a reason for abuse.

One of Partnership FCA’s residents needed MAC resources to vaccinate her beloved cat, so it could live with her in a shelter while she recovered from an abusive situation. Without vaccination, she would have to say goodbye to the 12-year-old best friend who accompanied her down a long, hard road.

“The cat is the one constant thing in her life. More than likely, the abuse was ongoing, not an isolated incident, so I’m sure it brought her countless hours of comfort in a challenging season,” Evans says.

Coming to the rescue, MAC completed the vaccination free of charge through funds it receives from the Angel Fund, which runs strictly on individual grants and donations.

“We don’t just save animals. We help people too. That’s what drives me to go to work every day,” Evans says.

MAC believes that no one should have to surrender a pet because they can’t afford to fit kibble in their budget. To help, it offers a PET Food Bank for people hit hardest by economic challenges.

As coronavirus continues to impact lives, MAC hopes to match more animals with people in need. If you ask them why you should adopt, they present a convincing case.

“Millions of animals are surrendered to shelters and rescues every year, including purebred animals. So, if you are interested in a certain breed, there are numerous breed-specific rescues you can adopt instead of purchase. We here at MAC receive many purebred animals yearly,” Evans says.

Erlanger’s Pet Therapy Program also provides an outlet for dog owners looking to volunteer their pets and time. Many of these volunteers are coordinated through Love on a Leash. Though Erlanger’s program is suspended due to COVID-19, Erlanger continues to raise awareness about its services and prepare volunteers for reopening.

“In the past, we’ve used therapy dogs in various settings, including in our occupational therapy department where they support patients working to recover their balance,” says Samantha Printup, Erlanger’s Ambassador and Pet Therapy Coordinator.

In addition to Love on a Leash, Erlanger partners with Human Animal Bond in Tennessee (HABIT), a program of The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, which sponsors animal-

assisted therapy programs. To apply for Erlanger’s program, you must attend a HABIT Information Meeting and give your dog a behavior evaluation. After passing, your dog will become an official Erlanger K-9 Ambassador.

“I’ve been in rooms where we have spent a significant amount of time watching people’s heart rates and blood pressures go down on the monitor,” Printup says. “And that’s just one of many examples, showing how animal therapy positively impacts everyone involved at Erlanger.”