Dog Daycare
Like most pet parents, Scott Jones considers his three dogs, a 2-year-old Yorkie and two older Malteses, to be his children. So much so that his wife, Elisa, would often tell the trio to “go with daddy” when they left the house for dog daycare.
The couple, who now own Dogtopia of Stamford, have had their dogs in a number of daycare facilities over the years, yet they often ran into the same problem at each one: transparency.
“We’ve had our dogs in daycares for years,” Jones said in an interview with Patch, “and we came across Dogtopia while looking for a better option for our dogs that provided transparency.”
According to Jones, most dog daycare facilities did not offer them any kind of look behind the scenes, leaving them yearning for a greater sense of comfort about leaving their beloved pets for hours each day.
This led them to Dogtopia, a franchise with over 100 locations across the country. Jones said he and his wife were immediately drawn to the facility due to their transparent nature; they were able to tour behind the scenes and see all the facilities upfront, rather than simply dropping their dogs off at the lobby.
“That led us to think we should just do this,” Jones said, “we should just buy one and provide that [transparency] for other pet parents.”
That ambition brought the couple to the city’s downtown area, where Dogtopia of Stamford opened in the historic Stamford Post Office building, located at 421 Atlantic Street, on Aug. 1.
“There are so many apartment buildings downtown, but there’s not a lot of dog parks that allow dogs to play,” Jones said, “and there’s definitely nothing that allows them in an open play environment…so we saw a great opportunity to provide that for the pet parents.”
Now the customers-turned-owners are able to provide that same transparency for other area pet parents, offering tours of their spa, food, boarding, play and other facilities located beyond the lobby door.
“We’re upfront about everything,” Jones said. “There’s nothing we don’t show our pet parents.”
In addition to showing off the facility, the owners will also set up meet and greets with each pet parent and conduct evaluations for each prospective pet.
“Not every dog is ready for daycare,” Jones said, “so we do an evaluation on the dogs to make sure that they’re comfortable with people, that they’re comfortable with going into a crate, because we give the dogs a break from 12 [p.m.] to 2 [p.m.]…we look at their comfort with other dogs, and then we look at their comfort in a play environment.” The facility also places heavy emphasis on safety for its canine clientele.
“The design of our facility has the dogs’ needs in mind,” Jones said. “We have rubber flooring, which is good for the dogs’ paws and their joints. It’s not so hard on them, and it’s a non-slip surface.”
Jones said the facility is frequently cleaned, however they make a point not to use any harsh chemicals and ensure all cleaning products used are pet-friendly. Even the facility’s canine coaches receive over 100 hours of training, both online and in person, and must complete three certification processes.
“We have very high standards of what we expect from our canine coaches,” Jones said, “because we have a responsibility for people’s furry children.”
While many are at home with their pets more frequently this year due to the spread of the coronavirus, Jones emphasizes that dog daycare is still an important service and is necessary to provide dogs with three things they need: exercise, education and socialization.
“The socialization allows them interaction with other dogs,” Jones said. “Other dogs can actually train dogs better than trainers do, just because they teach each other their body language and signals, and how to interpret them.”
While the virus, also referred to as COVID-19, did delay the facility from opening on its original planned opening date in May, Jones said they were able to adjust to other requirements with relative ease.
“We sanitize our rooms twice a day,” Jones said. “We’ve always followed very clean processes that kill germs.”
The facility’s location also offers a unique upside in that it allows pet parents to pull in and drop off their dog, as opposed to having to come inside to drop them off, due to lack of available parking. The also have an app that informs the facility when pet parents are coming to drop off or pick up their dog.
For Jones, any extra work is worthwhile, as he feels Dogtopia of Stamford provides “a great service” that benefits dogs and their pet parents.
“Dogs that are well-socialized, educated and exercised create better canine citizens,” Jones said. “By doing that, they create a better environment for the pet parent and their family, and they create a better environment when they’re out in public with other dogs and around other people.”
He also emphasized the work done through the Dogtopia Foundation, which “enables dogs to positively change our world” through initiatives such as “funding service dog training for military veterans returning home” and providing support for “innovative youth literacy programs,” among other initiatives.
“The ability to work and play with dogs, but at the same time give back to the community,” Jones said, “it’s hard to ask for anything better.”
Hook Elementary Therapy Dog
tudents at Hook Elementary will now have a little furry friend to help them with stress and anxiety – thanks to Jack, and Anything’s Paws-ible.
Anything’s Paws-ible is a new therapy dog program supporting emotional well-being and cognitive development to local students.
Kristin Cashon began forming the non-profit organization over a year ago.
“I have on many levels and times in my life been affected by mental health, and now one of my children has mental health issues,” she explained. “My daughter was diagnosed with OCD and she is possibly early bipolar disorder. Through the process of getting her treatment and diagnosed, we were exposed to a therapy dog program at Cook Children’s and it made such an impact on her.”
Cashon saw how much the program helped her daughter and made it her goal to bring it to Stephenville ISD.
She approached SISD Superintendent Matt Underwood with the idea and handled the purchasing of the dogs and the training. Soon, the program was underway.
Now, Anything’s Paws-ible has a new therapy dog, a Schnoodle – schnauzer poodle – named Jack. He came from a family in Alabama who breeds and trains animals. Jack is hypoallergenic and doesn’t shed.
Jack will help students at Hook cope with testing and reading anxiety.
“Kids benefit from it whether they realize they do or not,” Cahson said. “One of the things that we target Hook for is they’re learning to read, so the ones who might have a speech impediment or even ESL, they can read aloud to the dog and the dog isn’t going to judge them for how they sound. They never have to feel under the microscope, so we thought reading to them in the library would be a good tool for them to get those readers to the next level.”
Jack will be in the library at Hook one day a week, until he gets comfortable, but will eventually be there every day.
Cashon said Jack will also be available to other schools in the district as needed.
“If they’re having problems with a student or if we have a crisis that happens at one of our schools, that is his first priority to just sit with that student, but the days he’s not doing that, he will be at Hook,” she said.
Cashon said the timing was perfect, with introducing Jack to students after a five-month break from school and the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus.
“It makes me emotional because I knew it would be important, but it’s really important to them and kind of gives them a reason to look forward to going to school again. They’re all worried about these masks and all these new procedures. It’s something kind of common that they can just enjoy…that part’s really special,” she said.
She said the organization’s long-term plan is to have a dog at every campus.
“We are going to work towards getting our second dog in the coming months since it takes about a year once we decide to do that,” Cashon said. “That’s the most important thing right now is to let everyone know that the program is still growing.”
Service Dog Vanishes
A Wisconsin mother fears she may have been cheated out of $20,000 in donations raised to buy a golden retriever service dog for her son, who has autism.
The contributions had come from all sides of their community: family members, their church and even the Green Bay Packers, who gave a signed football to the Olsons, according to 360aproko News.
“We had so much hope,” Morgan Olson, mother to Noah Olson, told the outlet. “And now it’s quashed.”
When the family finally raised enough to buy a dog through a Virginia nonprofit called Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers (SDWR), they never received a definitive answer from the organization about when they would meet the animal, which they hoped would help Noah manage his anger.
The group did not immediately respond to an inquiry from 360aproko news. The original fundraising page for the Olsons has disappeared from the group’s website, according to KHOU, and the phone number listed on its website has been disconnected. Links to the organization’s social media accounts lead to blank pages.
FEDS CRACK DOWN ON EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS ON FLIGHTS
SDRW’s website says its autism service dogs can help with creating an “overall calming effect,” “redirection from self-harm,” “improved sleep patterns,” “increased societal interaction” and more.
SDWR’s website (FBN screenshot)
In a 2019 interview with Amery Free Press, a Wisconsin news outlet, Olson said her son “had the desire to bang his head on the floor out of frustration, and his communication wasn’t where it should have been. Over the years, it has regressed and essentially disappeared.”
Olson provided KHOU with emails from the service dog organization that said if the family wished to raise donations, they would have to do so through an SDWR-controlled account.
The Olsons agreed, raised the money, and then received an email saying, “‘You have paid for your dog, you are on the waitlist to get your dog,’” Olson told the outlet.
ADOPTING, BUYING A DOG IS MOST, LEAST EXPENSIVE IN THESE STATES
Since then, she has heard nothing more.
An organization web page on frequently asked questions says the organization provides customers “the direction, guidance, and support that is necessary” to raise donations through its “client services department and resource center.”
A Form 990 tax filing shows SDWR garnered $876,423 from contributions in 2017.
People have received dogs from the nonprofit in the past, though calling them “service dogs” would be a stretch, according to a 2018 lawsuit.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring complained in the suit, filed that May, that SDWR violated the state’s Consumer Protection Act and Solicitation of Contributions Law by misleading “hopeful and vulnerable consumers” who received untrained dogs “not equipped to help them manage a life-threatening disability.”
The lawsuit also alleges that the group violated Virginia laws by “misrepresenting to consumers, or deceiving consumers, about the [dogs’] testing, training, skills and abilities, and efficacy; what goods or services would be included in the cost of the dogs; how the dogs could be paid for; how long consumers would have to pay their balances due for their [dogs] and whether consumers could receive refunds.”
Another customer, Heather Hudson of Connecticut, told 360aproko News in 2018 that she received a six-year-old dog from the organization in 2012 after paying a $1,000 security deposit and raising $20,000. The dog was supposed to help her diabetic son and identify when his blood sugar was low.
Hudson told 360aproko news that the dog had bald spots on its head, likely from rubbing it against the walls of a kennel, had worms and parasites, was not crate-trained and began showing signs of skin allergies.
SDWR refused to refund Hudson any portion of the $20,000 she raised for the dog, she told the outlet.
Police Department Pawfficer
After not being in the office for a couple of months, Sage didn’t want to put her halter on and go back to work. Some can relate.
But she also missed her 20,000 friends. Sage’s freshman year ended prematurely, as the University moved to online classes in March due to the coronavirus (COVID-19). The 3-year-old black lab came to ISU a year ago as a new recruit for the Illinois State University Police Department (ISUPD). As a part of the community engagement unit, she is everybody’s dog.
And she knows it. In her first year, she connected with nearly 9,000 students, faculty/staff, and community members. And she showed up to 117 events. That’s a lot of socializing, even for Sage, who still needs some down time in her home at the police department in the Nelson Smith Building.
Last fall she had some health issues but a change in diet made all the difference. When the department went to reduced staffing last spring, she went home with one of the officers, but was back in the office in July, doing what she does best–visiting.
Sage came to the University last fall after a successful crowdfunding campaign, which raised more than $4,000 in a week. Her job is to help students transition to campus, assist officers with educational programs, provide comfort to crime victims, and provide a little pet therapy during programs such as PAWSitively Stress Free.
Kevin Goffard ’16, service area coordinator for Tri-Towers, has watched her work her magic at residence hall events, and sees her popularity as a campus icon rising.
“While everyone loves Reggie, everyone also loves Sage,” he said. “Sage truly helps bring out the Redbird spirit of everyone who encounters her. She helps to tear down walls, helps build bridges, and reminds us to be a bit more kind to one another.”
Part of Sage’s outreach is to be there for victims of crimes. Tim McCue, area coordinator at Tri-Towers, understands why she’s so effective.
“They’re not telling the story to a police officer, they’re telling the story to Sage,” he said. “Just as if you had a dog at home, the dog plops down next to you, and you tell them about your day.”
Sage also breaks down barriers between officers in uniform and students. When Sage does meet-and-greets with officers, it’s a different experience than an officer walking alone, McCue said.
“One of the coolest things that happened was students were having conversations with police officers that I’ve never heard before. The flow of that conversation started because the student asked, ‘Can I come pet your dog?’ And within 10 minutes we’ve gotten to, ‘If I feel unsafe walking home, what do I do?’
“Our officers are so seamlessly a part of the interaction. They’re able to let Sage be the star but as they start talking to students, they weave in education, and pieces of soft advice about being successful on campus. They blend the role of police officer and educator. Sage is the foot in the door, but what they are able to do once Sage gets them into the door is really fun to listen to.”
Officers have handed out more than 5,000 Sage badge stickers, which McCue said are like gold. “You see them on students’ laptops. Getting a sticker of Sage is on the bucket list at ISU.”
Watterson Towers Residence Hall Coordinator Kate Rybakova, M.A. ’19, invited ISUPD and Sage to a program she was giving on alcohol and drinking and driving awareness. Sage greeted students at the door.
“Sage was definitely part of the reason why the program ended up having such a high turnout,” she said. “Seeing a therapy dog in the room, students just couldn’t resist the urge to come in and pet her.”
ISUPD Chief Aaron Woodruff knows Sage’s weakness–balls. Any ball.
“She’s spoiled,” he said. “You put a ball in front of her and that’s all she cares about and she won’t stop. She’ll come into the office and drop it there and just stare at you.”
Initially, she was trained as a service dog through SIT Service Dogs, which breeds, trains, and places service dogs for those with disabilities. But trainers found her a little too social for that role. Now, she’s right where she belongs.
Dog Training Program
Derek Swenningsen isn’t the typical for trainer for puppies who go to become service animals but right now, volunteers like him are all Tender Loving Canines had.
“We’re making arrangements and trying to recruit new volunteers to take those puppies until volunteer programs inside prisons can pick back up again,” said Victoria Cavaliere with TLC.
TLC’s 8-week-old puppies started out in prisons where inmates train them before they went to helping those in need.
“We teach incarcerated individuals who are in the program how to train dogs to become service dogs using only positive reinforcement.” But since COVID-19, they had to switch gears.
“We’re looking for someone who is just passionate about the mission and has the time to open up their homes to having a puppy in their home,” allowing those like Swenningsen to take their place as trainers.
“I feel obligated to do my best and make sure Fiji gets the best he can to make it through the program and help a fellow veteran out.”
Veterans and those who have disabilities or other medical conditions relied on service animals, putting TLC’s dogs in demand, even amid a pandemic.
“To take a dog from a little puppy and mold it into what you want it to be which is this amazing superhero for someone with a disability and help give them independence and get them out of their homes and be part of the world.”
TLC partnered with Guide Dogs of America and has been in service for 20 years. Cavaliere said their program helped those with disabilities and medical conditions, and inmates as well.
“Individuals training these dogs are learning about the science of behavior and its helping them with their rehabilitation. They’ll be our neighbors someday so hopefully it’ll reduce recidivism so there’s a good benefit there.”
Children’s Hospital Of Philadelphia
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has officially welcomed its first, full-time trained facility dog, who will help ease anxiety and reduce stress for young patients and their families. SSD Dilly (or Dilly for short), a two-year-old yellow Labrador funded by the Dunkin Joy in Childhood Foundation and Hope in the Air Foundation, was raised and trained by Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD), a program of Keystone Human Services that raises, trains and places service dogs and hearing dogs, as well as facility dogs, to assist children and adults with disabilities to become more independent.
Facility dogs can be a critical part of treatment teams, trained to do tasks like teach children how to take a pill, keep them calm during medical interventions, provide incentives for them to get out of bed for a walk, and much more. In partnership with their designated handler, these dogs are trained to have a positive impact on the healing process.
“Dilly will be a wonderful tool in the toolbox for our Child Life team, as well as other clinical partners like our physical, occupational and speech therapists,” said Lisa Serad, program coordinator for the Gerald B. Shreiber Pet Therapy Program at CHOP. “There are so many times we knock on a patient’s door, and the patient simply glows when they see a dog. It makes it so much easier to build rapport and motivate many of our patients with a furry four-legged partner!”
In 2019, CHOP received philanthropic support from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation’s Dogs for Joy program and Hope in the Air Foundation to help establish a facility dog program and begin the process of obtaining a facility dog, which included an application process, multiple interviews, and “Meet the Dogs” sessions to help ensure the chosen facility dog was a good match for CHOP. Elizabeth Olsen, a Certified Child Life Specialist at CHOP and Dilly’s handler, along with two back-up handlers and Serad, completed extensive training at SSD with Dilly in July before his arrival at CHOP.
“These special dogs not only bring joy to children battling illness but serve an important role within a child’s treatment team. By joining the CHOP team, Dilly will provide comfort and joy to so many pediatric patients and their family members,” said Kari McHugh, Executive Director of the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation. “The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation is always seeking ways to help kids feel like kids, even on their most difficult days. Nothing brings joy more than four paws, a wet nose, and a wagging tail.”
While CHOP patients and families are already familiar with hospital volunteers and their registered therapy dogs as part of the Gerald B. Shreiber Pet Therapy Program*, Dilly’s role will be different. He will work with a CHOP staff member, focusing on goal-oriented visits rather than social-oriented visits that our volunteers and their registered therapy dogs are accustomed to providing. Facility dogs are often used in physical, occupational and speech therapy sessions, for procedural support, and to help with ambulation, distraction, and coping skills.
“Anyone that owns or has owned a dog knows the sound their collar makes is something you become familiar with and in some way, it provides a sense of reassurance,” said Chris Miller with the Hope in the Air Foundation. “With the launch of the Facility Dog Program within the CHOP facilities, it is our hope this new sound in the halls will bring reassurance to patients, patient families and staff, and that they will be able to overcome whatever they are facing. Hope in the Air is proud to be a part of this exciting new program at CHOP and we recognize that this would not be possible without the overwhelming generosity of our supporters.”
*The Gerald B. Shreiber Pet Therapy Program is currently on hiatus due to COVID-19.
Man Saved By Prayers And His Dogs
A Scottsdale man who survived a long, hard battle with COVID-19 said he was saved by his family’s prayers and his dogs.
Dennis Lauchner, 67, had never had any health issues before. He said that’s why he didn’t take COVID-19 seriously. Until it almost cost him his life.
He never thought his family vacation near San Diego, would end with him fighting for his life against the coronavirus.
“I was about as close to death as possible,” Dennis said.
On July, the Lauchner family left Scottsdale for Coronado, CA. By that night, Dennis was admitted into Sharp Coronado hospital with breathing problems. After two weeks in the hospital, his family got a devastating call from a nurse.
“She said would you want to see him? Because this will be the last time,” said Katee Lauchner, Dennis’ wife.
“It took over my entire body. Every vital organ except my heart shut down,” said Dennis.
“We told him how much we loved him, we told him keep fighting, not to give up,” said Lauchner.
The Lauchner family kept that promise. Katee organized prayer sessions every night at the beach, while Dennis was in the hospital, paralyzed as a part of proning therapy to help him fight the virus.
“If it weren’t for my wife, my daughter I don’t think I would be here. And my dogs,” Dennis said.
His two certified therapy dogs Coco and Cici got to visit him when his family couldn’t.
“They were as excited to see me as I was to see them,” said Dennis. They helped him get his mind to a more positive place.
“It was a sense of normalcy,” said his daughter Jessie Robinson.
Jessie documented Dennis’s recovery on social media with videos.
After 45 days, Dennis was released from the hospital COVID-19 negative. His nurses and family cheered him on when he was released Monday.
“I have a new lease on life,” he said.
He said that he still has a ways to go before he’s back to normal.
He still goes to the hospital for blood tests, and his relearning how to walk, but is excited for the journey ahead.
K-9 Havoc
Brimfield Police lost a member of the force last Saturday.
K-9 Havoc was 12 years old when he died. Knarr said Havoc’s hips gave out and he had some other complications, so he had to be put down.
Havoc began working as a K-9 for the Brimfield Police Department in 2009 and served for about nine years, said his handler, Sgt. David Knarr. Havoc retired in September 2018.
“Havoc was a phenomenal partner. He idolized me. If he wasn’t looking at me, he was right near me. He just locked on to me right from the start,” Knarr said of Havoc.
Knarr said he got Havoc as a six-week-old puppy from Whited K-9 services in Brimfield and began training him immediately. Schmidt’s of Macedonia worked with Knarr to train the dog.
Knarr said Havoc barked a lot, which could scare people who didn’t know him. But Havoc was also a licensed therapy dog, something Knarr said was rare because hospitals often won’t certify dogs who have had aggression training. Havoc would go to Field Schools on test days to help the students and staff de-stress, Knarr said.
“He lowered the temp of the school, when people were agitated he would walk through the building and calm people down,” Knarr said.
At the time, having a K-9 with the school resource officer was not common, Knarr said.
When it came time for Havoc to retire, Knarr said, he bought Havoc for a dollar and Havoc came to live at his family’s home. But for the rest of his life, Havoc wanted to go back to work, Knarr said.
“The day we retired him, he sat by my door for two hours wanting to go to work with me,” Knarr said.
Havoc was replaced by Brimfield K-9 Recon the same day Havoc retired. Knarr also handles Recon and handled K-9 Ace beginning in 2003 prior to having Havoc.
Lex The Therapy Dog
East Dallas, our collective allostatic load is off the charts. Chronic stress from the pandemic is taking its toll. Fortunately, right here in our neighborhood you’ll find a kind, patient therapist that will happily listen to your litany of woes and maybe even wag his nub of a tail. He is Lex the therapy dog.
If you’ve walked, biked or driven down Belmont Avenue lately, maybe you’ve seen the sign in the Great Dane’s front yard: “Free Therapy with Lex, Daily 6-7 P.M.”
No mere novice, this highly trained pooch teamed up with his person, Jennifer Neily, over the past four years to bring comfort to the young and not-so young in East Dallas, as well as other parts of the city. It’s a pretty impressive resume considering his Dickensian beginning as an underweight stray found wandering the streets of Denton.
In 2015, he was picked up with his brother by a Great Dane rescue operation in Denton County. He was 20 pounds underweight and had a bad case of “happy tail,” a syndrome that occurs when an animal is confined to a space too small for its size and injures its wagging tail by banging it against something hard. It caused the aforementioned nub. Neily was a fan of the breed, having adopted and fostered several Great Danes over the years. She was fostering Lex when she received word from the match committee that it might have a possible placement for him. When committee members asked if she could provide more information about him, she said, “No, I cannot.”
“I made the immediate decision to be a foster failure,” Neily says. “This guy was not leaving my home. No way. Best decision ever.”
A few months later, Neily was checking her Richard College email — she is an adjunct professor there — when she ran across an announcement about therapy dogs being on campus during exam week.
It was a light bulb moment, and Neily soon started training Lex, ultimately registering him through Alliance of Therapy Dogs.
“I knew he had the right disposition for therapy,” she says.
She describes him as “chill” and possessing a “quiet disposition.” However, he has a bit of ham in him. He loves posing for photos and gives high-fives for treats.
Neily and Lex have made the rounds at assisted living facilities, such as The Plaza at Edgemere, The Bentley in North Dallas and, most often, CC Young. They’ve also worked at disaster sites, comforting the folks in temporary housing after the Houston hurricane and, just last year, victims of the tornado in North Dallas. Of course, Lex has also been a regular at Richland College during exam week, calming students’ frayed nerves.
Lex was a busy, happy dog until the pandemic hit. Suddenly, his therapy gigs came to a screeching halt as everyone hunkered down, and special programs were suspended. It was clear that Lex missed his work, Neily says.
“We’d be walking in the neighborhood on our evening walk with Lex vying for people’s attention,” she says. “If someone was in the driveway, he’d make a beeline toward them, thinking, ‘Well, of course you want to say hello to me.’”
Neily found she had time on her hands and was hanging out in her front yard more, so she decided to make the best of the situation and posted a sign advertising Lex’s free therapy. Neighbors responded enthusiastically.
“Even though I know many in my neighborhood, I’ve met many more through our interactions,” she says.
Some of the curious who wandered by to receive Lex-style TLC became regulars. The Thormodsgards are a young family who live nearby and met the big pooch during a random walk one evening in April.
Justin Thormodsgard says his daughters, Izzy and Evy, ages 6 and 4, love Lex and have made visits with him part of their daily routine. They even told Neily, “Our night doesn’t feel complete without a visit to Lex.”
“The idea of visiting a dog that’s much larger than they are is always fun and exciting,” Thormodsgard says.
Bonus: Thormodsgard and his wife, Kristin, have found a way to use Lex as a reward.
“The goal each night is to finish dinner before Lex’s hour expires,” he says. “It’s a good incentive for our girls to eat dinner.”
It’s a win-win for everyone involved. Thormodsgard says he enjoys watching his children have fun with Lex. He senses that this brand of therapy helps with his girls’ stress levels, observing that they’re “overall happier kids.”
Neily has reaped benefits as well.
“It’s been interesting talking to people and hearing how everyone is coping with COVID,” she says. “This part of Dallas is amazing. I feel privileged living here in Lakewood Heights.”
PATTI VINSON is a guest writer who has lived in East Dallas for more than 20 years. She’s written for the Advocate and Real Simple magazine.
Firefighter’s Best Friend
For Kerith, supporting her firefighter friends was the least she could do as they battle the Woodward Fire.
On Friday morning, Kerith traveled to West Marin to join dozens of Marin County firefighters at the staging area for the Woodward Fire. She was greeted with hugs and smiles as she made the rounds to all the different fire trucks and firefighters getting their daily instructions on how to battle the 2,400-acre blaze that is burning in the southern end of Point Reyes National Seashore.
She also received a lot of petting from all her friends, since Kerith is not only a lovable Golden Retriever, but a licensed pet therapy dog.
“She doesn’t know there is a fire. She doesn’t know there is COVID. So she just knew she was seeing her friends and was really happy to do so. For the firefighters, I think it really made their day,” said Kerith’s owner, Heidi Carmen. “One firefighter from central Marin said, ‘This was the best base camp ever because Kerith was there.'”Kerith has been a licensed therapy dog for just over a year. Before the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, she was a frequent visitor to all of the Marin County firehouses, always providing her unconditional love to firefighters to help with their mental health, particularly after a tough call. “There are so many bad calls that firefighters go on that she’s there to help with the aftermath,” said Carman. “Because dogs don’t judge.” Carman raised Kerith since she was 8 weeks old as a guide-dog candidate for the School of the Blind in San Rafael. However, after 14 months, it was decided that she wasn’t right for the program.
“She’s too friendly to everybody, so that wouldn’t be good for guide-dog work,” explained Carmen. “A guide dog needs to be really devoted to one person and not be distracted. For Kerith, she just wants to love everybody.”
So instead, Carmen adopted Kerith and enrolled her in Pet Partners, a national therapy dog association.
After graduating, Kerith started volunteering at Marin General Hospital in the emergency room. She quickly became a favorite of all the firefighter medics. They requested her to start making visits to county firehouses, and she was enjoying making new firefighters friends across Marin before the pandemic struck.When the shelter-in-place orders closed firehouse to the public, Kerith had a hard time dealing with the separation from her friends.
“In the beginning of COVID, when we couldn’t do anything or see anybody, I would say she was depressed. She was just down,” Carmen explained. “She missed doing what she’s really meant to do, just give love to firefighters. ”
To pass the time and stay healthy, Kerith still went on trail runs and to the beach with Carmen.
Finally, after a few difficult months, she received permission to start seeing some of her Marin County firefighter friends outdoors while they were socially distanced and wearing masks.
With the wildfires starting, Kerith received permission from the Marin County battalion chief to come out to the Woodward staging area at the Bear Valley Visitors Center on Friday morning. For about an hour, Kerith walked around the fire engines in that parking lot, greeting firefighters in between daily briefings.
About 9.m., the firefighters headed out to their assigned locations to fight the fire. The Woodard Fire is difficult to fight because it’s in remote areas of the national seashore, requiring those combating the blaze to hike in and back out. Carmen gave all the firefighters a trading card of Kerith so they could keep her close while on duty.
Kerith is also on call for Cal Fire firefighters to go to base camps, but they are still not allowing pet therapy dogs due to the coronavirus.
But with permission, she will be out there again on Saturday morning to provide a few moments of levity and joy while supporting her friends.
She wouldn’t want it any other way.
