Ruby And Reno

A Nine Mile Creek man’s two best friends have literally become a hit travelling road show on P.E.I.

Mike Doucette, 64, a retired construction worker, loves to drive everywhere on his Spyder motorcycle but he never leaves home without Ruby, his eight-year-old golden retriever, and Reno, his four-year-old golden doodle.

But, what really stands out with this road show is the dogs accompany him on the road wearing their own helmets and goggles. The dogs are strapped in so they don’t jump or fall out. The goggles, called Doggles, protect their eyes from the wind and bugs. The helmets are just for fun.

Ruby and Reno are not only Doucette’s two best friends, they are also service dogs so they are often invited out to hospitals and seniors’ homes to help perk people up. The Kiwanis Dairy Bar in Victoria Park is another spot where they like to hang out.

Doucette said the story started in Ontario, where he is from, in 2012 when he was diagnosed with a number of serious health ailments. When he got out of the hospital, he decided it was time to start enjoying life a bit more. So, he bought a Spyder motorcycle and a trailer that he modified so Ruby could ride with him. Doucette said he was married at the time and his then-wife also bought a motorcycle and she wanted a dog to drive with. So, they got Reno.

“When I first started with Ruby I would put her in the trailer and just went up and down the driveway and she was fine,’’ Doucette said. “I put the goggles on her and it was fine so we went out on the road and she never once put up a fuss. Same with Reno. They were fine with it because they wanted to be with us.’’

Doucette and his wife aren’t together any longer but Ruby and Reno are still along for the ride.

Doucette said he has put about 60,000 kilometres on his motorcycle so far and has gone about 1,500 kilometres without the two dogs. He moved to P.E.I. in 2018.

Most of the road trips will involve stopping where the dogs can jump in water, cool off and chase a frisbee. Dairy bars are another hit with Ruby and Reno. They get an ice cream cone every time.

“It’s also an instant ice-breaker for people to come over and talk. You meet so many different people and I can see people’s reactions when we’re on the road. People come over and ask to take pictures.’’

The dogs are also a comfort for their owner. Doucette was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after he had adopted Ruby and Reno. His physician told him he should get service dogs but he already had two.

“It’s a comforting thing. I’m kind of a shy person. They give me confidence and it’s, I don’t know, a security blanket?’’

But, Ruby and Reno seem to be doing as much for other people as they’re doing for their owner.

“It puts an instant smile on your face,’’ said a woman passing by as The Guardian interviewed Doucette next to the dairy bar at Victoria Park.

Christina Linton, the activities director at the Dr. John M. Gillis Memorial Lodge in Belfast, said when her husband told her about the Facebook page she knew an invitation to the seniors’ home had to be extended.

“Before COVID, family members would come in and they would bring their pets. There is a real strong connection between residents and animals but since COVID animal visitors have also been restricted so they haven’t been able to get that love,’’ Linton said.

So, Linton invited Doucette and his buddies out where an event was held recently outside the facility so physical distancing could be observed. Of course, ice cream was on the menu. She called the event Ruby and Reno’s Drive-thru Dairy Bar. About 45 residents, and the dogs, enjoyed a variety of flavours of ice cream.

“When they saw them pull up, it was nothing but smiles,’’ Linton said, referring to Ruby and Reno’s arrival. “I mean, who has ever seen dogs in a motorcycle before wearing goggles and helmets? It was a wonderful day.’’

Doucette never tires of the attention, even when police officers pull him over to check on the dogs’ safety, and so they can snap a picture.

Doucette said one time in Niagara Falls, Ont., a police officer stopped traffic in all four directions at an intersection so he could take a picture of Ruby and Reno riding shotgun. Next thing Doucette knew, 50 bystanders had surrounded the motorcycle, everyone snapping pics.

“It really warms my heart,’’ Doucette said of what Ruby and Reno have done for him and others. “Visiting the nursing home in Belfast . . . that was a really touching day, just to see the seniors and the smiles on their faces..’

Doucette can’t imagine life without his sidekicks.

“What better way to ride around on a beautiful day than on a motorcycle with your two best buddies,’’ he said, choking back tears.

Service Dog Missing

A service dog is missing after a vehicle was stolen with the dog inside, according to Arlington police.

Charlotte, a 10-year-old female pit bull, is a service dog with 22 kill, a nonprofit organization providing mental wellness programs for veterans, first responders, and their families. NBC 5 has filed several stories on the organization.

Her owner, Taija Horne — who serves as a social worker with 22Kill — said Charlotte was inside her vehicle when both the car and dog were stolen from a Walgreens parking lot on Matlock Road around 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Horne told NBC 5 that Charlotte is her emotional support animal and also provides comfort and support to clients for 22Kill.

“The most important thing to me is getting her back. I don’t care about the car, the car can be replaced. She is irreplaceable. She means so much to me and everybody that’s met her,” said Horne. “She’s come such a long way in her own traumatic start in life and now she gets to return that favor to people who are struggling. She is the reason I can do my job day in and day out working in social services.”

Arlington police confirmed they are currently investigating the theft.

According to the police report, Horne told police she left her vehicle, a 2017 white Subaru Forrester, running with the doors unlocked while she ran into the store to make a quick purchase.

While she was in the store, police said an unknown male got into the vehicle and drove off with it.

Charlotte is gray and white with a microchip, which means she can be dropped off to any animal hospital. Horne said she is not aggressive but is most likely scared. A reward of $2,250 is being offered for her safe return.

Dog Control Service

Throughout lockdown the service has continued to operate, with wardens collecting dogs, keeping them safe and reuniting pets with their owners.

The Stray Dog Kennel at Greenacres, Talbenny, has also remained open to receive and care for stray dogs if the wardens have been unable to find their owners.

However, as with many council services, the workload has increased significantly.

The rise in dog ownership has naturally led to more people being out and about, exercising their pets.

While exercise is good for both pet and owner, this has created some additional work for the service.

Problems reported include an increase in dog fouling, people reporting dogs being out of control, off leads in public places, or their own dogs having been attacked by other dogs when owners have not kept them under proper control.

Pembrokeshire County Council dog warden Sally Bland said: “As we are all aware, not all dogs are socialised and while they may be loving toward us, they may not always be as social to other people or to other dogs.

“Therefore we are asking that when you are exercising your dogs – which is fantastic – please ensure that you pick up after your pet. Also please ensure that when you walk your dog, you ensure that you are in control.

“Unless the dog is extremely well trained, this will generally mean that your dog is kept on a lead in a busy public area or that you maintain sight of your dog at all time and ensure that it is brought under proper control and on a lead when you see others, or see other dogs.”

The service has been issuing community protection warnings and notices for dogs that have been repeatedly out of control and causing reasonable alarm to others.

The wardens work in close partnership with Dyfed-Powys police officers and all reports of problems being caused by dogs are shared between the police and the council wardens.

Where there have been repeat offences, the council and the police have been acting jointly to serve Notice to ensure people take control and responsibility for their pets.

Any breaches of notice can result in fixed penalty notices being issued with fines of £70, or the matter can be referred for action to be considered in court.

Sally added: “Pease continue to enjoy your dogs, but please do so responsibly.”

Dog owners are also reminded that the dog summer beach restrictions are now in force.

Therapy Dogs Providing Comfort

hether it’s the recent highs in the mid-90s or Sirius (the Dog Star) rising before the sun gets up, these are the dog days of summer. Our dog Midnight, for one, whiles away his days lounging first in the sun and then in air conditioning, stretched out, tongue lolling and half-asleep.

Not all dogs get to sleep all day; a special few sometimes work in the circuit courts. Lily, a 5-year old Labradoodle, is a highly trained service dog that first appeared in court in November 2019 as part of Anne Arundel County’s pilot Court Dog and Child Witness Program. Lily, accompanied by her trainer, comforted a child survivor who testified against a now-convicted abuser. Testifying in court is intimidating for most people, and can be exceptionally so for children, seated only a few feet away from the perpetrator as they recount often unspeakable things in front of strangers, all alone in the witness box.

Many centers for child abuse survivors incorporate therapy dogs into the program to comfort children and interact without judgment. There’s just something calming about petting a dog, something centering about rubbing its neck as it rests its head in your lap. But until recently, such dogs were not permitted in Maryland courtrooms.

This year, Senator Bryan Simonaire, a Republican from Pasadena, and I introduced legislation, Senate Bill 101/House Bill 311, to permit trained service dogs to accompany child witnesses throughout the state. These bills passed both the House of Delegates and the Senate unanimously, and Governor Larry Hogan signed it into law. Each county can develop its own voluntary program – here in Anne Arundel, such dogs participate in the Caring Canines program run by Dogwood Acres Pet Retreat in Davidsonville, where they must pass a Pet Partners nationwide certification program. Not only must the dogs be trained; so are the handlers, in court policies and protocols, privacy and confidentiality rules, and must pass a background check. The Caring Canines program now fields three or four calls monthly for a comfort dog in court, and Laura Ripken, the administrative judge for the Anne Arundel Circuit Court, has reviewed around 20 applications for a comfort dog to attend a child witness. All have been granted, except for one where the witness did not meet the age criteria.

Comfort dogs are available for civil cases, including divorce and protective order cases, as well as criminal matters, at all relevant stages of the proceedings. Requests for a comfort dog often come from the State’s Attorney’s Office, the child’s best interest attorney in domestic cases, or from a CASA advocate. Each case is managed to maximize fairness to both parties. Dogs and handlers are trained to behave appropriately in a courtroom. If there is a jury, the dog is situated when the jury is not in the courtroom; ideally the dog is placed outside the jury’s view, and if not, the jury is appropriately instructed. Court observers note that the presence of therapy dogs seem to promote justice. Having the dog there allows the child witness to relax a little, to decompress, and in doing so tell their story. Being more comfortable in the courtroom translates into confidence and a feeling of safety for the child witness, giving the witness the ability to open up and testify more coherently about what most likely was the worst day of their lives. Anne Arundel County reports that the pilot program incurred little to no cost to the court system, and it is anticipated that the statewide expansion will similarly incur minimal expense to the state.

While I have yet to request a therapy dog in my cases as an attorney, I can anticipate their impact. In my many years of practice, I’ve represented children who experienced sexual abuse, and also represented parents whose children testified against their abuser. Painful doesn’t begin to describe it. Such traumatized children have already experienced too much; we should do everything can do to lessen the emotional cost of justice for them. And I can relate to the pet consolation effect – all of my children, even the ones who prefer cats or even guinea pigs, come home to hug our dog and tell him about their day. While Midnight won’t be accompanying anyone to court – he’d have to get up – we all can applaud Lily and dogs like her who give solace every day to the smallest victims of all.

Training Service Dogs

For three local veterans, service didn’t stop after life in the military.

“We train service dogs for people that have disabilities, whether that be medical, like physical, or it be mental,” said Taylor Carnell, an owner and co-founder of King and Queen Diamond K9, “Our main focus is on mental health.”

Taylor, along with his wife Sarah and their Kennel Master James Grissom, works with dogs of all breeds and train them to serve.

They’ve learned the benefits of a service dog and have experienced the difficulty of trying to get one.

While they want to help veterans, they will help anyone that needs a service animal.

“We’ll help any veteran. You don’t have to go through a process with us. There’s no criteria you have to meet other than service – that’s it,” Taylor said.

Taylor and James agree that service dogs can help veterans and even help bring down the number of veterans that commit suicide every day.

“I’ve been through it and it is a struggle. It’s very hard,” James said, “and with him, I mean, it’s life-changing for me. My life has completely turned around.”

Taylor and Sarah have been working with dogs for years.

They also learned from a veteran friend of Taylor’s who trains dogs. This past March, they went public with their company King and Queen Diamond K9 and currently have eight dogs.

“We don’t want people to have to wait or get put on a list because sometimes that stuff can take months,” Taylor said. “The waiting game is what sucks for a lot of veterans.”

Right now they work with dogs, but are willing to train any animal that will help make someone more comfortable in their day-to-day life.

“For the most part, though, everything’s trainable,” James said.

“If having a cat, a bird, a lizard or something in your pocket is going to make you feel better, bring it to me and we can make it work somehow,” Taylor said.

Recently, they agreed on a partnership with Valor Recovery Centers in Austintown to bring service dogs to group sessions.

“If someone is talking about something during the group and they get really emotional or it’s hard for them to talk about it because it raises their levels of depression, anxiety, the dog can pick up on that and go over to that person and comfort that person so that maybe it’s easier for this person to talk about something that’s been bothering them,” Taylor said.

James added that the dogs might make people feel more secure, and help people open up and talk about something that they wouldn’t otherwise.

“They might be like, ‘OK I feel safer now… I’ll actually open up and talk about this stuff that’s been bothering me that hasn’t been talked about,’” he said.

Taylor, Sarah and James shared their struggles after life in the military and found a remedy and companionship in dogs that helped them tremendously, and they want to make that available to others.

“It was like a fresh start,” Taylor said. “He opened up a certain part of me that I’ve never seen before. I can approach people. I can go in the store and be in there for three or four hours and it doesn’t bother me.”

James said after the military, it was hard for him to adjust and he was trying to get a service dog to help.

“I seen a post about this dog being up and wanting to be with a veteran so I reached out to Taylor and that’s how I wound up with him,” he said. “From the time that we met, I was pulled away from everybody and ever since I got him, I’m more open.”

Taylor added James’ transformation was drastic.

“It was super exciting to see, not just like the progression in the dog from when we got him, but James as a person completely changed,” Taylor said.

Service Dog Helps Students

Canine Companions

A Georgetown man was given the gift of a lifetime: making everyday tasks much less easier to accomplish.

Andres Jimenez is one of 89 people with disabilities across the country that was given a therapy dog during the pandemic by the nonprofit Canine Companions.

Based out of California, the nonprofit has six offices, including one in the Dallas area. Jimenez drove to Dallas last week to spend one week training with his new dog, Dewey, before bringing him back to Central Texas.

Dog Breeding

French bulldogs are a very popular family pet but some of their owners believe their puppies were sold to them under false pretenses.

After a Global News investigation looking into a Cote-Saint-Luc dog breeder known as We Love Frenchies, we received numerous complaints from other people with similar allegations.

Melanie Guerard loves her French bulldog Magalia — but she’s still sour over her experience with the breeder.

Guerard says she bought her dog from a company called Montreal Frenchies. Guerard says they claimed her dog was vaccinated.

In a text exchange provided by Guerard, the breeder even offered to have blood tests done to confirm the dog had been vaccinated.

“Sorry for the lack of professionalism, with this pandemic, it’s not been easy,” the text read. “We want to cooperate with you.”

But she says when she double-checked with the veterinarian referenced in her dog’s vaccination booklet, they told her Magalia wasn’t vaccinated at all.

Global News was not able to verify that information as the veterinary clinic in question refused to share the information without the breeder’s permission.

“You feel lost because you want answers and you can’t get them and then you find everything that’s wrong,” Guerard said.

Quebec’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Ministry (MAPAQ) says they’re aware of a complaint against the breeder — and are looking into it.

Global News called the breeder, but they refused to comment.

The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) says this type of situation is common.

They say the growing demand for the media-hyped French bulldog is a problem and that buyers often don’t realize that local sellers are turning to breeders in places such as Russia and Ukraine to meet the growing demand.

Additionally, the CVMA says the health requirements for imported dogs are not strict enough.

“There are many, many diseases that we see in dogs that they don’t need to be protected from in order to come to Canada that we are concerned of,” said Dr. Enid Stiles, president of the CVMA. “That could be anything from tick-borne diseases to … diseases like leishmaniasis, brucellosis.”

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of sandflies. Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria, usually after the animal eats raw, unpasteurized milk or meat.

“We just really want to really make sure that people understand these issues and again maybe put a little bit of action behind our words to say, ‘Let’s see if the regulators can improve restrictions on transportation’,” said Dr. Stiles.The CVMA says people buying the dogs need to be held responsible too.

Before buying a dog, owners need to do their research about the breeder.

“You should be looking to see the mom and… dad of that dog, you should be looking at the veterinary certificates that come with them, make sure that they are proper,” said Dr. Stiles. “If you question those things, you should be calling the veterinarian that did those procedures and make sure that vaccination was given.” Following the incident in which 38 dogs died on a Ukrainian flight that arrived in Toronto on June 13, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says that it will no longer issue new permits for the importation of commercial dogs under eight months of age from Ukraine.

The CKC calls that a positive first step, but they believe there should be stronger regulations that allow the safe importation of small numbers of dogs for legitimate purposes while restricting the mass importation of dogs into Canada.

We are “strongly opposed to the mass importation of dogs, which is often done under the cover of rescue,” said Linda St-Hilaire, Quebec CKC board director. “Those dogs end up being sold in rescue facilities which are not rescue facilities.”

MAPAQ says that they are working on the province’s animal welfare regulations but didn’t provide a timeline of when the changes will be delivered.

As for Guerard and Magalia, Guerard is encouraging people to do their research so no one else goes through what they did.

El Paso Animal Services

As with so many other parts of society and business, the work of El Paso’s Animal Service providers has been made all the more difficult by Covid-19.

“We have turned to virtual adoptions, virtual fosters and other special projects,” said director Paula Powell. “We have done some curbside things and we have also managed new ways to handle the strays.”

Good Samaritan Julian Lopez learned about that new process for strays when he tried to dropping off a trio of dogs he had found.

“They’ve been roaming the block for a week,” he said. “I was just trying to find shelter for them. They told me they can’t take dogs so I have to call and create a report with them so they can come get the dogs later.”

Animal protection officers are certainly still responding to 311 calls, however animal services no longer allows for walk-ups.

Animal Services also recently began a partnership with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department in which five parks will now be used as locations to help people who find a lost pet by scanning the animal for a microchip.

“Any pet you find, just go to one of those locations or any of the fire stations around town and we will go ahead and scan that for you,” said animal services research and management assistant Adan Parra.

The parks that were selected for the partnership are Westside Natatorium, Officer David Ortiz Skate Park, Grandview Spray Park, Veterans Swimming Pool and Salvador Rivas Spray Park.

Microchip scanning will be available at those parks seven days a week from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Veteran Reunites With K-9

When we first met Mark Lee Jr. in 2018, he had been working with the group Justice for TEDD Handlers to try and reunite with his K-9 partner Rayco. The two were part of the Army’s bomb detection team.

Lee was injured in Afghanistan and left in 2012. It was the last time he saw Rayco.

Also in 2018, a report came out that said the Army mismanaged the adoption of more than 200 military dogs, leaving veterans like Lee without the chance to adopt.

When Rayco finished his service with the military, he ended up working with the U.S. Capital police.

The Justice for TEDD group, made up of a few civilians like Betsy Hamptom, were fighting to try and locate these dogs to reunite them.

Meanwhile, Lee was struggling. He ended up behind bars and in rehab.

“I didn’t do too well,” said Lee. “I guess everything kind of caught up with me. While I was incarcerated. The guy at Capitol police that had Rayco watched our initial interview.”

After our story, Capital officer Steve Nunn got in touch with Justice for TEDD Handlers and said he wanted Rayco back with Lee.

“It’s been 180 degrees since then, as you can see, I got my best friend back,” said Lee. “It shows a lot about his character being that when he reached out to find me as a law enforcement officer and find out I was incarcerated and still do nothing but want me to have him back.”

Lee reunited with Rayco in D.C. and then the two went to Indiana to thank the woman who made it possible.

“This is the one I wanted to happen for so long,” said Hampton. “This is a big deal to me. He’s like a son to me. My husband and I have adopted this kid.”

It’s like the two old war buddies haven’t missed a beat.

“He still has his working harness so if I pull it out of my backpack or pull it up, he goes crazy because he thinks he’s going to get to go work and have some fun,” said Lee.

The pair isn’t finished yet either. They are moving to Texas to work with Mission K-9 Rescue. They will help rehabilitate dogs with PTSD, so they can find homes and reunite other military handlers.

“Me and Rake are going to go over there and see if we can help somebody else get their boy back,” said Lee.

The Justice for TEDD Handlers program is winding down. They were able to reunite 12 handlers with their dogs. A few others went to visit their old K-9 partners. Marines had similar issues finding their improvised explosive device detection dogs after service.

The report on the mishandling of K-9s did lead to a change within the military to make sure this doesn’t happen again.