Dog Ranch Rescue
The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council approved site plan amendments Tuesday, Aug. 4 for Big Dog Ranch Rescue, adding a break room for staff and reducing overall kennel size without increasing the overall square footage of the buildings at the facility.
The 65,805-square-foot animal rescue shelter is located at the southeast corner of Okeechobee Blvd. and D Road. It was granted a special exception to build in 2015. Representatives of the nonprofit explained that they are requesting some adjustments after working there a few years.
Representatives for Big Dog said social distancing due to COVID-19 concerns led the applicant to redesign buildings so that staff could have a separate area from the public for breaks.
“During the day, staff needs a place to take a break,” Big Dog President Lauree Simmons said.
A planned caretaker house is being eliminated and replaced with a staff support building that will include space for staff meetings, employee lockers and an employee break/lunchroom consisting of a full kitchen with a refrigerator, sink, dishwasher and stove, as well as separate bathrooms for men and women.
A maintenance building, quarantine building for local found dogs and physical therapy building are being increased in size, while a senior dog sanctuary, boarding dog housing and heartworm recovery cabins are being reduced in size.
Town Planning Consultant Jim Fleischmann said the proposal does not increase the total approved building area or floor area ratio and allows the facility to better address current needs, which includes separation of staff from the public due to COVID-19 precautions.
The Loxahatchee Groves Planning & Zoning Committee recommended approval of the amendments last month.
Simmons said the planned caretaker’s house will not be built in lieu of keeping an existing house on the property.
“The existing house on the property that was on the last approved site plan is where the staff manager or overnight caretaker stays,” Simmons said. “The staff support [building] is not going to have beds in it. Staff just needs a place where they can go in and take their breaks.”
She explained that an existing boardroom/meeting room is used by volunteers and visitors.
“After living and working at the ranch for these few years, we’re defining what our needs are, so we’ve fine-tuned it and just moved a few buildings around,” Simmons said. “We gave up one of the heartworm pods to have a physical therapy unit because we’ve got the big Aqua Paws underwater treadmill and a hyperbaric chamber. We take in a lot of dogs that are hit by cars. It’s all the same square footage.”
Councilwoman Laura Danowski noted that parking space appears to have been increased.
“Does that impact anything as far as drainage?” Danowski asked.
“All of our underground drainage is in place and was complete prior to us finishing any buildings,” Simmons said.
Boomer The Mascot
The York Revolution’s retired mascot, Boomer, died Wednesday after serving as the baseball team’s ambassador for 10 seasons.
“You can’t put into words what Boomer meant to all us at the Revolution, and the fans he made smile each time he visited,” said general manager John Gibson in a news release. “He was one of a kind, and we were lucky to have him.”
Boomer came to the York Revolution through the SPCA of York County and traveled with the team. During his term as mascot, Boomer also earned his certification as a therapy dog.
Boomer lived with Jeff and Cindy Hoke, who gave Boomer a home when he wasn’t at the ballpark.
Boomer hung up his collar at PeoplesBank Park on Sept. 22 to pass the leash to Siberian husky Blue, who took over as the new team mascot.
As they did with Boomer, York Revolution officials contacted the York County SPCA and inquired about potential dogs to fill Boomer’s shoes. That’s how they found Blue.
“Everybody realizes that Boomer’s been doing this for almost 10 years now,” Doug Eppler, a spokesperson for the team, said when Blue became the mascot. “I think (fans) are glad to hear we’re going to find a successor who will carry on Boomer’s legacy — not every team has a furry little ambassador.”
Orlando’s Working Dogs
Work Like a Dog Day (Aug. 5) is a holiday honoring people who put in that extra bit of hard work to make sure the job is done right. But it also recognizes the strong work ethic of canines, especially service and other working dogs.
Around Central Florida, canines work in hospitals as therapy dogs, help guard the farm or herd animals and assist law enforcement officers on the job. Seeing-eye dogs help lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles and animal-assisted therapy has shown to help lower the stress and anxiety of people struggling with trauma. Meet some of Orlando’s hardest working dogs who are used to, well, working like dogs every day.
As a firefighter who spent 35 years in the job, Jackie Spence has seen the toll her career can take on fellow first responders.
Spence said oftentimes it’s hard for a first responder to admit they need support, but having a dog nearby can help in processing traumatic events.
“We’re the ones that render the help so we don’t ever think we need help, and it’s really starting to affect us,” she said, pointing to the rate of suicide among first responders. “When they don’t want to talk about the incident, they’ll be more than happy to pet the dog. Usually, we see the dog helping to bridge the gap between them wanting to open up and actually opening up.”
Merlin serves as more than just a therapy dog, but as a “crisis response dog,” as Spence puts it. Her team with K9 Helping Heroes includes other dogs and handlers who are first responders, as well as a civilian outreach side for the general public.
Spence said that not all dogs are fit to serve in such a capacity, but that Merlin has an inherent empathy that allows him to be so effective in his role.
”It’s just amazing what the dogs are capable of sensing and they don’t have to say anything. They just stand there,” she said. “He’s an extremely loving dog and he loves his job. You can tell how happy he is when he’s been making visits.” It would be challenging (but funny) for a human to run behind a group of several dozen or more sheep, attempting to drive them all in a similar direction.
This is where herding dogs excel. At Linden Hollow Sheep Farm in St. Cloud, Natalie Cole and her grandmother, Sherry Lee, help dog owners in training their border collies, corgis, Aussies, Beaucerons, shelties and more to learn the ways of the herding dog.
The job of such a canine is to bring sheep, geese, ducks or cattle toward a person or to a certain area of the farm while keeping them all together as a group.
In training a herding dog, the process starts with basic obedience and “perimeter work” before the pooch ever gets close to the livestock.
“We’ll walk around the perimeters with them so they can see the sheep. We’ll get them to lie down, get up,” Cole said. “The main thing you want to make sure that you have first is some kind of control, otherwise it can be disastrous.”
She also pointed out that individual dogs and breeds herd differently, which makes training an adaptive and tailored process for each canine. Some are excited and bold, such as Jake, a border collie who comes to train at the farm. Others, such as Cole’s border collie, Tibbie, can be a bit more reserved.
For some dogs that train at Linden Hollow, herding is a fun exercise to help them burn off energy. For Cole and her family living on the farm, herding is a practical and necessary job the dogs perform each day.
“I definitely couldn’t do all this farm work without these dogs,” Cole said. The relationship between a police K-9 and handler isn’t strictly a professional one, but a deeply personal one that extends far beyond the hours they’re on shift together.
K-9 Deputy Lauren Hernandez, who works for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, Stich, have been working and training together since the dog was a puppy. He also goes home with her every night and rarely leaves her side.
“He lives with me full time, so anywhere I am, he’s with me — short of going to the grocery store or something,” Hernandez said. “He’s definitely a part of the family.”
She had to complete almost 500 hours of training to become a K-9 deputy, and Stitch was there learning with her almost the whole way.
The Belgian Malinois’ job involves more than simply taking down bad guys. “Stitch is what we call a dual-purpose patrol dog. He’s trained in locating and apprehending people, and he can locate evidence. If you were to throw your keys out, he could find those. He’s also trained in locating illicit narcotics,” Hernandez said. “Their noses are somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000 times better than humans. Our main purpose of utilizing the dog is for their nose.”
And while Stitch knows when it’s time to work, he can also be a fun-loving, silly dog when he’s off the clock.
“He knows when it’s time to be serious and he knows when he can be relaxed and laid back. He’s very good at distinguishing between the two,” Hernandez said. “At home, he’s a big goofball. He’ll run up to anybody who will give him attention and roll over on his back to get his tummy scratched, just like any other dog.” The K-9 handler hopes that people understand the work of a police dog involves more than just handling criminals.
“A lot of people think these dogs are just vicious and they attack people, that’s not the case at all. Part of his job is apprehending people, but that’s a very small portion of what we do in the grand scheme of things,” Hernandez said. “We locate missing kids and a bunch of different things, it’s not just going after criminals all the time.”
Service Dog Puppies
Service dogs. They do everything from helping veterans suffering from PTSD to the disabled live everyday life. Although their companionship is priceless, the cost of training can run up to $50,000. Now, two women are changing how they’re trained. Instead of individual homes, these dogs are raised in hospitals.
It’s a long grueling journey before a service dog can graduate into a veteran’s arms… even with the right breeding, years of training, and tens of thousands of dollars invested, Cody Bellanger said only 50 percent of the puppies at United States Veterans Service Dogs graduate to become service animals each year. “We have 1,900 applicants waiting for dogs in literally all 50 states,” said Cody Bellanger, who works at United States Veterans Service Dogs.
But at Touro Infirmary, speech pathologist Maggie homer and physical therapist Maggie Watson are trying to improve that statistic. By training their puppies in a hospital, their dogs are getting a one-of-a-kind experience. Navigating around equipment. Listening to commands. Even reading commands. Skills that up their chances of graduating on becoming a full-service, service dog for veterans. “This program being implemented in a hospital environment is a big deal for veterans but it’s also a big deal in general,” said Bellanger.
The hospital even noticed an unexpected bonus… moral among staff seemed to change. “There’s nothing like having something around you that’s just happy,” said Maggie Homer, a Speech Pathologist and Puppy Raiser at the Touro Hospital.
Even motivating patients to get moving and go to physical therapy. “And I mean puppies… who doesn’t like a puppy?” said Ryan Cashmore, a patient. It was a win-win-win for veterans, for patients, and for staff. These puppy raisers hope it will be a model for other hospitals around the country.
All-American Dog Contest
A local therapy dog, Annie Rose, was chosen as a winner of the national All-American Dog competition. The contest was held by Early Times, an All-American Whiskey.
A three-year-old English Goldendoodle, Annie Rose is a certified therapy dog and works with people who have terminal illnesses. She was one of ten winners chosen from tens-of-thousands of entries as part of the Early Times All-American Dogs social media campaign.
“Annie Rose has a high sensitivity level,” said Lori Rahn, Annie Rose’s owner. “Ever since she was four months old, she has been able to pick up on people with terminal illnesses, like a sixth sense. She runs up to them and lays her head in their lap and comforts them. We are so excited that her special talents are being recognized.”
Annie Rose’s picture was featured on a billboard in Cincinnati on I-75 near Dayton Street. She will also be featured in the Early Times 2021 All-American Dogs calendar, to be released in the fall.
The other ten winners hail from Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and Nevada.
Therapy Pup
A Cincinnati therapy dog is being recognized for her unique talents, recognized in a national campaign that puts her on billboards and in calendars.
Annie Rose, a 3-year-old English Goldendoodle, was chosen from tens-of-thousands of entries as part of the Early Times All-American Dogs social media campaign.
She’s a bit of a viral sensation around the area, with photos of her visiting residents at a Cincinnati retirement home during the coronavirus pandemic melting hearts across the nation.
“Annie Rose has a high sensitivity level,” said Lori Rahn, Annie Rose’s owner. “Ever since she was four months old, she has been able to pick up on people with terminal illnesses, like a sixth sense. She runs up to them and lays her head in their lap and comforts them. We are so excited that her special talents are being recognized.”
The 3-year-old dog participated in a photoshoot with other All-American dogs from across the country, and her picture will be featured in the Early Times 2021 All-American Dogs calendar later this fall. On Monday, a billboard featuring Annie Rose was also revealed in Cincinnati on Interstate 75 near Dayton Street.
“Annie Rose embodies the true meaning of ‘man’s best friend,’” said Robert Trinkle, with PriceWeber. “She is a certified therapy dog that provides comfort and joy to residents in nursing homes and every individual she encounters. In our eyes, that is a true All-American quality.”
The 10 winners hail from Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, Nevada and Indiana. The Early Times 2021 All-American Dogs calendar includes stories of redemption, lifesaving-heroics, military training and unwavering companionship, and will be available to the public in a downloadable and printable version on the Early Times website.
“Only Daddy’s Dog” Book
A local author was recently recognized for two children’s books she wrote on veterans’ families and their service dogs.
“There are lots of children’s’ books out there and I guess I never really thought of myself as a children’s book writer,” said Rev. Dr. Cynthia Crosson-Harrington, who is also a pastor at Whately Congregational Church. “’Only Daddy’s Dog” was only a passion … and then to have … an award recognize the benefit of the book — I was thrilled.”
“Only Daddy’s Dog,” which was published by Haleys in 2013, is a story about a father who returns home from war with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and receives a service dog trained to work with him. In the story, his children must learn that the service dog is a “tool” for their father’s healing, not a family pet. The book was awarded an honorable mention by the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards in the ‘Picture Books 5-and-Under’ category and second place in the ‘Special Needs/Disability Awareness’ category.
Another book by Crosson-Harrington, “Sunny and Malcolm,” received two honorable mentions — one in the ‘Charity/Making a Difference’ category and another in ‘Family Matters.’ “Sunny and Malcolm” is about a young boy who befriends a man at a Veterans Affairs center and conspires with him to get his father a service dog. Unlike the first book, which is geared toward a younger audience, this story focuses on the process of getting a service dog and what a service dog can do for its partner.
“I think dogs can be an incredible help to people,” she said. “I want children to learn that not only are service dogs a very important piece of healing … I also want children to know what a legitimate service dog is.”
Crosson-Harrington, who taught in the behavioral sciences department at Fitchburg State University for more than two decades, has been writing professionally since 1985. She says her own service dog was the “catalyst” for the two children’s stories she’s written. Notably, she has written other books, both technical and personal, such as “Exploring Child Welfare: A Practice Perspective,” published in 2008, and a personal narrative titled “From the Eye of the Storm: The Experiences of a Child Welfare Worker,” published in 2015.
“I was so impressed with NEADS (National Education for Assistance Dog Services) after going through the process,” said Crosson-Harrington, who was paired with Dandi, a service dog trained for therapy.
The Petersham resident joined the NEADS Board of Directors and was asked to help create the NEADS Trauma Assistance Dog Program for veterans with PTSD. The program was founded in 2007 and the first dog was placed in 2009.
Through that process, Crosson-Harrington says she discovered many of the children of the veterans receiving service dogs didn’t completely understand what a service dog was for.
“‘Only Daddy’s Dog’ was an attempt to explain to children that (service dog) was a ‘beloved tool’ … for healing, something that would help daddy or mommy to heal, that it wasn’t a family pet,” Crosson-Harrington said.
The story, which was originally published specifically for NEADS, gained such popularity within the organization that other service dog agencies suggested she write a universal version.
“Other service dog agencies use it as well now,” she said.
Writing the books has been a personal endeavor for Crosson-Harrington. Last year, she published a memoir that tells the story of how she came to create the program that “gave life” to the two children’s books. In the memoir, “You Cannot Cage the Wolf,” she writes about her own struggles after the suicide of her veteran son. “I feel the work is important,” Crosson-Harrington said. “And to hear somebody else say, ‘It’s good’ was very exciting.”
School Therapy Dog
At 15 weeks old, Frankie is the youngest staff member at Kalkie State School.
But there are a couple of differences between Frankie and other staff members who attend the school.
Frankie has four legs, a wagging tail and is the school’s newest therapy dog.
The little miniature Dachshund joins the school’s other therapy dog, Froki, in the classroom, where they help children with behavioural or learning difficulties.
Kalkie State School teacher, Tina Carruthers said the full-time canine classroom dogs acted as a four-legged teachers’ aide and helped to calm anxious students, assist with reading by listening and act as writing inspiration.
“Last year we decided we’d help support our students in different ways, and we found Froki,” Ms Carruthers said.
“He was our first therapy dog and we rescued him from Fraser Coast.”
“This year we brought on Frankie, she’s our little Dachshund girl and is quite young and is more for the junior kids, while Froki, being the bigger boy, is for the senior kids.”
“It’s about the kids having something else to look after and just to give the kids some support in the classroom and outside of it.”
The dogs join a menagerie of other animals at the school, including chickens and guinea pigs.
Kalkie State School Principal Amanda Findlay said, the animals worked in unison with the school’s curriculum and helped make learning fun
“We have two guinea pigs, Piglet and Cosmo, the two puppies Frankie and Froki, seven chickens that we incubated and hatched, and some goldfish
“It works with our curriculum and it prompt responsibility, as our students are involved with washing them, caring for them, feeding them and there’s a lot of research lead by the students into the best shelter for them and the type of foods they need and what it is we need to have.”
“When the students were undertaking an audit of our waste they realised 50 percent of it was food waste, so they wrote a proposal around getting the chicken and that’s where we started the animal journey.”
“It opened up a little bit of a door to what we have.” While the chickens and guinea pigs are a fantastic learning opportunity, they don’t offer the same level of social and emotional support as the school’s therapy dogs.
Research shows that therapy dogs can assist and support children with social and emotional learning needs, which in turn can assist with literacy development.
Principal Amanda Findlay said Frankie and Froki were providing an invaluable service and were a great distraction particularly during the stress and anxiety brought on from COVID.
“Our dogs start first thing in the morning with students who are reluctant to come to school, or are really nervous, particularly at the moment with COVID restriction where parents can’t come into the school grounds,” Amanda said.
“The dogs are a great way to get kids out of the car and they also go and do reading with the children, and are particularly helpful for reluctant readers as the dog is not judgemental – it’s just happy to sit there and listen.”
Buddy The Service Dog
It’s been a while since we last checked in with Buddy and his training to become a service dog for a veteran suffering from PTSD. Because of the pandemic, he’s a little behind schedule, but Shelter to Soldier is still optimistic that a match with a veteran is coming soon.
“We’re having to pick large outdoor spaces away from people – outdoor cafes, not indoor restaurants,” said Graham Bloem, Shelter to Soldier’s director.
As a result, it’s hard to get the dogs the training they need around large groups of people, strange situations and noisy environments.
Unfortunately, Buddy isn’t alone. The pandemic has forced the nonprofit’s trainers to get creative to help all of the dogs stay on track, but that’s easier said than done.
“We are, at times, months behind,” Graham said. “And the scary thing about that is when you’re behind on the dogs, you’re behind on helping veterans.”
Many veterans suffering from PTSD are afraid to leave their home, regularly experience horrific night terrors, and some admit they’ve tried to commit suicide. There’s no question that service dogs from Shelter to Soldier have saved lives, and during this pandemic, their service has never been needed more.
“The isolation is causing even more struggles and challenges than ever before,” the organization said.
It’s been exactly a year now since Buddy was rescued from a shelter and started his training. He has advanced enough to begin what Graham affectionately calls “speed dating” where Buddy meets veterans to see if they’re a good match.
“Things are starting to heat up and get a little bit serious,” he said.
Also getting a little bit serious is Shelter to Soldier’s fundraising concerns. Its 8th annual “Be The Light Gala” – scheduled for August 22 – is now a virtual event.
“This is our largest fundraiser of the year,” Graham said. “It’s what allows us to continue to help dogs like Buddy and other dogs in the program.”
Southeastern Guide Dogs
The Venice Yacht Club Charitable Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant to Southeastern Guide Dogs in direct support of its programs to supply service dogs for returning veterans.
Over the years, the foundation has now contributed more than $21,000 to this work that helps veterans wounded in body and spirit train with a service dog, allowing them to integrate back into their community and family life.
The Palmetto-based organization operates the most advanced training facilities of any service dog organization in the world. They create elite working dogs and provide life-changing services for people with vision loss, veterans with disabilities, and children with significant challenges such as vision loss or the loss of a parent in the military.
While 2020 has certainly presented the VYC Foundation with many challenges, including the loss of fundraising events due to the guidelines for COVID-19 protocols, it continues to receive the support of the VYC members to insure grants for critical needs are maintained.
Year to date, the foundation has accelerated its grant schedule so that vital programs can continue to operate. The foundation has already gifted $90,000 to 27 local charities fighting hunger, promoting literacy, protecting women and children from abuse, as well as supporting key services to veterans.
Since its inception in late 2010, the foundation has raised and gifted more than $700,000 for local charities.
In addition, the VYC Board has sponsored the building of six homes in partnership with Habitat for Humanity South County. The most recent home was dedicated on June 30.
The foundation committee asks people to consider the following: “In your own way and according to your own means, find a place in your heart to support the heroes who are providing meals, hope, homes, education, health and safety as we experience these trying times.
