Pet Food Drive Thru

Three Delaware animals shelters teamed up to provide a drive-thru pet food pantry in Smyrna.

The pantry, held on Thursday, July 30, at Big Oak County Park, was an effort to aid community members feeling the impact of COVID-19. It was the fourth such pantry hosted by Faithful Friends Animal Society, Delaware Humane Association and Delaware SPCA this summer.

In total, at all four of the pantries,1,960 individuals, 1,419 dogs and 1,948 cats were served. Out of all the attendees, 62% said they or their family members have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

All three organizations will continue to provide free pet food, available at their shelter pantries.

Dog food, cat food and cat litter were provided at no cost thanks to a generous award from the COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund. The fund is part of the broader Delaware COVID-19 Emergency Response Initiative by the Delaware Community Foundation, United Way of Delaware, Philanthropy Delaware and the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement.”Pets are family and keeping pets and community cats with those who love them is a critical part of our shelter’s mission. Expanding our shelter’s Free Pet Food Bank with special community drive-through programs is an essential way for us to reach more families in need during these uncertain times,” said Jane Pierantozzi, Faithful Friends’ executive director. “The Covid-19 pandemic brought pets and people together, and dogs and cats clearly provide emotional support for many individuals and families no matter your income, race or ethnicity. Thank you to the donors of the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund who recognize the importance of pets in our lives. The $28,000 grant enabled us to provide valuable outreach and distribute free pet food to residents in all three counties with our shelter partners Delaware Humane Association and Delaware SPCA.”

Assistance Dog Pepper

Students and teachers are celebrating the benefits of having a full-time canine in the classroom after assistance dog, Pepper, started at Wauchope Public School this year.

Zeus, Dog Of Chaos Book

“A middle-school cafeteria contains every human smell there is,” explains Zeus the German shepherd, a diabetic alert dog for an 11-year-old boy named Madden. “Food, all kinds. Cleaning products. Bodies. Soap and deodorant. Burps and farts. Feet. And most important: Madden’s blood.”

“Zeus, Dog of Chaos” is Tennessee writer Kristin O’Donnell Tubb’s second book for young readers with a dog as narrator, and her Zeus is a funny, well-meaning, yet often bewildered guide to the complicated world of human speech and emotions.

Possessing a keen sensitivity to sounds and smells, Zeus experiences life from a uniquely canine perspective and shares his discoveries along the way. How else could you learn the complete vocabulary of a fly? (“Fooooooood” and “poooooop.”) Or that relief smells like “hot laundry fresh from the dryer,” while embarrassment smells like “burnt toast, charred and dry”?

Zeus is in many ways a normal dog: He loves eating garbage, chasing ducks and having his chin scratched. But he also comes from a long line of service dogs, a legacy that he takes very seriously.

His first assignment is not what he expected when he was chosen as valedictorian of his class at Canine College. His classmates look forward to sniffing out bombs and drugs, finding and rescuing disaster victims and other equally serious life-and-death missions, while at first his new job sounds more like babysitting.

Ever the team player, though, Zeus takes his disappointment in stride, remaining high-spirited and eager to please. At his graduation, he fixes his eyes on his trainer: “Dave smiles, the human version of wagging. I want to wag back, but I’m in sit. And Dave knows that I love him, right? I get a little panicky, because what if he doesn’t know? I haven’t told him so since just a minute ago. But I do. I love Dave. I tell him as loudly as I can with my eyes: I love you, Dave!”

Once he begins his assignment, the going gets a little tougher. On the plus side, he immediately grasps his responsibilities: “I inhale and realize what I should monitor for Madden: his honey-scented blood. His blood has chemicals in it, medicine. It smells almost like plastic. I know right away that I’m supposed to let him know if that changes. If it drops too salty, if it flutters too squeaky sweet.”

But in addition to navigating the rowdy and sometimes treacherous halls of middle school, Zeus must also struggle to understand the strained relationship between Madden and his mother (who just returned from military deployment to take over his care from his beloved grandparents) and Madden’s insistence that he doesn’t need an embarrassing service dog by his side at school.

Zeus enjoys accompanying Madden to his classes: the Study of Stuff (science), Dead People Who Did Things (social studies) and the Glorious Study of Labels (language arts). And then there’s Band. It’s the tuba-playing Madden’s favorite class and the one that worries his mother and his doctor the most. It takes a lot of energy to play the tuba — Zeus thinks it makes Madden’s blood go “wild as wolves” — so the devoted service dog immediately declares war on music, with predictably disastrous results.

Watching Zeus careen from one crazy sabotage scheme to the next may put the reader more in mind of Scooby-Doo than Lassie. But Zeus always endeavors to live up to his father’s admonition: “The best service dogs in the world are never seen. Just like your tail. You turn, your tail is gone. Be like your tail.”

No matter how hard he tries, though, Zeus is not like his tail. Zeus is a mess — a sweet, dedicated, lovable mess. And Tubb has written another charmer, sure to be popular with young dog lovers for its sheer joyful exuberance, while it also demonstrates the vital role service dogs play in the lives of those who benefit from their selfless loyalty.

Guide Dogs

Virtual Therapy Dog Sessions

The “Cheer Up Pup Club,” it is a new way that people are reaching out to have a virtual dog therapy session.

“We just sit here, we talk and we visit more often. They want to know where we take them and what we do with them, and what it was like to take them out in public to see people,” Tya Mantooth, the owner of the therapy dogs, explained.

Mantooth’s dogs tasked with a job to make people smile says she got the idea after realizing her dogs wouldn’t be able to visit there usual friends any longer. This all because of COVID-19.

“I got to seeing some things and how it had effected the elderly and the children you know. I thought well maybe a weekend and an evening time visit might be a thing to do. either read them a story or dog trivia,” Mantooth stated.

The “Cheer Up Pup Club” now is visiting in a new way.

“We just kind of visit with people and just kind of hope to brighten up their day and maybe for a few minutes they’ll forget about what’s going on around them,” Mantooth said.

Mantooth, said most of those who book these free sessions just want to see the dogs show off their sense of style.

“A lot of times they just like to see what I have on them. I put hats on them or glasses on them,” Mantooth said.

According to Mantooth, she hopes that by seeing her dogs for a little while it will help to make the rest of the day better. There is no cost for these sessions and there is no age limit to who can participate. However, in order to book a session you have to book through e-mail at cheeruppupclub@gmail.com or social media.

Dog Program

To help cover unexpected costs, Hanford Fire Department firefighter Matt Martinez has started selling challenge coins as a fundraiser for the department’s new dog program.

This summer, HFD partnered with Visalia-based California Service Dog Academy, to train puppies to help firefighters in the department deal with stress and their mental health.

The academy donated two puppies, named Asher and Tiller, to the department as a way to not only alleviate the mental stress of the firefighters, but to also to bring joy to the community.

Martinez said California Service Dog Academy has been great with helping with the dogs’ needs, but he thought it would be good to have some extra funds for things that may pop up, like vet bills or other care the puppies may need.

That’s where the idea for the challenge coins came in.

He ordered 100 coins and in less than 24 hours has already sold more than half of them to people as far away as Boston and New York.

For anyone wishing to purchase the $20 coin, Martinez said you can message him on social media through the HFD Facebook page or Asher’s Instagram page at hfd_k9_asher and he will mail the coin. He said payments can be made through PayPal or Cash App and the money will go directly into an account for the dogs.

Martinez will also leave some coins at HFD Fire Station 1, located at 350 W. Grangeville Blvd., for those who would like to pick them up directly.

Asher and Tiller have been at their respective fire stations with their handlers for about seven weeks now and Martinez said they are doing well and acclimating to the stations. He said they are also very sweet and great with the public.

“Both of these dogs are just awesome dogs,” Martinez said. They’re super smart and they’re learning very fast.”

Fortunately, Martinez said there hasn’t been a serious incident at the department that has taken a toll on firefighters’ mental health and need for the puppies’ services. Nonetheless, he said the other firefighters in the department have welcomed the puppies and he’s noticed the benefits of the program.

Mental Wellness

There seems to be barely a soul anywhere－man, woman, boy or girl－who does not have a soft spot for cats or dogs.

Start going through your list of contacts on the social media app WeChat and it’s almost guaranteed that within seconds you’ll be regaled with photos of one pet or another.

Even many of those unwilling to commit to animal parenthood are apt to be captivated, and even tempted to buy, on seeing puppies, kittens or some other ball of fluff in a pet shop window. Or at the very least to let the oohs and aahs flow freely at the sight of their friend’s WeChat animal photos.

When, Zhang Wei, 30, of Beijing returns to his apartment on these baking days of summer, it is not just the air conditioning that offers him solace but also the loving attention of the friendly flatmate he gained recently, a six-month-old kitten named Zoala.

Of course this four-footed life partner is now there to meet its owner as he gets home each night after a hard day’s work, but when people start saying that such animals are tantamount to therapists, are they having a lend of us? Well, no.

In the field of psychological counselling and treatment, intervention methods with clear treatment goals with the help of animals are called animal-assisted therapy and have a pedigree stretching back nearly 60 years.

In 1961 Dr Boris Levinson, a psychoanalyst and clinical psychologist who practised and taught in New York, presented to the annual convention of the American Psychological Association a discovery relating to animals that he had made in the course of his clinical work.

During one treatment, Levinson encountered a child with severe expression and communication problems. By chance, the child shared a few minutes of solitude with Levinson’s dog Jingles.

When Levinson returned to the room, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the child who had been so taciturn was “talking” to Jingles.

In a follow-up study, Levinson found that this kind of situation was not isolated, the presence of dogs also helping other children who were silent and had difficulty expressing themselves during treatment.

Levinson thus became the father of pet therapy, and his felicitous discovery contributed to the development of animal-assisted therapy as we know it today.

Animal-assisted therapy has since attracted the attention of many pet lovers, therapists and researchers in the West. In fact it has been suggested that the use of animals in treating humans goes back much earlier.

Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, once had a chow chow named Jofi that was said to be with Freud when he treated patients.

Freud said that at first he felt it was only he whom Jofi would make feel at ease, but he later discovered that the dog had the same effect on visitors, particularly younger ones.

Wu Qi, founder of Paw For Heal in Shanghai, says keeping pets can also give people, especially children, a more personal experience of the “meaning of life”.

“From accepting these little friends who suddenly appear in life, to learning to share and help, to accumulating a certain amount of hands-on ability, and finally to learning to accept the passing of life, this is of great help to children’s growth and understanding of life.”

Wu compares raising pets to the concept of life education. This is not only of educational significance, he says, but provides important learning content for us as human beings in social life.

“There is a more important thing, which is to let people learn how to dedicate, contribute their own strength, and reflect their own value.”

However, for the thousands of people willing to believe in the power of animal therapy there is a legion of skeptics who pooh-pooh the idea.

Cui Jianlian, a professor at the Veterinarian Teaching Hospital of China Agricultural University in Beijing, says that “even though a lot of research confirms the benefit of animal-assisted therapy, theories to support and explain the reasons are sparse”.

Deep skepticism has made Wu’s effort to persuade people otherwise a very tough sell. His job is not made any easier in a society where pets are widely prohibited from entering premises.

“This is one of the biggest pains for many pet owners,” Wu says. “You can’t even find a proper place to do socialized environmental adaptation pet training.

“There are many places you’re not allowed to go into, such as supermarkets, shopping malls and parks. So how are you supposed to adapt to different situations by, for example, taking them into crowded places?”

Wu says that in his battle to change hearts and minds over the past eight years, things have slowly begun to change. CapitaLand, a shopping mall in the Minhang district of Shanghai, recently invited Wu to present his therapy dogs there, about the time of International Children’s Day.

On the day of the event a variety of interactive activities allowed children to experience a different kind of fun with the dogs. With such tiny steps, Wu says, he is optimistic about shopping malls in the city becoming more friendly to pets.

Events like the Shanghai one help raise public awareness about the need to protect animals and of how important they are in the social fabric, Wu says, and mean a lot to those like him working to protect animals.

“We have dogs that help the disadvantaged, and we devote our time and energy to them, and we hope that in turn more people will start to care about the rights of these animals. It’s a process in which everyone is rewarded.”

Lu Yu, of Shanghai, who loves small animals, had been looking for various channels to do voluntary activities such as animal rescue. It eventually dawned on her that no matter how much effort she poured into the task, only committed animal lovers seemed to be receptive to the message, she says.

One day she met Wu at a pet show promoting his charity therapy dog project and realised that those who help any small animal around them also help others realise the value of such animals.

Wu has also established a “time bank” programme to stimulate a reward mechanism for therapy dogs.

“This reward mechanism gives them the chance to have a free bath, health check, and an opportunity to enter the public space with volunteers. The working time of these dogs is limited, especially since their life span is very different to that of people, and we are collaborating with institutions so we can extend the life of pets.”

Several weeks ago his team signed a collaborative agreement with the stem cell company Yinfeng Biotechnology and Southeast University in Nanjing to provide medical treatment and insurance for therapy dogs that have served a certain number of years and go into retirement.

Wu says one-third of the therapy dogs in his team are made up of former strays. They may have been abandoned and rejected by the world, but after thorough training they return to the fold, ready to help those in need.

Rescue Dog Elton

Elton is an 8-and-a-half-month-old Newfoundland pup weighing in at 100 pounds. He loves his daily trips to the water with mom and dad.

But what he does in the water is what makes him stand out.

“We’re practicing water rescue,” said Ralph Holzhauer, Elton’s “dad.”

Elton will be the fourth certified water rescue dog that the Holzhauers have had.

“It was our third Newf that we found had a love for the water, had that instinct and we just kind of fell into it. No pun intended,” Ralph said.

Elton started his training earlier than the rest– at 10 weeks old. Now, he’s getting ready for his first big test.

“He’s going to be 9 months old when he tries these things, which is very early for a Newfoundland,” said Anne Marie Holzhauer, Elton’s “mom.”

“If he didn’t like it, we wouldn’t be doing it,” Ralph said.

There are three different levels Elton can test at for water rescue training.

“Each gets progressively more difficult generally building on each of the lower preceding levels and difficulty,” Ralph said.

“What we are trying to do is get him to pass the first level and then attempt the second,” Anne Marie said.

Each level comes with six tasks surrounding obedience, retrieval and life rescue.

Elton knows the signs of someone in distress. He follows the splashing of the waves and hears his cue “help me” or “save me.”

There are challenges when it comes to training.

“Weather makes a big difference, oddly enough,” Ralph said.

Wednesday’s weather was windy and the waves were rolling in.

“For a young dog, a puppy, it’s going to be a challenge and confidence is certainly a big issue,” Ralph said.

The Holzhauers say they haven’t been called in for help in the past and likely wouldn’t because rescue dogs are not something commonly used in water rescue in this area. Elton’s abilities likely would be used personally for the family.

They say the biggest plus is the bond made between man and man’s best friend.

And that’s not all– this pup could soon be on the silver screen!

Wednesday, Jon Dorflinger, a filmmaker from Saratoga Springs, was in Westport to meet Elton, who is also an aspiring actor.

Elton is set to play his late older brother, Rowdy. Rowdy is famous in the community. He was a therapy dog, certified water rescue dog and worked every day in classrooms in the Elizabethtown Lewis Central School District.

Rowdy has many books written about him and now a movie or TV series is in the works.

Dorflinger says stories from teachers will help him write Rowdy’s story.

“To hear other perspectives and other sides of it really kind of rounds out the experience and gives me, helps me get more immersed to that time and the real impact that Rowdy the dog had on the school and community at large,” Dorflinger said.

The filmmaker says they are still in the very beginning phases and working on a script.

Assistance Dogs

CHAMP Assistance Dogs, a nonprofit that places skilled service dogs with individuals with disabilities and much more, is showings it’s paw-ssible to make a difference even amid a pandemic.

“We have a team of therapy dogs that usually visit anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 people a year,” says Pam Budke, the organization’s executive director. “Of course, this year is a total different ballgame. We have not been able to get out, but we are doing visits through the windows.”

Budke says one such recent visit was to Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital in Maryland Heights and was a howling success.

“Ranken Jordan had these little walkie-talkies that the kids could come to the windows … and the kids could ask questions about the dog, and the dogs did tricks for them,” Budke says. “When we went around to the other windows and came back, the kids had drawn pictures of the dogs and gave them to us. It was just so cool.” Although therapy dogs are a large part of this nonprofit – normally visiting more than 100 facilities in the metro area each month – its main mission since 1998 has been to provide pups to individuals with physical disabilities or cognitive issues.

“For physical [disabilities], we have dogs that can pick up dropped items,” Budke says. “They can open up doors. They can help with laundry. They can turn light switches on and off. They can actually get a phone; if someone says 911 if they fall and need a phone, the dog knows where it is, and the dog will go run and get that phone and bring it to them.

“Then we have people with cognitive issues or depression or anxiety,” Budke continues. “The dogs are great for calming them down. Sometimes, they can just tell when someone needs that companionship or when someone is anxious. The dogs make a huge difference.”

Each CHAMP assistance dog typically goes through eight weeks of training at the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia, Missouri – a program temporarily on pause due to COVID-19 cases at the prison – and then spends an additional eight weeks at a puppy-raiser’s home in St. Louis, where they become socialized.

“Ultimately, we train our dogs for about two years before they are actually placed,” Budke says. “When we are getting close to placement after a dog has a set of skills, and they are doing well on their skills, then we will start training that dog specifically for a person.”

Although CHAMP Assistance Dogs may not be placing new canines at this time, Budke guarantees the nonprofit is keeping busy with clients.

“It’s crazy, but I feel like we are staying more in touch with people than we were before,” Budke says. “We are doing all sorts of videos and sharing those through Facebook and Zoom, sharing skills they can work on with their dog through Zoom. We are keeping our mission alive and active.”

Chewie The Therapy Dog

Chewie the therapy dog is not quite Clifford the Big Red Dog, but at 85 pounds, he’s a pretty big guy. He’s also a pretty big help at Park Hill Elementary.

Chewie, a Goldendoodle, is a certified therapy dog who spends much of his time at Park Hill helping special needs students. It’s his calling, his owner Jen Gage said.

Gage, who is the office manager at Gage Chiropractic, had a lifelong calling to work with special needs kids. As a child, Gage struggled with reading in school.

“As a kid, I hated to read out loud,” Gage said. “I felt very insecure, and I would have to go to special reading groups.”

A few years ago, Gage started researching how dogs could be helpful to kids struggling with reading. She thought that “maybe I could help a child and make them feel a little bit more confident and competent.”

Chewie got his therapy dog certification back in 2016. He started out by spending time with young cancer patients at Wesley Medical Center.

The cancer doctor Gage was connected with at Wesley ended up leaving the hospital, so Gage needed to find somewhere else for Chewie to help.

“Around that time, [Park Hill Principal Sandy Rusher, a client at Gage Chiropractic], brought it to my attention that she would love to have a dog,” Gage said. “So I thought, ‘Well, here’s my opportunity. God works in mysterious ways.’”

Before COVID-19 shut down schools, Gage and Chewie would go to Park Hill and spend time each week with the SLC classes. They would go to recess with special needs students every Monday. On Wednesdays, she and Chewie would visit kids in different classrooms and grade levels and read with them.

“It’s been extremely rewarding,” Gage said.

“It just makes my heart happy when I see those children light up just because of a dog.”

Once the coronavirus hit and schools went virtual, Chewie wasn’t seeing the kids anymore, and he seemed a little down, Gage said. So Gage made Chewie a Facebook page and started posting pictures of him every day. She also sent pictures of him dressed up in different outfits for Derby Public School’s spirit week.

Sandy Rusher will serve as principal

at the new Stone Creek Elementary in

the fall, and Gage and Chewie plan to follow her there too.

“But I’m also going to continue at Park Hill, because the SLC class has made such great strides in two years,” Gage said. “I don’t want to stop doing that, so I’ll continue at both schools.”

When he’s not at a school, Chewie can be found at the Gage Chiropractic office. Patients young and old love seeing him there.

“A grown man will walk in here, and then it’s just baby talk,” Gage said. “There’s a woman who’s 87 years old who brings treats for him every time she sees him.”

Chewie may be a big guy, but he’s got a cool demeanor. Gage said she sometimes calls him Bob Marley “because he’s just

so calm.”

“With the kids, he’ll lay down, and they’ll lay on top of him and read,” Gage said. “He’s just very relaxed.”

Chewie may soon be expanding his services even further. Recently Gage and Chewie crossed paths with a Derby High School SRO officer, and the officer recognized Chewie and asked for his business card. Chewie might help at the high school with some of the higher-anxiety students.