Program Of Human Services
U. S. Steel and Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD), a program of Keystone Human Services, are pleased to announce a partnership to fully fund an assistance dog who will be paired with an individual in the Pittsburgh area. This partnership covers the cost of breeding, raising, training, and placing an assistance dog to assist someone with a disability to live more independently in their community.
Each dog Susquehanna Service Dogs places is individually trained to mitigate their partner’s disability and enhance their life. Dogs can assist people with physical disabilities that impact mobility or balance, as well as people with psychiatric disabilities, autism, PTSD, and seizure disorders. SSD also trains hearing dogs to assist people with hearing impairments, as well as facility dogs.
‘We are pleased to help an individual in our hometown of Pittsburgh become more independent with the placement of an assistance dog. We look forward to watching this talented animal grow from a puppy to a fully-trained dog,’ said John Ambler, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Brand Management at U. S. Steel. ‘These remarkable assistance dogs can transform lives and we look forward to seeing what this special puppy will contribute.’
Training starts from the moment a dog is born to set them up for future success. When a puppy is 9 weeks old, they join their puppy raiser, who spends the next 15-18 months teaching them good house manners, self-control, and over 20 different foundational cues. The dog then enters Advanced Training, where SSD’s professional trainers match the dog with their partner and individually train the dog in specific tasks specially designed for their partner’s unique needs. U. S. Steel will be posting frequent updates on its Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages, following the progress of the dogs in training.
‘We’re very happy to partner with U. S. Steel,’ says Pam Foreman, SSD’s Director. ‘People partnered with our assistance dogs report they are better spouses, parents, friends, students, employees, and community members. This partnership with U. S. Steel is helping to change lives.’
Susquehanna Service Dogs is a program of Keystone Human Services and has been breeding, raising, training, and placing assistance dogs in Pennsylvania and the surrounding states since 1993. SSD is an accredited member of Assistance Dogs International.
Service Puppies
It appears that even service puppies can’t escape the changes of the pandemic. Bill Thornton, the CEO of BC & Alberta Guide Dogs, says the new recruits are far behind on their transit training schedule because of COVID-19.
The puppies are usually introduced to buses in the field and gradually trained, however that method has been suspended during the pandemic.
TransLink, Metro Vancouver’s transit operator, opened its doors at the Vancouver Training Centre on Wednesday, allowing the dogs-in-training to get repeatedly familiar with several buses.
As part of the dog’s graduation process, trainers need to know if they will behave on several styles of buses and that they can get on and off easily.
Thornton says they’re happy to be able to speed up the training with its partnership with TransLink.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2020.
Getting An Emotional Support Animal
To say we’re living in an unprecedented time would be an understatement. Considering the last pandemic was over 100 years ago, it’s safe to assume that all of us are experiencing this level of anxiety and uncertainty for the first time in our lives due to coronavirus (COVID-19). But while some people have turned to medication and/or therapy to try to deal with this historic chaos, others are turning to animals. Because, honestly, who doesn’t want an emotional support animal to bring that blood pressure down and ease their anxiety? “With Covid-19 putting pressure on everyone, it’s understandable that there’s been a big increase in people looking for an emotional support animal,” says Cindy Kelly, owner of Regis Regal German Shepherds who sells and trains service dogs for emotional support for veterans, as well as those who suffer from PTSD, anxiety, and other mental health issues. “At my business, I’ve personally seen a big increase in the number of people inquiring about our puppies as well as asking about our emotional support dogs, and about our service dog training service.”
But getting an emotional support animal (ESA) isn’t as easy as one may think. It does involve a bit of a process. Here’s everything you need to know before getting an animal friend of your own.
Although each type of animal helps their handler in their own way, there is a difference in how they do that.
“There is a lot of confusion around ESA, and the difference between them and service dogs,” says Nicole Ellis, a certified professional dog trainer with Rover. “Emotional support animals provide comfort and calming to their handler, but do not perform a task, are not covered under the Americans with Disbilities Act (ADA), and are not allowed public access to restaurants and stores. If the dog has been trained to sense that an anxiety attack is about to happen and takes a specific action to help avoid the attack or lessen its impact, that would qualify as a service animal. However, if the dog’s mere presence provides comfort, that would not be considered a service animal under the ADA.”
Because you do have options in this regard, it’s important to talk to your mental health professional and decide which one is best for you, meaning exactly how much support you need.
“An example of an emotional support animal is a dog that forces someone living with depression to get out of bed and maintain a routine,” says Abby Volin, president of Open Doors, PLLC, which is where law experts that specialize in solving pet-related housing problems. “Or a cat that quells his person’s anxiety, allowing the individual to focus on work.”
If that isn’t enough and you need an animal that’s been specifically trained to sense an anxiety attack, as Ellis mentions above, then an ESA is not for you.
In order to qualify for an ESA, you need to receive an ESA letter from a psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, or some other certified mental health professional. As Kelly explains, this letter “needs to be formal and appropriately formatted,” specifically for an ESA. You can’t just decide one day that you need an emotional support animal and go out and get one.
In this letter, your mental health professional should write that you’re their patient, their awareness of your disability, and how the animal is supposed to aid with the disability or mental illness. Here’s are two samples from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and Department of Housing.
Even if you live in a no-pet building, if you qualify for an ESA, then your building should accommodate.
“Individuals living with a disability are entitled to reasonable accommodations to policies and laws so that they can engage in mainstream life,” says Volin. “One such type of reasonable accommodation is an emotional support animal in housing that otherwise does not allow pets or imposes other pet restrictions such as breed, weight, and number.” That’s right; if you qualify for an ESA, then legally, building managers can’t deny you without engaging in an interactive dialogue, says Volin. There are laws to protect your right to have one.
“You can ask someone who has knowledge about your disability and the ways in which your emotional support animal helps you to write the verification letter,” says Volin. “The letter just has to be ‘reliable,’ which doesn’t mean it has to be from a healthcare provider.”
If your housing provider isn’t satisfied with the letter, though, they must inquire about getting more information, which might include providing your ESA letter from your mental health professional. And if they deny your request, you can file a housing discrimination complaint through the Department of Housing.
With your letter in hand and permission from your building manager, it’s time to find your ESA. According to the Department of Housing, an ESA can be any animal that’s traditionally kept in the home for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes.
However, due to lockdown restrictions in certain states and the increased need for emotional support animals right now, there may be a delay—as in, you’ll most likely be put on a waiting list.
When you finally do get your chance to meet your emotional support animal, you want to make sure it’s a match for you and what you need.
“Local dog breeders with good qualifications, or local dog charities may be able to help you by either supplying you with a suitable dog, or helping to assist with the training,” says Kelly. But, again, there’s a difference in an ESA and a service dog. Most of us aren’t qualified to train a service dog, but training an ESA dog, with help, can work based on the temperament and breed of the dog.
While your ESA might be in your life to help you with your mental health, you’re still the caretaker of this animal. Not even the smartest dog in the world can make themselves dinner or open the door to let themselves out to go to the bathroom—unless, of course, you have a doggy door for the latter. But if you think of it as a partnership, then you’re more likely to understand that you’re both responsible for different things in your relationship. And remember to be kind to yourself. This new relationship with your ESA will take some getting used to, but once you and your animal familiarize yourselves with one another, then everything should be smooth sailing.
Therapy Dogs Help
When Kyle Hansen was undergoing chemotherapy at Children’s Wisconsin, therapy dogs were what made him feel better.
“It was always the best part,” said Kyle, 16, of Wauwatosa.
“He would go from just looking miserable to his face lighting up with joy,” said Michelle Hansen, Kyle’s mom.
After being diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in June 2019, Hansen was told he was eligible for a Make-A-Wish.
His wish was for his family’s 2-year-old standard poodle, Copper, to become a therapy dog.
“It’s a perfect wish for him,” Michelle said.
The Make-A-Wish team got Copper into therapy dog classes, Kyle said, and had a trainer visit his home. Now Copper is just waiting to get certified.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Kyle said. “Now, I can take my therapy dog in (to the hospital) and see more kids.”
Make-A-Wish is also granting Kyle a private shopping spree for Copper at Bark N Scratch Outpost in Milwaukee on July 23.
To give back to the organization, Kyle raised more than $2,800 for Make-A-Wish Wisconsin’s Walk For Wishes last year. He plans to do it again this year. The event will be virtual, from Aug. 22-29.
Since the founding of Wisconsin’s Make-A-Wish chapter in 1984, more than 7,100 Wisconsin families have experienced wishes, according to the organization. Besides hanging out with Copper, Kyle enjoys being on Wauwatosa East’s chess team, participating in Boy Scouts of America, and playing volleyball on the Saint Sebastian Catholic Church team.
Towards the end of Hansen’s sophomore year at Wauwatosa East, he was having trouble breathing while walking around school.
When he went to the doctor, an X-ray revealed a large mass in his chest.
After a biopsy was taken, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
He underwent five cycles of chemotherapy treatment, each three weeks long, from July through October 2019 at Children’s Wisconsin’s MACC Fund Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.
By the second round, the cancer was gone, Kyle said. The three additional cycles were to make sure of that.
“Relieved” is how Kyle and Michelle said they both feel.
“Our family is all too familiar with cancer,” Michelle said.
Her father had three primary cancers, she said, and she had a superficial skin cancer removed about five years ago.
First Responders Get Support Dog
When Asheville Fireman Mark Jameson returned to the fire station after responding to a particularly difficult call, the only thing that lifted his spirits was seeing Denali wagging her tail with excitement upon his return.
“We had a call that was DOA, dead on arrival,” Jameson said. “It was an older woman, lived by herself, no one had seen her for a while, and she passed. It’s a fact of life. But inside her house there were multiple dogs in crates, and they had passed away too because of lack of food and water. That’s a sucky call, no one wants to see that.”
Responding to these kinds of emergencies can be draining and leave first responders in a dark place, but having a service dog like Denali can make all the difference for frontline workers.
Service dog organization called Paws and Effect based in Asheville placed Denali with the Asheville Fire Department in January.
Paws and Effect is a nonprofit organization founded in 2006 in Iowa. Nicole Shumate started the organization initially as a distraction from law school and a way to support children at a local children’s hospital where children would learn to guide dogs through agility courses. Soon parents were asking Paws and Effect to help transition dogs out of service in the hospital to be mobility dogs in the community.
“It wasn’t the initial plan for the organization, so it was just organic. We became a service dog organization,” said Shumate.
Fourteen years later, Shumate has relocated to Asheville and Paws and Effect is a full-blown service dog organization working primarily with veterans, and now emergency service workers, with locations in Iowa and Asheville.
Wade Baker was one of the first veterans to receive a service dog — Honor — from Paws and Effect in 2010. Honor was with Baker until he committed suicide in a police shootout in a Haywood County Church in 2015.
“Prior to Wade completing suicide, we understood the magnitude of our job, but didn’t really appreciate how bad things could get. It couldn’t have become more clear,” said Shumate.
According to Shumate, Paws and Effect is the only service dog organization that has shown up in the media saying that one of their recipients committed suicide.
“Everyone wants to tell the story of this beautiful, spit shine success so that they can fundraise,” said Shumate. “Nobody wants to say that there is this other possible outcome.”
Shumate, who became acquainted with Matthew Allred, partner of the late Justin Mitchell, after she learned of Mitchell’s suicide in April, said that she and Allred are certain Justin responded to the call of Wade Baker’s suicide and shootout.
The most recent dog to be placed by Paws and Effect was the service dog given to a fire station in Asheville. After months of work between the city of Asheville and Paws and Effect, the fire station received Denali in January.
Shumate decided around that time that the next litter of puppies from Paws and Effect would be dedicated for first responders. Dogs like Denali could be given to individuals or stations.
Shumate said she sees Denali and the next litter of puppies as “a philosophical way to say thank you” to the first responder community.
After learning of Justin Mitchell’s suicide and knowing the COVID-19 Pandemic has put so much stress on the first responder community, Shumate said, “the whole thing takes on a whole heightened sense of purpose.”
Denali went through training to be a one-on-one service dog, but during her training Paws and Effect found that she was better suited for more social environments where she could interact with more people.
“Denali has enough training that she has assumed she is supposed to apply it. I see some of the work she does, albeit it probably looks casual from the outside. She definitely works the room and checks in, she monitors firefighters more than they are aware of,” said Shumate.
“The mental health aspect to me, is what it’s all about,” said Jameson.
According to Shumate, Denali was trained to interrupt nightmares or unusual sleep patterns.
“Firefighters sleep in one, open bay room, so if one isn’t sleeping well, none of them sleep well. Disrupted sleep and sleep deprivation are two of the things that can contribute to suicidal ideation, so getting and keeping firefighters rested is critical,” said Shumate.
“You can’t prove a non-suicide. You can’t say that having a dog kept somebody from killing themselves. But what you can say is there weren’t suicides, and this could have contributed. You can say, it helped,” said Jameson.
The new litter of puppies will come from the same parents as Denali, and the same breeders as Honor. The puppies were bred on July 1, should welp at the end of August and be ready to go home with puppy raisers by October. Paws and Effect will be looking for four puppy raisers. The puppies will live with that person for around 15 months. Once a week there will be hour-long group meetings with raisers and puppies.
Service Dogs-In-Training
TransLink opens its doors at the Vancouver Transit Centre Wednesday morning hosting dozens of guide and service dogs-in-training.
The new recruits from Delta-based BC & Alberta Guide Dogs will be familiarized with several buses repeatedly, in order to accelerate their training. This is important given their training schedule has fallen behind due to COVID-19. “COVID-19 has been a real challenge for everyone and I’m pleased to support the training of service and guide dogs in any way we can,” said Coast Mountain Bus Company president Michael McDaniel. “I hope this training can help get trained guide and service dogs to the people who need them as quickly as possible.”
As part of a guide or service dog-in-training’s graduation process, trainers must be able to determine they are well-behaved on buses, and that they are able to board and disem-bark. The puppies from BC & Alberta Guide Dogs are usually introduced to buses in the field and gradually trained, however this method has been suspended during the pandemic.
“Because of unforeseen difficulties from the COVID-19 pandemic, guide and service dog training is far behind where we’d like it to be,” added BC & Alberta Guide Dogs CEO Bill Thornton. “We are excited to seek out unique partnerships and opportunities to try and speed up training wherever we can, and we thank TransLink for this opportunity to socialize guide and service dogs-in-training to their buses.”
While only one day of training is currently scheduled, BC & Alberta Guide Dogs and TransLink are in discussions about how this training could be replicated to assist with training in the future.
According to Translink, Certified Guide and Service Dogs enable some of its customers to safely and confidently travel on all modes of their accessible public transit system and are welcome at all times of service.
Police Therapy Dog
The Police Department will become the first in Berkshire County to add a therapy dog to its force.
The dog, which will also be used for community policing, is an English Labrador retriever which is being donated by Boonefield Labradors from New Hampshire. Officer Kristopher Balestro has been selected to be the handler and the animal will be added to the department’s K9 Division, Police Chief William Walsh said in a Facebook post.
The program is funded through donations and by Balestro, he said.
The dog will be used to help reduce anxiety and provide comfort to crime victims and witnesses and help increase communications between officers and people who may have been traumatized by violence. The animal will also provide therapeutic relief to staff at the police department, he said.
“The therapy dog is also a valuable tool in fostering dialog and communications between the police department and the community we serve,” Walsh said.
The dog will be used in everyday patrol and will visit schools, hospitals, nursing homes, the library and will be brought to athletic events and children’s programs, he said.
Greenfield Police added a full-time therapy dog in 2018, a Saint Bernard named Donut. One of the department’s officers previously would use his dog, also a Saint Bernard, in situations where a dog would help victims.
Springfield Police also had a therapy dog called Mango, but the dog was returned to the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation in January after he injured a three-year-old girl at a community Christmas party.
K9s For Warriors
A Ponte Vedra Army veteran who recently graduated from the K9s For Warriors training program with his new service dog, Chris, is looking forward to taking his son to a theme park.
Gabriel P., who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from his military service, said he hasn’t been able to go to a theme park since moving to Florida because of his fear of crowds and public places.
He said that’s why he applied to K9s For Warriors.
“I believe having a service dog would calm my fears of going out in public, and instead of thinking about what could go wrong, I would be thinking about my service dog,” Gabriel said. “With my service dog by my side, it is my goal to take my son to a theme park someday.”
K9s For Warrior paired Gabriel with Chris, who had already completed formal service canine training.
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the nonprofit’s training program has been amended to comply with CDC guidelines, implementing new sanitizing and PPE protocols for all staff and warriors.
Along with the other members of their class, Gabriel and Chris trained in public every day wearing PPE, received instruction on matters of service dog access, dog health care and more, and established a bond that would facilitate Gabriel’s healing from military-related trauma, the charity explained.
“The rate of veteran suicide in our country is unacceptable,” said Rory Diamond, K9s For Warriors CEO. “These are the people who volunteered their lives so that Americans can enjoy their everyday independence. But PTSD steals their independence, and worst of all, suicide steals their lives. K9s For Warriors is here to give both back to them through a new, loyal battle buddy – a service dog.”
K9s For Warriors is a national nonprofit that procures eligible shelter dogs and trains them to be service dogs to mitigate symptoms of PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, and/or Military Sexual Trauma for service members and veterans. It operates from two facilities in North Florida that procure and train the canines, pair them with an incoming veteran, then train the veteran and canine pair together. After three weeks with his or her new service dog, the veteran has learned how to reintegrate into society and, most importantly, reduce the potential for suicide.
First Support Canine
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department has welcomed its newest member to the team – Rhonda, who is the Department’s first emotional support canine.
Rhonda has received extensive training for her position. She was trained over a 9-month period to recognize signs of agitation, anxiety, and stress and interrupt those behaviors by providing affection and enabling individuals to express themselves in a safe environment.
Rhonda has an important role at the Department. She will help firefighters after emotionally challenging calls or with personal issues.
Firefighter Sam Dudley has been assigned as Rhonda’s handler. They will be together every day, both at work and at home.
Firefighter depression and PTSD rates are five times higher than the general population. Rhonda will help ensure Santa Barbara County firefighters are working at their highest potential and support the department’s efforts in sustaining long lasting, healthy careers.
Rhonda will be available 24/7 to support all area fire agencies within Santa Barbara County, with the possibility of being utilized statewide.
The Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance, with the help of donations from the Wood-Claeyssens Foundation and the Manitou Fund, purchased a Ford F150 XL pickup truck, specifically outfitted for Rhonda, to be used by the Department for transportation between assignments.
The Pet House in Goleta has also offered to donate all food for Rhonda, and help with grooming costs.
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department said it is very excited to welcome Rhonda to the fire department team and as a member of the fire family.
Animals / Community / Fire / Instagram / Lifestyle / Santa Barbara- S County / Santa Maria – North County
Power Of Therapy Dogs
With the COVID-19 restrictions on visits to nursing home, schools, libraries, hospitals, first responders, etc., the programs for them have been greatly curtailed. Hopefully, once these institutions are allowed to reopen then highly successful programs can be reinstituted.
Why does a normally silent elderly resident now converse with the nursing home staff? What makes a patient smile during a chemotherapy treatment? How can a timid student read calmly in front of classmates? What calms an agitated psychiatric patient? How can an exhausted first responder decompress after an emotionally-draining search and recovery mission? The common thread between these different scenarios is the calming presence of therapy dogs.
Therapy dogs have made a difference in the lives of nursing home and hospice residents, patients in hospital settings, children and adults with disabilities, and people in need of an emotional release from stress. These remarkable dogs sense people’s needs during visitations made by volunteer dog and handler teams. Interaction with therapy dogs provides tactile, visual, auditory and emotional stimulation.
The dogs also stimulate communication that may begin with a person saying “hi” when greeting the dog, to reminiscing with the handler about a beloved dog that graced their life, and eventually conversing with other people within their environment. Regularly scheduled therapy dog visits stimulate anticipation, excitement and feelings of optimism. The use of dogs to help people is not a new concept. Florence Nightingale pioneered the idea of animal assisted therapy and discovered that patients of different ages living in a psychiatric institution were relieved from anxiety when they spent time with small animals. Sigmund Freud believed that dogs could sense certain levels of tension by his patients and used his dog to communicate with his patients. He felt that if his patients were more comfortable talking to his dog first, that later they would feel more comfortable talking to him.
The therapy dog movement has spread rapidly throughout the U.S. and the world. Several organizations have been formed that evaluate, train, regulate and register therapy dog and handler teams serving in a variety of settings. National organizations like Pet Partners (formerly known as the Delta Society) and Therapy Dogs International have regional chapters throughout the country. At the more local level, Pets on Wheels has a Maryland chapter.
These organizations have similar requirements for therapy dog candidates: be calm and social with strangers; be able to adjust to loud noises and fast movements and are comfortable with other dogs because several therapy dogs may be present during visitations at the same facilities; be at least 1 year old; have lived with the owner for at least six months; can consistently perform basic obedience skills; remain calm when being handled (petted, grabbed, hugged, etc.) by different people; and tolerate the sights, smells, sounds and equipment found in nursing home and hospital settings (like wheelchairs, walkers, IV poles, etc.). Some organizations use the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizenship Test to evaluate potential therapy dog candidates.
In addition, a health certificate must be completed annually by a veterinarian to confirm the dog has all current inoculations, is healthy and free of internal and external parasites. This is required for insurance coverage from therapy dog organizations. The organizations will have lists of facilities seeking dog and handler teams for visitations and may require documented monthly visits. Usually ID cards for handlers and tags worn by the dogs (issued by the therapy dog organization) must be worn during every visitation. Dogs must be bathed prior to all visitations because they may be interacting with people who have weakened immune systems.
The settings for therapy dog and handler team visitations are varied. Because dogs don’t criticize oral reading errors, some schools and libraries welcome “reader” dogs to help children develop confidence with their reading skills. Other therapy dogs have been visiting colleges and universities to help reduce stress for students facing their final exams.
Nursing homes can be lonely for residents because relatives don’t come to visit regularly, but when the volunteer therapy dog-handler teams visit, the Pets on Wheels slogan “Help lick loneliness” becomes a reality. Some hospitals and assisted living centers permit dogs to curl up or stretch out on the beds of patients to provide warmth, comfort, company and smiles. Some therapy dogs provide entertainment by demonstrating tricks and obedience skills or wearing costumes for different holidays or occasions like sporting events.
Immediately after Sept. 11, 2001, therapy dog teams assembled from all over the U.S. to provide comfort to the survivors, their families and first responders. This has resulted in the development of therapy dog programs that specialize in comforting victims and first responders following disasters.
The American Kennel Club issues therapy dog titles to purebreds and mixed breeds that are: certified/registered by an AKC recognized therapy dog organization; perform a minimum of 50 visits; and are registered with the AKC (for purebred dogs). Unregistered purebred dogs are registered with the AKC’s Purebred Alternative Listing Program, and mixed breeds are registered with the AKC’s Canine Partners Program.
If you think your dog has the “right stuff” and you are willing to volunteer your time to bring quality into the lives of others, consider enrolling into a therapy dog training program. The intrinsic reward of sharing your dog’s healing powers could be priceless.
