In the United States, individual states nominate an animal to be their official mascot. In ten of the states, this animal is a breed of dog:
|
State |
Breed |
| Louisiana | Catahoula Leopard Dog |
| Maryland | Chesapeake Bay Retriever |
| Massachusetts | Boston Terrier |
| New Hampshire | Chinook |
| North Carolina | Plott Hound |
| Pennsylvania | Great Dane |
| South Carolina | Boykin Spaniel |
| Texas | Blue Lacy |
| Virginia | American Foxhound |
| Wisconsin | American Water Spaniel |
Hearing Dogs, based in New Plymouth, New Zealand, is a registered charitable trust that works to train assistance dogs for deaf people and to offer them ongoing support. The trained dogs are gifted to their recipients at no charge for the rest of their lives, although the teams do need to be assessed annually to maintain their registered status.
I was lucky enough to visit with Caroline Boyce and her hearing dog, Tyra, recently. Caroline and Tyra live in Kaiapoi (Canterbury). Caroline says there is a big difference in her quality of life when considering life before Tyra and after. Tyra, a Shih Tzu, is a small dog. Many people don’t realise that a hearing dog can be any shape or size and most breeds of dogs are acceptable for admittance into the programme. You will notice a hearing dog because they wear a distinctive yellow coat.
Caroline has been hearing impaired for all of her life. She has an implanted hearing aid that allows her to pick up some low level sound in her left ear only. Growing up in New Zealand in the 1950s and 1960s wasn’t easy for Caroline. She says:
I’ve spent most of my life in a near silent world. I am the only one in my family who is hearing impaired which makes things very difficult at times. People don’t have much patience when they are dealing with people who are deaf or hearing impaired.
I didn’t like going anywhere much. Although there may have been plenty going on around you, you felt as though you were looking down on yourself. If you asked what was being said, you were often told ‘oh don’t worry about it, it’s nothing.’
When I went to school, I was always made to feel as though I wasn’t normal (whatever that is). If I went for an interview and told people I was hearing impaired, they would ask me if I could read and write. So I just tended to stay out of everything, including family birthday parties and barbeques, and spent a lot of time on my own in my room.
Despite these setbacks, Caroline went overseas for work experience and met her husband (they have now been married for 38 years). She raised two children, a time she said was very hard because she never got much sleep. She was always worried that she wouldn’t pick up on whether her babies were crying or needed attention.
Eight years ago, things changed for Caroline. I mustered the courage to attend a talk about Hearing Dogs and I put my name down for one. Tyra is her second hearing dog; her first dog developed behavioural issues and had to be retired after only two years.
Having a hearing dog has made a huge difference to me. It’s given me courage to do things on my own and go out, and people actually treat me like a normal person. They talk to me and ask about the dog and when I explain what she does and how she goes everywhere with me, they then have a bit more understanding about what life’s like for me and others like me. I don’t hide away any more. If I’m a bit nervous going somewhere for the first time I just talk to Tyra and she gives me the courage to do it. I take her to my work (as a caregiver) every day and my grandson adores her.
Ways to support the work of Hearing Dogs  Hearing Dogs relies solely on support provided by members of the public, sponsors, and volunteers. It takes approximately $13,500 to train a hearing dog.Here are ways you can support Hearing Dogs:
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There are 50 registered hearing dogs working in New Zealand today and another six are in training. 40% of dogs successfully make it through the training programme. Those dogs that don’t make it often end up re-homed with their weekend socialisers or offered through the National Dog Forum for another type of training as an assistance dog.
Hearing Dogs is happy to accept enquiries about re-homing of dogs that do not pass their training because, for busy people and seniors, adopting a dog who has been trained in the basics makes for an easier transition into dog ownership than trying to train a puppy.
To learn more about Hearing Dogs, visit their website: www.hearingdogs.org.nz
Coming up next month in my column in NZ Dog World and on this blog will be information on Hearing Dogs in New Zealand. However, I was in Australia last week on business and picked up some useful information about Lions Hearing Dogs in that country.
98% of the hearing dogs in Australia are ex-shelter dogs. As their name suggests, these dogs alert a hearing impaired owner to important sounds like the fire alarm. It takes approximately $30,000 to train a single hearing dog.
Access to public places for these assistance dogs is guaranteed by law with penalties of up to $50,000 can be applied if someone refuses access to a hearing dog and its owner.
The organisation has trained over 500 dogs since 1982 and has a very useful website.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The date of 9/11 is one that most of us will remember, recalling exactly where we were and what we were doing when the news of the attacks came through.
In my case, it was first thing in the morning New Zealand time and I had turned on the radio for news (something I do every morning) – as it was September 12th in New Zealand. It was also the morning to get dressed up, as I was being sworn in as a New Zealand citizen. The ceremony was very memorable, with the Mayor of Christchurch making special reference to the day’s events and what the US citizens in the room must be feeling.
I hope you are as moved by this video as much as I am. It is about the 300 urban search and rescue dogs who worked at the World Trade Center site. And it also tells you about Sirius, the bomb detection dog who died in the collapse.
Never forget.
The Middle Island Maremma Project is a flagship project by the Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Group.
Middle Island in Victoria is home to a Little Blue Penguin colony. The penguins were suffering dearly because of predation by foxes and wild dogs. Between 2000 and 2005, the population of penguins went from more than 600 to only 10.
In 2006, after a suggestion from a student who was familiar with the work of the dogs on a chicken farm, trained Maremma sheepdogs were introduced to guard the penguins. In 2010, the project won the National Landcare Award sponsored by the Australian Government. 87 other competitors were vying for the award.
Maremmas on Middle Island, photo courtesy of Middle Island Maremma Project website
According to The Blue Penguin Trust, blue penguins are the smallest breed of penguin, reaching only 35-43 cm in height and weighing up to a maximum of 1.5 kg. They are found throughout locations in Australia and New Zealand, but are vulnerable to development (often getting run over by cars) as well as predators.
As for the Maremma Sheepdog, they were originally bred in Italy to guard flocks of livestock from the threats of attack by bears or wolves and have strong protective instincts. The dogs have a double coat that is water repellant, so they are able to work outdoors for long periods of time.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
“A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
Paws and Stripes is a not-for-profit organisation working to place service dogs with US war veterans who are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury. Through their efforts dogs from shelters are trained to have a new life as a service dog – all at no cost to the veteran.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has been going on for many years now, and with this the escalating numbers of returning veterans who are suffering from PTSD. Traumatic brain injury is often suffered because soldiers are injured by ‘improvised explosive devices.’ Sadly, insurance companies will not pay to see these men and women given the use of a service dog.
Jim Stanek is the co-founder of Paws and Stripes (along with his wife). He received injuries during his third tour of duty in Iraq and, during his nine months of treatment, he found solace in the presence of service dogs. In May of 2010, Jim and his wife unsuccessfully tried to find a trainer for their rescue dog named Sarge. They founded Paws and Stripes in June 2010 to fill the need for these types of service dogs.
Veterans are able to choose their own dog from a shelter before entering the training programme and part of their rehabilitation is their involvement in the training.
This seems like a very special organisation combining the involvement of service dogs with shelter rescue – all whilst helping a group of people in need. Visit the Paws and Stripes website to learn more about the programme and how to help. While there, read stories like that of Master Sargeant Justin Jordan and his dog, Dallas (pictured below – photos copyright Paws and Stripes).
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Whenever I travel for work, I love to share information on dogs from those locations. Having been in Wellington this week, I took the time to visit a favourite site of mine: Paddy the Wanderer’s drinking fountain.
Located on the Wellington waterfront in front of the Academy of Fine Arts building, this memorial was erected in 1945 in the memory of an Airedale Terrier who was nicknamed Paddy the Wanderer.
The drinking fountain for people and dogs erected as a memorial for Paddy the Wanderer in Wellington, New Zealand
Paddy’s original name was believed to have been Dash and he was owned by a little girl named Elsie whose father was a seaman and, for this reason, he was a frequent visitor to the wharves. Elsie passed away at the tender age of 3 1/2 years from pneumonia and the dog began to wander the foreshore area, some saying it was in search of the little girl. And somewhere along the line he was given the nickname of Paddy.
Paddy was a celebrity of sorts on the Wellington waterfront during the Depression years. Harbour board workers, seamen, watersiders and taxi drivers took turns at paying his annual dog license. His fame grew as he joined ships that traveled to various port cities in New Zealand and Australia. In December 1935 he even took an airplane ride in a gypsy moth.
The Wellington Harbour Board gave him the title of Assistant Night Watchman with responsibility for keeping an eye out for pirates, smugglers and rodents. As he aged, Paddy did less wandering and he grew ill. He was given a sickbed in a shed on the wharves and he had many visitors who were concerned for his welfare.
When Paddy died on 17 July 1939, obituary notices were placed in the local papers; a radio tribute was also broadcast. Paddy’s body was accompanied to the city council yards for cremation by a funeral procession of black taxis.
Paddy’s memorial fountain was built using stones taken from Waterloo Bridge in London and paid for with funds raised by his friends and admirers. Its design includes two drinking bowls at the bottom for dogs, much like the designs for fountains we see today in our dog parks.
Paddy’s story is also told in a children’s book written by Dianne Haworth and published by Harper Collins.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Posted in special dogs and awards
Tagged airedale terrier, Dianne Haworth, Harper Collins, history, Paddy the Wanderer, Wellington
In today’s world, literacy is an essential life skill. Did you know that dogs are being specially trained to help children learn how to read?
A Canadian R.E.A.D. dog in action (photo courtesy of TherapyAnimals.org)
The Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) programme operates in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada and aims to improve reading and communication skills by allowing children to read to a dog. Dogs are non judgmental companions who allow the children to read aloud and gain self esteem, while practising their reading skills.
R.E.A.D. dogs are registered therapy animals who volunteer with their owner/handlers and they visit schools and libraries and other venues. In tracking the effectiveness of the programme, schools are asked to report back on reading test scores of the children involved. Libraries schedule the R.E.A.D. visits as special events, and watch the children flock in to participate. Attendance numbers are also tracked.
Patrick Barkham of The Guardian Weekly recently published an article about Danny, a greyhound R.E.A.D. dog in the UK. Read The dogs who listen to children reading.
R.E.A.D. chapters have various requirements for dogs and their handlers. All dogs must achieve therapy dog qualifications which test their obedience, temperament, and sociability. Most dog handlers are required to attend training courses and this is augmented by on-the-job mentoring and coaching.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
There are special needs dogs and the special people who take care of them. Today, I’m sharing the story of Kandu, a Jack Russell who was born without his front legs.
Kandu’s initial owner thought that he should be euthanised but a welfare agency put out the call for owners willing to take on a special needs dog and the rest, as they say, is history. Kandu is fitted with a special cart that allows him to run and play like all other dogs and he even has a special snowboard for winter play.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Time magazine has issued a list of its Top 10 Heroic Animals, with four dogs amongst them including the Japanese dog who refused to leave its injured friend in the aftermath of the tsunami (seem my post on the loyalty of one dog to another).
The other dogs on the list are Trakr, a Canadian police dog who in a six-year career found more than $1 million in contraband. In September 2001, he worked at the wrecked World Trade Center and found the last survivor at the site. After two days of working at the Center, Trakr collapsed from smoke inhalation and exhaustion and returned to Canada to recuperate.
Stubby was a stray dog who was adopted by Private J. Robert Conroy who named him Stubby because of his short tail. Private Conroy’s regiment were training for World War I and the dog was allowed to stay because he boosted morale. Stubby learned a modified salute where he put his right paw on his right eyebrow. The dog traveled with the regiment to France, surviving gas attacks and providing an early warning when gas was coming. He served in 17 battles.
The fourth dog on the list is Togo. In 1925, the town of Nome, Alaska was struck by diptheria. Because Nome was so isolated, planes and ships could not get the serum there and a decision was made for multiple sled dog teams to relay the medicine across the land. Togo was the sled dog who did most of the work, facing winter storms, a journey of 200 miles that included a swim through the ice floes in Norton Sound.
The other animals on the list include two horses, two cats, one pigeon and one dolphin. Read the full stories here.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Posted in special dogs and awards
Tagged dogs, heroes, heroic dogs, Time magazine, top 10
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