Absolutely terrific program from US Airways! They are helping to train puppies in training to become assistance dogs for the disabled by letting them fly with a US Airways employee in the plane cabin. This is great experience for these young dogs for the future when they may need to fly with their owners. It also helps educate other passengers about the rights of the disabled and the fact that an assistance dog is allowed to fly in the cabin when he’s working. Believe it or not, there are people who will question the presence of an assistance dog in an airplane cabin. Programs like this, provided by the airline, can do a lot to help educate the public.

From News 14 in North Carolina. Video at their web site.

US Airways helps special needs dogs
Updated: 03/25/2008 05:40 PM
By: Shannon Peluso

Puppies in Flight
Dogs training to become assistance dogs for the disabled are being given experience flying on US Airways through their “Puppies in Flight” program.

CHARLOTTE — US Airways hosted a program in Charlotte on Monday that is helping its employees take care of a few very special passengers.

The “Puppies in Flight” program gives US Airways employees who wish to volunteer a chance to travel with a four-legged companion. The dogs they travel with are all training to become special needs assistance dogs.

While they’re training, the pups must learn how to adapt to a variety of environments, including airports and airplanes.

A trainer for one nearby nonprofit dog training program, Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services, says the program is a huge benefiaciary. Jennifer Rogers says, the dogs would not get a chance to travel as much on a plane if it wasn’t for the program.

“So really our dogs are practicing what their future jobs will be which is to accompany or assist somebody with a disability no matter where they are,” added Rogers. “No matter if it’s an airplane, a supermarket, a taxi cab. So they really have to practice that while they’re in training.”

By law, anyone who is disabled and has an assistance dog is permitted to go anywhere considered public, including inside the cabin of a plane.

Rogers says the “Puppies in Flight” program also helps educate the public on animal assistance for the disabled.

This story is so cute! And it was all for a good cause, too.

Eons ago, back when I was just out of college and started living by myself, I had a mere three dogs. I still remember my first Easter on my own when my mom showed up at my house the day before with some eggs and a box of Easter egg dye. She said she thought I might want to dye some eggs so I could hide them for the dogs. I had to laugh about it. This was the woman who always said she wasn’t an animal person. Yet we spent the afternoon dyeing eggs for the dogs. (Boiled eggs won’t hurt your dogs. You can let your dogs eat them, shells and all, when they find them. The shells contain calcium that’s good for dogs, but they probably won’t get enough to really benefit from the shells. Don’t overdo things, though. A few eggs are fine for big dogs, fewer for small dogs, if they want to eat them. I don’t think there’s anything in the egg dye that will hurt your dog, especially in such a small amount, unless your dog has some particular allergy to dyes.)

From Canada’s Windsor Star.

Dogs sniff eggs at Malden Park
Monica Wolfson, Windsor Star
Published: Friday, March 21, 2008

Malden Park went to the dogs Friday.

At least a hundred canines — accompanied by owners — barked, sniffed and galloped around the park in search of plastic eggs as part of the third annual easter egg hunt for dogs.

“We had a lot of fun,” said Karen Brown as she juggled two cartons of eggs and two leashes holding Jackson and Izzy, brown and white spotted Basset hounds. While the dogs were bred to hunt and have a strong sense of smell, it was the dog treat inside the eggs that drew the canines to the plastic oval containers.

The hounds took to the hills in search of Easter eggs on Good Friday. Just ask Basset Hounds Jackson, left, and Izzy, who combed Malden Park for doggy Easter eggs along with at least another 100 dogs.
Scott Webster, The Windsor Star

“I have a few that are chewed up,” Brown said.

Most pet owners clutched ruined plastic eggs covered in dog slobber as they lined up to redeem the eggs for pet treats. One couple walked away with a box of 18 bags of dog goodies.

The purpose of the egg hunt is to raise money for National Service Dogs, an organization based in Cambridge that trains service dogs for children afflicted with autism.

Chantal Merner, who had four children with autism, ran the event with volunteers. It cost $20 per dog to enter the event.

Having a service dog for her 7-year-old daughter Annika allows Merner to go out in public.

“Some kids with autism have a habit of running and hiding,” Merner said. “The children are tethered to a dog and (the canines) follow commands from the adult not the child. It’s a safety issue.”

The dogs also calm autistic children, said Doug Chivas, who trains puppies for National Service Dogs. The organization places about 20 to 25 dogs nationally per year, but they’d like to train 40. It takes about two years to train a service dog for autistic children. Merner said she waited 2 1/2 years to get Cargo, the black labrador who keeps a watchful eye on Annika.

Spunky Lucy, a two-year-old Poodle-Shitzu mix, stood her ground as she was surrounded by larger dogs who gave her a sniff. Annie Bondy got the dog more than a year ago from the humane society.

“They said at first she shouldn’t be around other dogs or kids, but I think a lot of TLC made a lot of difference,” Bondy said.

Live-in boyfriend Brad Hotchkiss tried to strategize how to get the most eggs.

While many of the plastic eggs contain dog treats, some had slips of paper that could be redeemed for prizes.

Magna, a 14-month-old Dogue de Bordeaux, towered over most of the other animals. The dog is a member of the English Mastiff family, which are monstrous-sized dogs, said Matt Soulliere, owner.

“She’s going to do great,” he said. “We are going to fill two cartons.”

American Kennel Club Seeks Entries from Across the Nation for 9th Annual Awards for Canine Excellence

Is Your Dog Among the Country’s Bravest, Boldest and Best Companions?

Is your canine the kind that always lifts your spirits when you’re feeling blue? Do you know a dog that helps the sick feel better? Heard of a pooch who played a role in a dramatic rescue? If so, what better way to pay tribute to a deserving dog than by nominating him for an American Kennel Club Award for Canine Excellence (ACE)?

An American Kennel Club (AKC) ACE award is a national honor, given to only five dogs each year who have performed an exemplary act or series of acts, whether large or seemingly small, that have significantly benefited a community or individual. One award is given in the following five categories: law enforcement, search and rescue, therapy, service, and exemplary companion dog. Honorable Mentions will be awarded to outstanding entries in each category.

In addition to the prestige of being chosen from hundreds of entries, each of the five honorees receives a cash award of $1,000, an engraved sterling silver collar medallion and an all-expenses-paid trip for dog and owner to Long Beach, Calif., to be honored at the seventh annual AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in December 2008. The engraved names of the five recipients will also be added to the ACE plaque that is on permanent display in the AKC’s Library in New York City. Dogs receiving honorable mention will be awarded an engraved bronze medallion. All entrants will receive an AKC ACE Certificate of Recognition in acknowledgement of their nomination.

Anyone, including the dog owner or handler, may submit a nomination. Submissions for the American Kennel Club Awards for Canine Excellence for 2008 must include:
A non-returnable, original photograph of the dog. Hi-resolution electronic photos (300dpi and at least 5×7 inches or, 72dpi at least 20×30 inches) are permissible but not scans.
A 500-word-or-less description of how the dog has demonstrated excellence.
Dog’s call name, registered name if applicable, breed, age and sex.
Owner/Nominator name(s), address, phone number. E-mail address if available.
*Please note that to be considered, dogs must be an AKC recognized breed.

Nominations will be accepted until June 30, 2008 and should be sent to:
Ronald N. Rella: ACE Awards 2008
The American Kennel Club
260 Madison Avenue, 4th Floor
New York, New York 10016

For more information about the AKC ACE awards, to download a nomination form or to view last year’s honorees visit the ACE section of the AKC Web site.

I found this story so touching that it brought tears to my eyes. I hope the dogs will return to NIU next February. It sounds like they’re needed. It also sounds like there may be other places which could use these “comfort dogs” following a crisis.

From the Chicago Tribune.

NIU wants comfort dogs back on anniversary of shootings
Dogs’ return sought on anniversary of attack
By Carolyn Starks | Tribune reporter

When classes resumed after the slayings at Northern Illinois University, anxious students showed up at the campus counseling office seeking to talk to someone who was a good listener—someone calm, someone furry.

They wanted to see the dogs.

In the aftermath of the Feb. 14 shooting by gunman Steven Kazmierczak, comfort came to the shaken DeKalb campus from an unusually calm pack of four-legged therapists whose mission was to find people who wanted to pet them. The weeklong presence of these comfort dogs has been so missed at NIU that campus officials are working to bring them back on the first anniversary of the shooting—and earlier, if possible.

“In many instances, they gave to students things we couldn’t give them as mental health professionals,” said Elizabeth Garcia, a counselor at NIU whose office coordinated the dogs’ daily schedule. “Some students didn’t want to talk to counselors but talking to the dogs made them feel better. I saw people sitting on the floor with them, talking to them like they were humans.”

Twelve dogs were from Animal Assisted Crisis Response, an elite group of therapy dogs trained to bring emotional rescue after a disaster or crisis. Some of the dogs were used in New York after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and at Virginia Tech after the campus shootings there.

At NIU, comfort dogs rode city buses, went to basketball games, sat unnerved at noisy dorm parties and mingled inside pizza parlors. A campus religious group also brought dogs from Extra Mile Ministries to greet students.

Campus officials said the dogs drew crowds wherever they went, and there were constant requests from students and faculty members who asked to talk to them or pet them.

On the first day back to classes after the shooting, the dogs were brought to the newsroom of the Northern Star, the college newspaper.

“Everybody stopped what they were doing and ran to the dogs,” said senior Eric Rood. “It’s not going to make anything go away but there’s something comforting about petting a dog.”

Cindy Ehlers founded the organization, which is based in Eugene, Ore., shortly after she and her dog responded to a school shooting in 1998 close to her home.

She realized that most regular therapy dogs could not withstand the stress of crisis situations. They would need special training. Her organization certifies comfort dogs throughout the U.S. NIU officials said the dogs came in contact with about 16,000 people on campus.

Ehlers said several students who were in Cole Hall when the shooting occurred wept when they approached the dogs.

“Not many dogs could withstand hundreds of students petting them all day long,” Ehlers said. “The dogs have to be comfortable with emotional reactions from people—the crying or those who are withdrawn—those extremes that regular therapy dogs may or may not encounter.”

cstarks@tribune.com

From the Wiltshire Times

Budgie helps launch dog awards
By Wiltshire Times Reporter

Tracy Lewis with Budgie

WESTBURY hearing dog Budgie and his profoundly deaf owner Tracy Lewis were at Crufts on Friday to help launch 2008 as Year of the Assistance Dog.

Canine Partners, Dogs for the Disabled, Guide Dogs, Hearing Dogs and Support Dogs are working together as Assistance Dogs UK, promoting rights of access to transport, restaurants, shops and other services for assistance dog users.

Budgie joined four other dogs and their owners to raise awareness of the important work carried out by the UK’s 6,000 assistance dogs.

As part of this special year, prestigious awards called Dog Star Awards will be presented to service providers nominated by guide dog and assistance dog users in recognition that premises and services meet their needs.

Tracy and Budgie also recently visited Downing Street where they presented Phil Hope MP, Minister for the Third Sector, with a Dog Star Award.

Phil Hope MP accepted the award on behalf of Downing Street and the Cabinet Office, in recognition of the accessibility for guide and assistance dog users.

During their time with the MP they gave personal accounts of the problems they face when attempting to travel by taxis, or use services and amenities.