News

Therapy Dog Healing Virtually

May 28, 2020

A therapy dog isn’t letting coronavirus pause her mission to help others. “Laney the golden retriever” and her owner are taking their visits virtual. Alexa Liacko looks at the free sessions helping children, veterans, and families cope with COVID-19. Laney the golden retriever is used to being loved on. This therapy dog is part of […]

Meet Sir Winston

May 28, 2020

Sir Winston Furchill is the poodle puppy who has become the newest and furriest member of the Rainbow House Advocacy Center in Columbia. Although Winston is only undergoing basic puppy training now, he will eventually have the training to become a certified therapy dog for the center. Children go to Rainbow House to be interviewed […]

Can Guide Dogs Social-Distance

May 28, 2020

Guide dog Leo, a 2-year-old black Lab, helps his visually impaired owner, Samantha Ambrico-Custer, get around and navigate daily life. He performs extraordinary tasks for her every day. But one thing Leo and other guide dogs can’t do: judge 6 feet between other humans. Amid the pandemic, owners say their guide dogs have had trouble […]

Teacher’s Therapy Dog

May 28, 2020

A new therapy dog might welcome Furry Elementary students back when school reopens. At a recent virtual public meeting, Furry Elementary teacher Pam Shirtz asked officials about having her golden retriever, Charlie, available to students needing support during the pandemic. Charlie completed rigorous testing through the Pet Partners organization to become a certified therapy dog. […]

Paws For Life Rescue Program

May 28, 2020

Crazy Dog, a brand of Whitebridge Pet Brands in St. Louis, recently donated 12,960 bags of its Crazy Dog Train-Me! treats to Paws for Life K9 Rescue (PFL). The treats will support the rescue group’s COVID-19 Operation Pandemic and Paws for Life Prison programs. Operation Pandemic was launched to encourage people to foster a shelter dog […]

Dogs Adjusting To Social Distancing

May 28, 2020

Brian Hare, Ph.D. professor of evolutionary anthropology and director of Duke Canine Cognition Center, discussed how dogs help people to adjust to the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. I want to understand how different types of cognition evolve, including in our own species. Dogs have provided a powerful way to test ideas about how selection […]

Police Welcomes New Recruit

May 28, 2020

The Moose Jaw Police Service has a new recruit, but he’s of the four-legged variety. “Merc” passed his validation testing last week and he is now the fourth dog to join Moose Jaw’s K9 Unit. “Usually, that’s the proper protocol is that when an old dog retires a new one is brought in or when […]

Puppies Helping Firefighters

May 28, 2020

Hanford Fire Department will have some furry new recruits soon. The department is partnering with the California Service Dog Academy in Visalia to train two new puppies to help firefighters with stress. Firefighters Connor Kurtz and Matt Martinez are heading the program and will be the two primary handlers for the puppies that are chosen […]

Working Dogs

May 28, 2020

We’re pulling for Draco, the German shepherd, who’s in training to become a K-9 law enforcement officer with the police department in Cape Carteret. There’s been some budget debate about whether the town can fund Draco as an ongoing line item. The “Draco dilemma” was described by reporter Brad Rich in the May 24 edition […]

Future Service Dogs

May 28, 2020

Three volunteer pilots left California’s Sonoma Jet Center on March 28 with precious cargo in tow: puppies. The planes were safely transporting golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, and mixed puppies to their new, temporary homes. It was each puppies’ first step in becoming an assistance dog. The pilots were helping Canine Companions for Independence, a nonprofit that […]