Fidos Speaks, Vol. 9, Issue 3, Summer 2013

http://www.fidosforfreedom.org/

Summer 2013 Volume 9—Issue 3

Fidos Speaks

www.fidosforfreedom.org Fidos Speaks Providing Independence 1987—2013

Our mission is to enhance the quality of life for peo-ple in the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan community by providing specially trained hearing dogs, service dogs, and therapy dogs. Fidos also educates the public about individuals with disabili-ties and about the benefits of assistance dogs and therapy dogs and the work that these specially trained dogs do for individuals with disabilities, children with reading difficulties, and patients in health care facilities.

Inside This Issue:

The Rewarding Life 1 The Sounding Board 2 Kierstyn Knox 4 Chicken Training 101 6 Tank Learns to Fly 7 Private Box Donation 9 Becoming Team Spanky 10 Alex Deatherage 12 Project 2 Heal 14 Service Dog Videos 16 Wish List 17

An i n f o r m a t i o n e x c h a n g e s e r v i n g c l i e n ts , s u p p o r te r s a n d vo l u n t e e r s o f

F i d o s Fo r Fr e e d o m , I n c .

The Rewarding Life of a Fidos Therapy Dog

By Gunny Grete, as told to Marilyn and Bear Hummer

When my “wiener twin" Liesl and I were adopted, we never dreamed of the worthwhile and sociable life we would lead. After completing four obedience courses and learning lots of tricks (yes, the endless supply of car-rots incentivized us), we amused resi-dents at a rehabilitation hospital and a nursing home. Then came the day that changed our lives … meeting Fidos For Freedom volunteers doing a demo at our vet’s office. Bingo … we found our calling! We quickly became Therapy Dogs for

real, and loved every minute of our

long tenure. What could be better

than giving unconditional love in re-

turn for kisses, pets, snug-gles and treats for tricks? After more than 14 years, I became Fidos’ longest-serving Therapy Dog. Dedi-cation! In 2002, Liesl (7/11/1996-

5/21/10) and I (7/11/1996-

1/8/13) participated in the

Dogs Educating & Assisting

Readers (DEAR) Program

pilot, and I helped kids prac-

tice their reading skills

through the 2012 school year. I used

some great ploys to get MY students

… continued on page 3

Gunny Grete (L) and Gunny Liesl (R) Photo by Marilyn Hummer

The twins who read to the DEAR twins East Columbia Library (Liesl—L, Grete—R)

http://www.fidosforfreedom.org/

http://www.fidosforfreedom.org

2

Sounding Board By Tracy Bowman

www.fidosforfreedom.org Fidos Speaks

Fidos Speaks Volume 9—Issue 2

For more information contact:

Fidos For Freedom, Inc. 1200 Sandy Spring Road Laurel, MD 20707 Laurel, Maryland 20726 Phone: (301) 490-4005 Web site: www.fidosforfreedom.org Email: [email protected] Office manager: Kay Somers Bookkeeper: Anne Weldon Maintenance: Bryan Sirotkin Director of Training: Pat Jarvis Director of Client Services: Sandy Ball Director of Community Education: Sharon Tucker Therapy Dog Program Director: Katherine Jeschke Webmaster: Kelly Fleshman

Board Members Click on name in blue hyperlink to email: Tracy Bowman, President Judy Cannon Jane Harford Terry Portis Sherri Sirotkin Eileen Thacker

Newsletter Denise Portis, Layout Editor Mary Clarke, Copy Editor Victoria Harden, Copy Editor Ann Dunn, writer Nicki Eger, writer Victoria Harden, writer Joanne Hyder, writer Katherine Jeschke, writer Pam Loeb, writer Chris Powell, writer & photos Andy Weisburger, photography Bryan Sirotkin, photography Julie Wu, photography WRITERS WANTED! Please con-tact Denise Portis for more infor-mation! Copyright 2012 Fidos For Freedom, Inc. Material in this publication may not be reprinted or reused in any way without express permission from the Board of Directors.

It is summer, when people take time off, maybe head off to the beach, or stay home and get things done around the house. Others have more esoteric ideas of how to spend their time….. you will read about Fidos trainer Mary Austin and chicken 414; I spent part of my summer vacation with training legend Bob Bailey and two of his ‘white ladies’ (how Bob refers to his chickens) myself! Last week, I was privi-leged to work along-side a team of dedicated Fidos thera-py dog han-dlers who carried out assessment sessions for potential Fidos thera-py dog teams. The warmth of their welcome to both people and dogs, and the depth of their insight into dog obedience and behavior were quite impressive. Welcome, new Fidos therapy dog teams! But that’s not all. Fidos’ volunteers are staying very busy with a bustling lineup of fun activities and events. It starts with our celebration of Interna-tional Assistance Dog Week—join us at one of our open houses on Wednesday, August 7th or Saturday, August 10th, learn more about the vi-

tal role assistance dogs play, and cud-dle with our friendly therapy dogs or puppies in training. Cara Gregg—thank you for your leadership on this informative event! Not to be outdone, Janet Tingley, Chris Easter and dedicated volun-teers are working hard to make the September 29th, 2013 Stroll N Roll the best ever. Last year’s event engen-dered a renewed sense of community, and this year’s SNR will be every bit as fun. Read about the generosity of Elissa and Jason Hammel—Jason is a star pitcher with the Baltimore Orioles, and Elissa is his wife. They learned about our organization: who we are and what we do, and they wanted to help. Imag-ine how thrilled we were when Jason agreed to visit Fidos on August 24th to sign autographs for Orioles fans, and see our dogs in action! I want to thank our office manager, Kay Somers, for her efforts on this initiative and thank you, Elissa and Jason for your gener-osity to Fidos. We all look forward to thanking you in person at Fidos on August 24th! I have named some of the people who lead the efforts described above. But none of us are successful without the support, the trust, and the efforts of you, the people who choose to ive of your time, your skill, and your beauti-ful animals. Thank you for all you do to make Fidos the wonderful place it is.

Fidos’ therapy dog Lily (partnered with Peggy Eaton) waits quietly on

the training floor Photo by Julie Wu



mailto:[email protected]



mailto:%[email protected]

mailto:%[email protected]





3


… continued from page 1

to improve … like telling a quiet boy that I was hard of hearing so he would read louder; or quizzing them after reading a book to improve comprehension; or explaining the hard words to enhance their vocabu-lary. Magic! My quiet and easygoing personality helped a psy-

chologist working with children who were afraid of

dogs overcome their phobia (I was dubbed Fidos’

first “psychology dog”!) … one even went from

screaming “if I touch a dog’s spit it will kill me” to

“pretty please, Mom, may I have a dog of my own?”

Miraculous!

Together, Liesl

and I won every

costume and

tricks contest

we entered. We

were everything

from hot dogs in

buns, to golf

bags, to knock-

wursts with sau-

erkraut … our

extensive col-

lection of hats,

visors and bon-

nets was re-

nowned. Our

synchronized

rolls, tail wags

and hula hoop

jumping; and

especially “leap

dog,” delighted

everyone (it

helped to be

built like Tootsie Rolls). Endearing!

In addition to nursing homes and hospitals, plus lots

of demos and special events, our most rewarding vis-

its were to NNMC (now Walter Reed National Mili-

tary Medical Center, Bethesda) where we boosted

morale, thanked the military personnel for their ser-

The “Wiener Twins”, Winners of Fidos’ Halloween Costume Contest

(Liesl—L, Grete—R)

vice, and also visited with families and facility staff. It was an honor when the Marines bestowed the Gun-nery Sergeant rank on us, and invented the “Pass the Gunny” game (an endearing time when the troops sat around hugging and petting us for several minutes, then someone would announce “Pass the Gunny” and we were handed to the next soldier). Honor!

Ready for the Fidos’ booth at “Ag Day”, the UMD’s Agricultural College Celebration

(Liesl—L, Grete—R)

As Fidos Therapy Dogs, our lives were exciting and

enriched by everyone we touched … we were grate-

ful for every rewarding experience. Now we are

helping the Marines guard the gates of Heaven …

OOHRAH Devil Dogs. Commitment!

Service dog Maya opens door for her partner David Photo by Ann Dunn


4


Kierstyn Knox—12-year-old Fundraiser for Fidos For Freedom, Inc.

By Kierstyn Knox

Hi my name is Kierstyn Knox. I decided to do a

fundraiser for Fidos For Freedom (FFF) for two rea-

sons. The first reason was that I have to earn com-

munity service hours for my school as a graduation

requirement. The second reason is because I wanted

to sponsor a puppy to become a service dog because

I saw how much my mom’s dog, Star, helps her with

her balance and hearing issues. I decided to do this

by asking companies to donate things that I could

raffle off. I ended up getting a lot more than I

thought I would so I ended up having a raffle and

then also having a silent auction at FFF graduation

ceremony.

My mom and I typed up a letter saying why I was

doing this fundraiser and what my goal was for the

fundraiser. It included information about the differ-

ent things FFF does and information on my mom

and her dog, Star. I thought I would get the most

stuff for my raffle if they knew those kinds of things.

We had to come up with companies to which to send the letters, so we made a list of every company we could think of. One of the things we did was to go to the Pet Smart website and write down all the compa-nies that sell there. We also asked friends and family members if they could think of anyone else. I ended up making 400 copies of the original letter to send to all the companies we found. It was a lot of work to stuff all of those envelopes and seal and stamp them. I was lucky I had my mom to help me. After we sent out the first set of letters we kept com-

ing up with more companies and even people that we

should have sent letters to. We ended up sending out

200 more about two weeks later. The last 42 letters

went out about a week after that. At that point my

mom decided that that was enough and we needed to

stop. I figured 642 letters was enough and so we sat

back and waited to see what we would get.

Around the end of November and the beginning of

December we started to receive items. It was slow

for a couple weeks, but around the second week of

December, it was like Christmas every single day.

Every day I received either a signed picture of an

actor/actress with a note, animal pet care items, or

author-signed books. We even got a $250 check

from Chick-fil-a. A few times there were letters in

the mail saying they were sorry that they could not

donate anything. By the middle of January, it started

to slow down. We realized that the project was too

big when our dining room table was completely cov-

ered with raffle prizes. We needed help from people

at Fidos. … continued page 5

Kierstyn Knox receives recognition from Sherri Sirotkin of the Board for her fundraising efforts

Photo by Denise Portis

Kierstyn stands next to some of the silent auction items at the 2013 Fidos Caps and Capes program—Photo by Jasmine Knox


5


In March we had a small raffle at Fidos. We put to-gether three small baskets with a small mixture of raffle items. One of the baskets had a coffee mug and some coffee mix. The second basket had sports items like Baysox tickets. The third basket had dog care items like a leash, dog shampoo and a dog brush. We sold tickets for these three small baskets for about a week and half. On the last day we sold tickets it was a Wednesday night and in the middle of one of the classes we did the drawing for who would win what basket. We made about $500 on just those 3 baskets. After the small raffle at Fidos I had to talk Ms. Sher-ri about what we were going to do with the rest of the items that were not in the small raffle. She sug-gested having a silent auction at the graduation cere-mony. I thought that sounded like a good idea so we stored everything until graduation got closer. About 2 weeks before the Fidos graduation we got

some helpers to put the prizes together. We put eve-

rything in baskets so that they looked really pretty. It

was like a party. I cleaned out the baskets before we

put in the raffle items. The adults put in basket filler

to decorate them. Then we looked over the raffle

items to see what items would go together. The dog

items went together in some of the baskets. Other

baskets had sports items, pictures, tickets and even a

quilt.

The night before graduation we brought all the bas-kets home since we had to transport them to the event. It was just like before; they took up all the space on the table. It took us forever to get them in the house and we just had to load them up again in the morning. They took up the whole van with only a little room for me and my mom’s service dog, Star. At the Fidos graduation we had to unload the car to setup for the silent auction. From the very beginning people started to bid. A lot of people bid on the sport items and tickets to the pirate show and aquarium. One of the most popular items was the late night basket with tickets to see the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The auction was very successful and some people even won more than one thing.

I went on stage when they totaled up the money that I raised, about $3,500.00. I was congratulated on what a good job I had done and received a gift with some Fidos stuff in it. I had a lot of fun and I was very surprised that I got a present. At the end the total money I raised with the fundrais-

er was not quite as much as I had set my goal for but

it was still a lot. The total community service hours

that I earned were 45 hours. It was a lot of work but

I am glad I did it I hope that I can do something like

this again.

Kierstyn Knox with silent auction items Photo by Jasmine Knox

Kierstyn Knox with some of the items at the silent auction 2013 Caps and Capes program

Photo by Jasmine Knox


6


Chicken Training 101: Bailey-Farhoody Operant Conditioning Chicken

Workshop By Mary Austin

"Remember, you're bigger, you're stronger and you're smarter." With those words of encouragement, this city slicker cautiously approached chicken #414 and began the training exercises optimistically described as "simple but challenging." I first got interested in the Marian and Bob Bailey "chicken camp" back in the 90's when my agility in-structor raved about it. The Bailey's had decades of experience using operant conditioning to train a wide variety of animals for the entertainment industry and the military. They used chickens as a model to teach their techniques to others since chickens are "simple, but not stupid", display a range of behaviors, can learn quickly, and are highly motivated by chicken feed. It was described as intense and hands on, an ex-cellent way to improve training skills. I didn't make it before they were discontinued in 2004. Fortunately, Parvene Farhoody managed to talk Bob into coming out of retirement to do the workshops 4.7 miles from my house. How could I not go?

Much of the 5 day workshop was spent training in fast paced, back to back, 30 sec to 1 minute incre-ments. This was interspersed with lectures on the science of applied behavioral analysis. The course description of "physically, mentally, and emotion-ally demanding" doesn't do it justice. Bob had to periodically remind us that "the fate of Western civilization does not depend on this." And he would know, since some of his work with the mili-tary/government may well have had such an im-pact. Initially, we had several "chicken-less" sessions working on our clicking and chicken feed deliver-ing skills. They were followed by a day to practice timing the click with a peck in the center of a cir-cle. Then, it was on to the discrimination—getting the bird to peck at a specific color or shape and re-fuse to peck anything else, even when enticed by expert "chicken whisperers" Bob and Parvene. Af-ter achieving this goal with the chickens, it was time for the "real" exercise—stimulus reversal. For the purposes of this workshop, stimulus reversal was defined as convincing the chicken to ignore the color/shape you so laboriously had trained it to peck and to peck instead one you'd trained it to ig-nore. The chicken had to do this not just once, but three times in three different locations with no oth-er misplaced pecks! What did I learn from the experience? -"Control your table". You control the space and set the speed. Set up the environment so the animal is likely to do what you want. Feed it in such a way that the chicken is likely to go where you want it to go. -Avoid reinforcing undesirable behavior. Doing this inadvertently is really, really, really, really easy. You can recover, but it's painful and frustrat-ing for all involved. -Don’t blame the chicken. If the chicken keeps do-ing something you don't want, it's being reinforced for it. Probably by you.

… continued page 7

NOTE: What do Fidos trainers do to learn more about operant conditioning? They go to Chicken Camp of course!

Mary Austin with Chicken 414 Photo courtesy of Mary Austin


7



-Be patient with the chicken. Don't be afraid to wait for the behavior you want. -Be patient with yourself. Training is a mechanical skill. With practice, even I can improve my ability to observe, my speed of reaction, and my coordination. -Know that chickens are very fast. In the end, with much help from my partner, Bob, Par-vene, and my very forgiving chickens, I succeeded in doing the stimulus reversal. Am I bigger than a chick-en? Yes. Stronger? Yes. Smarter? I'm pretty sure chickens #414 and #239 would say, “No.”

Oakley, Hailey and Annie, Fidos Therapy Dogs, at Cherry Lane Nursing Home

Photo by Amy Spetsios

Therapy dog, Bonnie, listens to a child read to her in Fidos

DEAR program

Photo by Diane Myers

Service dog, Tank, lies quietly at his partner’s feet on a flight to Boston - Photo by Cara Gregg

Tank Learns to Fly By Cara Gregg

On Friday, July 5, my service dog Tank and I, learned to fly! Not literally fly, of course, but we took our first flight together. We were headed to a conference that was sponsored by The Compassionate Friends (TCF). TCF is a be-reavement group for parents who have lost children of any age. The group is also for siblings of these families. TCF has chapters all across the United States. I first became involved with TCF in 2010, two years after losing my son, Justin. The national conference that year was being held in Crystal City. It was so helpful to me that I decided to go again. But back to our adventure!

We left from BWI and were flying Air Tran/Southwest. Fortunately, we had practiced going through security and boarding a plane with trainings by Fidos For Freedom and Southwest. That practice


Southwest training 4-27-13


8


made me *a little* less nervous. Tank and I knew what would happen in security and when we boarded the plane. Because the plane wa not full I was glad to have a row all to ourselves. I had Tank and my oxygen tank, which I have named “Tank, Jr.” The part of flying that we were unable to practice with our Fidos’ training group was, of course, the actual flight itself. I tried not to be nervous because I didn't want Tank to sense it. I love flying but wasn't sure how he would respond. My worry was for naught. He did an excellent job! I gave him treats and ice chips as we were ascending. I figured that would help his ears equalize to the cabin pressure. Either it worked or he got treats for being a good boy. Either way, it accomplished the goal! After a few minutes, Tank went to sleep. He slept until we landed. The landing was a little bumpy which startled him, but it startled me as well!

Tank did an excellent job

during the entire trip. He was a star at the confer-ence! People remembered Tank and his name, but had to look at my name tag to remember mine! That was fine because I had to look at their nametag, too. The flight back home was easier than the flight out because we had done it once already. The flight at-tendants from both Air Tran and Southwest were very accommodating and helped me at every oppor-tunity. Even the staff at the gate were extra attentive.

Landing was a little bumpy!

Photo courtesy of Sandy Ball

All in all, it was a wonderful trip. I can’t wait to fly with Tank again! Hopefully, I can leave “Tank, Jr.” at home. He was a drag. So, now you know how a dog flies. You can impress your friends by telling then that you know someone with a flying dog!

“Stop and smell the flowers!” Therapy Dog, Simone, earned her Cape at the 2013 Caps and

Cape program on June 2nd - Partner Frances Glavan Photo by Dom Manalo

Fidos Service dog, Ruby, pulls Ann’s hoodie off for her. Service dogs can assist their partners in a variety of ways in both getting dressed and undressed! Photo by Bryan Sirotkin


9


Fidos For Freedom, Inc., clients and volunteers enjoy the private box donated by Elissa Hamel

on Wednesday, June 12th. The box was auctioned off and proceeds went to

Fidos. The group had a wonderful time at this home game of the Orioles hosting the Angels.

(Above) Fidos Service dogs in attendance Monty (L) and

Tank (Center) with Fidos Hearing Dog Lily (R) Photos by Kay Somers and Oriole stadium support staff


10


Fidos Therapy dog, Spanky and partner Julie Spanky was caped at the 2013 Caps and Cape Gala

on June 2nd Photo by Julie Wu

Becoming Team Spanky By Julie Wu

“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.” -Marianne Williamson

To the average passer-by, there isn’t much difference

between the dog I used to bring on therapy visits three

years ago, and the one I have now. I joined Fidos in

2007 with my mastiff, Diesel. He was a gentle and

sensitive soul, whose low-key personality seemed a

natural fit for therapy work. Loud noises frightened

Diesel and he could be tentative in unfamiliar situa-

tions, but he loved people and all manner of animals,

and he trusted me. With that trust, I was able to show

him how wonderful new experiences could be. I loved

Diesel and loved working with him; and the feeling

was mutual. So when we lost him suddenly to a rare

but fatal illness I didn’t know what the future would

hold.

I re-joined the therapy group with my current mastiff,

Spanky, and was welcomed back to Fidos with open

arms. He was just a puppy, but the differences between

him and Diesel were patently evident. Spanky is an

energetic, confident and easily excitable mastiff (a far

cry from the “couch potato” description often used

to describe this breed). For a long time, I com-

plained about how different Spanky is from Diesel.

Spanky always wants to play and will pounce any

dog within striking distance (Diesel wasn’t like

that). He is super nosy and always wants to see

what’s going on (Diesel wasn’t like that either). His

motto is: act first, think later (Diesel most certainly

didn’t behave that way). I often felt that we were at

odds with each other, and working together felt

like... work. I wanted him to be calm. I wanted him

to behave. Above all, I wanted him to be more like

Diesel.

Change isn’t easy, but fortunately Spanky isn’t one

to hold a grudge. I’m embarrassed to admit that it

took a l-o-o-ong time before I finally figured out

that what I truly wanted was the feeling I had when

I would work with Diesel. You know, that inde-

scribable connection you get when you are in sync

with your partner and truly working as a Team. Af-

ter years of being the one who encouraged her part-

ner to be open to new experiences, I realized I was

now the one who needed encouragement. Spanky’s

world is wide open and he approaches new things

with a wild abandon that is pretty comical if you

have ever seen it in action. Case in point: Spanky

was completely exhilarated the first time he saw a


Spanky dispels the myth that Mastiffs are couch potatoes. Photo by Julie Wu


http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mariannewi385965.html

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mariannewi385965.html

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/marianne_williamson.html

11



goose fly through the air and make a water landing. At first he was frozen in awe, but then he catapulted into motion, with me at the end of his leash unable to pro-vide any more resistance than a dried leaf. I actually count that day as a success, because Spanky did stop and we didn’t end up in the water. And Spanky wanted it. Bad. Milne wrote, “Love is taking a few steps backward maybe even more… to give way to the happiness of the person you love.” In his own way, Spanky was “giving way” to me. For once I was able to appreciate what it took for him to do so, rather than only feeling the irritation of having been dragged along the lake’s edge. This is a dog who wakes up in a Tony-the-Tiger-GRRRREAT!! mood every morning. Pop-ping balloons and happy, screaming children, thrill him. His love for fetching and all things water (whether in a lake, a puddle or a thunderstorm) makes me wonder if he is part Labrador retriever. This is the essence of Spanky. So where is the balance between Spanky’s world and

mine? Spanky loves to meet other dogs, but I do not

like being dragged across the street whenever we see

one. Instead of always avoiding dogs, I try to look for

opportunities to have calm introductions and then mov-

ing as soon as possible. I don’t mean moving away

from the other dog, but just moving in general. The

First Law of Thermodynamics is: “Energy is con-

served. It is neither created nor destroyed. It only

changes forms.” For Spanky, the energy in a doggy

meet and greet is high. If I want a calm interaction, I

let him say hello and then quickly direct him to an ac-

ceptable behavior to release that energy (a walk) or he

will go to his default release (a pounce). Of course

there are times when I have to ask Spanky for longer

periods of attention, or stricter obedience, e.g. holding

a heel or sit stay when an off leash dog runs up to us on

a trail; or just being in training class. But then after-

wards, I always look for an opportunity to play with

him and give him a chance to Just Be Spanky.

People often ask me what Spanky is like on therapy

visits and I worried about that myself before we started. Ultimately, I think it is all about finding the right visit that capitalizes on Spanky’s special quali-ties and my own interests as well. I had initially shied away from children’s visits, thinking that they would be too exciting for him. On a whim I decided to try him at the Ronald McDonald House. When I first walked in and saw all the toys I got very anx-

ious and had a vision of me spending the hour pulling toys out of his mouth. Once the children and their families starting filing in I started to relax. For a dog who doesn’t live with children, Spanky is surprisingly gentle and sweet with them on visits. He laid down on the floor and because of his size, can easily accommo-date three or four children petting him all at once. He showed off all his best tricks: “gimmee kiss”,


(Above) At the Baltimore Ronald McDonald House therapy visit, Spanky proves that he under-stands the difference be-tween work and play: these are not his toys. (Left) Spanky made his first visit to the Baltimore Ronald McDonald House in January 2013. Photos by Julie Wu


http://www.winniethepoohquotes.org/love-is-taking-a-few-steps-backward-maybe-even-more-to-give-way-to-the-happiness-of-the-person-you-love/



12


Dorothy Soethe and Fidos Hearing dog, Loki 2013 Graduates

Fred Galenski and Fidos Service dog, Dexter 2013 Graduates

Fidos Therapy dog, Alex (Right) with Therapy dog friends, Oliver Taylor and Napa Anderson

Alex was recognized this year with a special honor (see below) Photo by Susan Deatherage

Alex Deatherage - Therapy Dog with Most Visits in 2013

An Interview with His Mom, Susan

FIDOS: Susan, tell us about Alex, our featured therapy dog this summer. SUSAN: Alex (aka Alexander Flash) is a nine-year-old, smooth-coated, tricolor collie whom we got from a rescue. We believe that he was thrown out by his breeder—he’s too tall for breed standard, his teeth were crooked, he’s not the smartest dog in the world and he’s afraid of sheep (How’s that for a

herding dog?!!!). His only real health issue was be-ing starved before he was rescued at about one-year old, which has led to a lifetime fixation with food. Alex is 100% love. His love extends to great pa-tience with people, especially children, who can do just about anything to or with him with impuni-ty. Just about the time that you think he’s a marsh-mallow with no personality, he sticks out that long tongue of his and gives you a big, loving kiss. Talk about therapy!! He will willingly pose for pictures, in silly costumes no less, if he thinks there’s a treat involved. And he is now a retired blood donor, having donated regular-ly for several years before reaching the 9yr-old cut-off. But most important of all, he’s MY boy and his devotion to me is therapeutic, so I try to share that love and some laughter with others. FIDOS: Where are some of the places Alex has provided therapy dog visits this past year?



13


… continued from page 12 SUSAN: Dur ing the school year , he par ticipates in the DEAR program at Bond Mill School, as well as at Howard Community College. He also works with the children at Cedar Lane School and loves to pass out kisses to the younger children. (OK, he’s finishing their lunches for them, but they seem to enjoy the at-tention and some even giggle when he plants a big kiss on their cheeks. He also visits at Johns Hopkins Children’s House, Ronald McDonald House, Kenne-dy Krieger Institute and, if I’m not out of town on the first Saturday of the month, Port Discovery Children’s Museum, all in Baltimore. He seems to have an affini-ty for young children, as he will strain on his leash to get to the area where we begin our visits with them, whereas he walks nicely on a loose leash on the way in to the nursing homes we visit. And visit we do! – at Holy Cross Rehab Center, Riderwood and Manor Care, all in Silver Spring and Spa Creek Rehab Center in Annapolis if, once again, I’m not out of town. FIDOS: Is there one place in par ticular that stands out for some reason? SUSAN: I think I would have to choose Johns Hopkins Children’s House as the site of our most memorable visits, as we visit there on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days as well as the first Thursday of each month. We usually encounter as least one family each holiday that thought they would be home for the occasion and when they see our dogs and start inter-acting with them, the sad but stoic faces slip away and are replaced by warm smiles from kids and adults alike. That’s the highlight of my day!! And yes, Alex seems to enjoy that visit as much as I do. FIDOS: Does Alex seem to understand when he is going on a visit? Is there a location he seems to en-joy? SUSAN: When Alex sees me packing up our visit bag with poop bags and treats, he knows something is afoot and when I go to the front door and hold up his cape, he comes running. His favorite destination is anywhere there are children.

FIDOS: As Alex’s handler, is there something you would like to share about reaching out to your community as a therapy dog handler for Fidos for Freedom? SUSAN: Over the past nine years, Fidos for Freedom has become my second family. I first met Debbie Taylor, with Oliver, shortly after I became a widow and was, at the time looking to adopt an adult collie. She told me that Ollie was a therapy dog and explained what that meant. That piqued my interest, as I was about to retire and wrestling with the question of what to do with the rest of my life, now that I was single again. I needed a pur-pose; something to justify the rest of my exist-ence. Having a dog to love and care for and shar-ing my time and the love of my dog with others seemed like the natural way for me to go (I grew up with a collie, and years later my husband gave me a collie pup as a birthday present.). I started out with Pets on Wheels, before my vet, Dr. Nancy Kelso, suggested I check out Fidos. The first night I walked in, I saw Debbie Taylor standing there with her boys, also collies. It was fate!! I’ve never looked back. A dozen collies later – half were fosters and two have crossed the Rain-bow Bridge, I can honestly say that Fidos and my collies have saved my life and I hope to continue therapy work with the next generation – Kaitlyn -when Alex decides it is time to retire.

Jasmine Knox and Fidos Hearing dog, Star 2013 Graduates


14


Patricia Galenski and Fidos Service

dog, Amber 2013 Graduates

Wayne Rutschke and Fidos Service dog, Bella 2013 Graduates

(L to R) Charlie Petrizzo, Project 2 Heal, Joanne Wilson, Fidos Puppy Acquisition Coordinator

(holding Chauncey), and Jane Harford, veteran Fidos Puppy Raiser (holding Simon)

Photo courtesy of Project 2 Heal

Project 2 Heal By Joanne Wilson

As we sit down in the training room at Project 2 Heal, adjacent to the kennels, the windows look out to the dog pastures, a veritable canine Disneyland. There are at least three acres fenced into a few big play areas that include a large shallow pond, field boulders to create a sort of cave where the dogs play hide and seek, and many five foot diameter logs tossed about for pups to climb on for hours. We are at this Labrador heaven to choose two yel-low lab pups that Charlie Petrizzo has generously donated to Fidos for Freedom. I make novel and strange noises, sudden and strange movements, and these pups just look at me and almost shrug like I am the odd family member. Repeatedly Charlie says, “Oh they’ve seen that.” Whether it’s weird flooring or loud and moving toys, very little is nov-el for these pups. They are unbothered by my nov-elties and exuberant about being around people. Who is this guy and how does he get these pups to be so happy and unbothered? He is Charlie Petrizzo and he started Project 2 Heal about eight years ago. He breeds Labrador retrievers in Waxhaw, NC, and donates them to non-profit service agencies.

Dogs helped Charlie get through two traumas in his young life. When he was five, Charlie got hit by a car, and his parents got him what he wanted, a dog to love while he embarked on the road to recovery. At sixteen he received third degree burns when an extension ladder hit live electrical wires. Charlie recovered from these injuries , went to college, mar-ried and settled down into a life in business in North Carolina. His process of recovery led him to eventu-ally leave the business world and begin Project 2 Heal to help others who need and use dogs to lead



15



full and independent lives. Charlie searches for groups who train dogs for service—Autism Service Dogs of America, North Star Foundation, and Indi-ana Canine Assistant Network to name a few. Char-lie’s dogs help these organizations by providing them with dogs which are carefully bred and thoughtfully exposed to the world. Most dogs are not suited for service. It is not easy for them to be out in the public and have good deportment. In con-trast, Charlie is breeding dogs with the tempera-ment to function well in public, service dogs who can work with a disabled or hearing impaired client or service dogs who can work in courthouses, schools, and many other places to help people. In the future, Charlie hopes to build a canine train-ing and therapy facility where he can offer organi-zations like ours pups in different states of readi-ness and also use them to provide therapy for chil-dren with special needs as a way to prepare them even further for service organizations. Charlie has donated four dogs to Fidos for Free-dom: two pups in September 2012, named Nala and Eddie, and two pups in May 2013, named Chauncey and Simon. He plans to donate two more in September 2013. Project 2 Heal has made a huge difference here at Fidos, and we are glad to tell his story. To learn more, you can visit his website at http://www.project2heal.org. His book, 7 Lessons for Healing the Hurt, is available on Amazon. In it he weaves his healing stories to show how Project 2 Heal dogs can provide important therapy for both kids and adults. Also, the award winning film Char-lie's Scars will soon be available. In addition to telling Charlie’s story, it will detail his partnership with a service dog organization which trains dogs in a prison in Indiana. The movie also shows one more miracle: the power for good on the lives of inmates who train these dogs.

Charlie’s good work has benefitted not only Fidos and other service organizations but also any other dog born in his canine Disneyland at Project 2 Heal.

Simon, donated by Project 2 Heal, meets Fidos Service dog, Tank (partnered with Cara Gregg) on the

Fidos training room floor Photo by Joanne Wilson

Fidos Hearing dog, Chloe, waits patiently in line at Walmart Photo by Denise Portis

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than

he loves himself.” ― Josh Billings


http://www.project2heal.org

16


Fidos Service dog, Bryce “braces” while partner Ben stands. Photo by Ann Dunn

Ever wonder what skilled tasks by Fidos Service and Hearing dogs look like? Click the links below to see some short clips of just a few of these tasks. (Video by Ann Dunn at 2013 Certification testing).

Fidos Service dog, Theo, does directed retrieve for partner Geoff

Fidos Hearing dog, Jacob, alerts partner, Debbie, to the phone ringing

Fidos Hearing dog, Chloe, alerts partner, Denise, to a kitchen timer

Fidos Service dog, Quincy, re-moves Sandy’s shoe for her

Fidos’ therapy dog Mickey Doodle with owner Tracy Warren

Photo by Julie Wu


http://db.tt/NQETbZ3n

http://db.tt/xAossmZ3

http://db.tt/JGczL1yi

http://db.tt/uPgV0i7O

17


Wish List Financial Support to create accessible bathrooms for Fidos clients with disabilities Replacement for 25 year old+ HVAC systems (two) Sound Engineer consultation to design solution for deaf/hard of hearing clients so they can participate fully in Fidos dog training sessions Replacement of defective roof that allows rainwater to enter the Fidos facility Digital outdoor Fidos signage Two Hand Held Microphones to enable deaf and hard of hearing clients to fully partici-pate in training classes FM loop and amplification system in Fidos puppy room Polycomm conference phone to enable audioconferencing Medium or large dog crates from Midwest or General Cage (plastic pan and non-camshaft door locks required) 4 foot and 6 foot leashes (leather is safe and suitable for clients with limited hand mobil-ity) Metal dog bowls Laser printer Gift certificates to Amazon, ActiveDogs, PetEdge, or J&J Dog Supplies for miscellane-ous supplies Nature's Miracle Desktop or Laptop Computers for administrative staff


18



“paw” and “jump”! They laughed and clapped for him, and Spanky loved it. Then he shook his head and they all squealed when the drool went flying. And as soon as he was done, they closed back in on him for more petting. One little boy was especially drawn to Spanky. He had been staying at the Ronald McDonald house for several months while he received treatment at the local Cancer Center. He talked about his big dogs at home and how he missed them. When he sat down on a little wooden bench, Spanky sat on the bench too, with his back feet dangling off the edge like a human. The boy put his arm around Spanky and they sat side by side, a couple of pals just hanging out. When we returned the next month, we were a few minutes late and some of the other dogs were already in the lobby with the children. Spanky and I were still out-side, with two double glass doors between us when I heard, “Spanky’s here!!” Spanky’s friend from our previous visit was pressed up against the glass, watching for us. Spanky started wag-ging hard and went right over to the boy, who immediate-ly wrapped his arms around Spanky and hugged him tightly. “I was waiting for you,” he said. For most therapy teams, the Caps and Capes ceremony

represents over a year of training and visits that finally

culminate in getting the coveted green cape. As this was

my second dog in the program, Spanky was technically

eligible for his cape only 6 months after he passed his

therapy dog requirements, but I held out for the official

ceremony. Why did we wait? I’m not sure, but for us the

cape represents more than a final achievement. Instead, it

marks the beginning of a new chapter together: building

trust, learning from each other and being open. We are a

work in progress, but we are finally on the road to be-

coming Team Spanky.

Ben Chatterson and Fidos Service dog, Bryce 2013 Graduates

Meet Fidos newest puppy, Kahdin, donated by Joan and Nancy Kelso as he successfully emulates Brody in the fine art of cadging treats by demonstrating the perfect “sit”.

Or shall we call him 'Mini-Me'? Photo by Samantha Bowman


19


NONPROFIT U.S. Postage Paid

Laurel, MD Permit NO. 4368

Mailing Address: 1200 Sandy Spring Road, Laurel, MD 20707

Fidos For Freedom, Inc., is proud to be an accredited, voting member of Assistance Dogs International. Fidos For Freedom, Inc., would like to thank supporters and volunteers for all you do to help us succeed in our mission. We thank

you for your tax deductible donation and rely on your continued support!

Fidos is an Assistance Dogs International

Accredited Facility http://www.assistancedogsinternational.org/

Fidos Therapy dog, Sparky, smiles for the camera. Partnered with Janet Tingley (Fidos trainer)

Photo by Chris Easter

Cara Gregg and Fidos Service dog, Tank 2013 Graduates


http://www.assistancedogsinternational.org/

Documents

Fidos Speaks, Vol. 9, Issue 3, Summer 2013