Diamond Pet Foods Honors Labor Dogs
Diamond is proud to recognize the contributions of these dogs, and the thousands of working dogs nationwide, who are dedicated to bettering the lives of their owners and our society as a whole. Each of our five winners will receive one free bag of Diamond pet food each month for one year. Here are their stories:
Dog Tag: BearBreed: Chocolate Labrador/German shepherd mix
Owner: Mya Brooks, Battle Ground, Wash.
Sensitive Companion Alerts Owner to Oncoming Seizures
For years, Mya Brooks, who suffers from epilepsy, had been scared to leave her house for fear of having an unexpected grand mal seizure.
Now Mya has Bear, a chocolate Labrador/German shepherd mix who is a seizure-alert dog. While researchers cannot pinpoint how seizure-alert dogs detect an oncoming seizure, Bear is able to alert Mya at least 15 minutes before a seizure occurs, allowing her to get to a safe place in time.
“Having Bear around gives me the freedom to go and do whatever I want,” Mya added. “I can run and play. I can hike and camp. I am finally able to live and enjoy life. Without Bear, I would have to severely limit my activities. I can’t imagine my life without him.”
Mya keeps Bear near her all the time and says he has alerted her to sit down or go to a safe place more than 25 times.
Dog Tag: BernieBreed: Pug
Owner: Heather Vari, Long Beach, Calif.
A Little Caring Goes a Long Way
Just the sight of a little pug in a green vest makes people smile, and that’s part of Bernie’s job as a therapy dog at the rest home, the acute care facility and the psychiatric hospital that he regularly visits with his owner.
“Because Bernie is a pug, he is able to get close to patients by sitting up on the hospital beds,” said Heather.
Bernie also is a member of HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response (AACR), which provides animal-assisted emotional support in times of crisis and disaster. Bernie’s AACR training included learning to recover from loud noises, riding and boarding buses and ferries, and going through airport security. Bernie put his training into practice when he and Heather were called out to visit the base camp where firefighters were fighting the “Day Fire” in Southern California. Bernie interacted with the firefighters and the Department of Forestry staff, helping to relieve their stress and calm their nerves.
Dog Tag: EmmaBreed: Newfoundland
Owner: Char Nash, Grand Haven, Mich.
Friendly Canine Provides Comfort in Crisis
As a therapy and AACR dog, Emma has dedicated hundreds of hours to visiting hospitals and hospice care in her hometown, as well as traveling the country with her owner to offer comfort to people who have experienced a major crisis.
In October 2005, Emma and Char traveled to Grand Rapids, Mich., to comfort victims of Hurricane Katrina temporarily living at the Red Cross house there. The pair also flew to Beaumont, Texas, where Emma helped alleviate the stress of more than 2,000 hurricane shelter volunteers at Ford Arena. “The workers loved to sit on the floor and give Emma a hug, talk with her and pet her,” said Char.
In 2006, Emma was part of the “National Night Out” activities in Zeeland, Mich., a national crime and drug prevention event where she greeted more than 700 people, sometimes with wet doggie kisses.
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Dog Tag: TessBreed: German shepherd
Owner: Dewey Dodds, Orange Park, Fla.
Four-legged Friend Performs Patriotic Duties
With a great nose and a strong play drive, Tess excelled at search-and-rescue dog training and later switched to human remains detection work. Earlier this year, Tess and her owner Dewey went to Iraq as a civilian cadaver search dog team. “In addition to working on missing persons missions, Tess spent a lot of time letting the soldiers pet her and throw the ‘kong’ for her,” said Dewey. “All the soldiers told her how playing with her was such a stress relief.”
The original 30-day assignment in the Middle East was extended to five months, and the patriotic pair returned home on July 17, where they now respond to call outs from the local law enforcement agencies.
Tess has earned certifications from K9 Training Centers of Florida, the National Narcotics Detection Dog Association and the International Police Working Dog Association. Tess and her owner also are licensed by the Georgia Office of Homeland Security.
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Dog Tag: TuffyBreed: King Charles Spaniel
Owner: Karla Rose, Sudbury, Mass.
A Furry Angel in Our Midst
Soon after Tuffy was adopted, his owner was diagnosed with breast cancer. Tuffy was allowed to accompany her to medical appointments, tests and treatment. The staff at the forward-thinking teaching hospital assigned him a hospital badge reading “Tuffy, Pet Therapist,” and he remains the sole canine worker at the facility.
In addition, Tuffy is certified as AACR dog. Tuffy and Karla responded to a grieving Massachusetts high school for six months in the wake of three traumatic losses. In April, they were deployed to Virginia Tech following the on-campus shootings.
“Tuffy’s loving presence serves as a critical bridge amidst the grieving, the shocked and the despondent, so that those affected can begin to feel the full range of emotions, including laughter or smiling again, without guilt,” said Karla.
Tuffy and Karla are members of the ICISF (International Critical Incident Stress Foundation) and are certified to respond as “a compassionate presence” K9 Team.
