Doglovers@DAS – March 2013

Letter from the Editor

Dear Readers

We have a great story of a volunteer team who came to DAS and did a terrific job; and a profile of dedicated DAS Volunteer, Sherry Champion.

Our feature is about remarkable dogs and the wonderful service they provide to people who desperately need this. We have a new item, ‘Oddie’s tips’ for volunteers.

There are many breed-specific rescue groups that helpfully find new homes for dogs. We provide information on rescue groups for Scotties and Westie. We will cover others in future.

And we warmly celebrate the installation of kennel blinds for winter; photos in the next edition.

Happy Volunteering!

Di Johnstone

DAS Volunteer and Editor

Protiviti volunteer day at DAS

The entire complement of Protiviti’s Canberra-based staff turned up at the DAS Mugga Lane facility to undertake a number of activities as part of Protiviti’s volunteer program. The activities included exercising dogs, re-painting outdoor furniture and clearing some of the garden beds.

Protiviti is a global consulting company in the business of helping their customers solve their financial, technology, operations, governance, risk and internal audit problems. Protiviti in Australia has offices in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. One of Protiviti’s key cornerstones is a ‘Commitment to our Community’. Protiviti (Canberra Office) chose to spend the day at DAS in honour of supporting its community commitment. The decision to undertake activities at DAS was made by Protiviti management as a show of support for services provided by DAS to “man’s best friend”.

Protiviti’s staff members said that they had a wonderful excitement-filled day, walking dogs (although some of the dogs appeared to be in charge), repainting outdoor furniture (the painters had to be reminded that the paint was for the furniture and not their colleagues) and working in the garden (one member of gardening team members looked like he came straight out of the Ghostbusters movie, armed with high powered leaf blower). DAS provided Protiviti’s volunteers BBQ facilities and a welcome well-earned lunch break was taken at which some amazing dog-walking, painting and gardening stories were traded. The day ended at about 4.30 p.m. as volunteers departed the facility, still excitedly relating stories to one another.

Protiviti thanks DAS for the opportunity and the insight provided by DAS staff.

David Dornbrack and Amy McKenzie.

Act Rescue and Foster community trial - a great initiative

ACT Rescue and Foster (ARF) has launched a funded six month trial of a community program to offer desexing and vaccination for pets owned by people in dire need. The program will help reduce unwanted animal pregnancies and disease in the community.

For eligibility criteria and more details, contact or call 0421 216 485.

DAS volunteer profile - Sherry Champion

I live in the Tuggeranong area and I have been around big dogs all my life, including several Great Danes, an Alsatian and a beautiful Golden Retriever cross (with a Rottweiler!) called ‘Brandy’, when I lived in Orange, NSW.

My family has an unusual history of being involved in the RSPCA in the ACT before it gained its “Royal” status and my mother was the Inspector’s right hand woman in the early 70s. My sister and I are possibly the earliest junior RSPCA members – along with Simon!

I became a DAS volunteer after I read a story in The Canberra Times and as I am a renter and can not have a dog of my own, I thought I could contribute to this wonderful program. I enjoy my morning walks (yes even in winter) with the dogs and believe I can put a smile on the hairy muzzles of the dogs I walk.

Dog rescue

Scottie Rescue

Westie Rescue

The contact for Scottie Rescue Australia-wide and Westies in the ACT is Jan Phillips:

email:

phone: 0412 411 424

The contact for Westie Rescue Australia-wide is Helen Leeson:

email:

phone: 0416 245 321

Book Review

The Genius of Dogs

by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods

Published by Dutton

We know our own dogs and their special intellectual capacity. But this book tells us that dogs, as a species, have a particular genius.

The authors describe them as the ‘most successful mammals on the planet besides us’. While numbers of other mammals have declined as humans have populated the planet, there have never been so many dogs. They have also become part of our lives in countless ways, such as the assistance dogs in our feature article.

The book explores how it has happened – especially dogs’ problem solving skills and dog’s capacity to interpret human gestural communication. Apparently this is better than that of our primate relatives. Interesting connections are drawn between how dogs behave and bonobos (described as the dogs of the primate world!!).

Professor Brian Hare brings a wealth of experience from his own dogs and as head of the intriguingly named Duke University Canine Cognition Center. For more on the Center see: http://evolutionaryanthropology.duke.edu/research/dogs

Oddie’s tips

After working as kennelmaster for a few months I thought it would be a good idea to become further involved in the volunteer program with a regular ‘do’s and don’ts’ section to the volunteer newsletter.

Firstly the DO’s

The new Friday and Saturday volunteers are DOING an excellent job with not much help over the last couple of weeks while awaiting new starters. One volunteer put in about four hours. A great job and thanks for the extra help. I know the dogs appreciate it!

DO let the dogs stop and sniff as much as they like on their short walk. It may be their only chance to be out of the kennel for the day. Let them make the most of this time. I have seen firsthand that the volunteers DO an excellent job and make both the dogs’ and my life better through their efforts.

And now the DON’Ts

DON’T walk dogs you are unable to control. If you find a dog is too strong for you, please return the dog to the kennel – for your safety and the dog’s.

Please DON’T leave leads, collars and magnetic signs in the kennel area.

Unfortunately dogs are still being put back in the wrong kennels after their walk. Please ensure you DON’T do this and please DO use the plastic pegs (volunteer box) to indicate the kennel from which a dog has been taken.

Feature article

Remarkable dogs providing extraordinary help

By Amanda Hope, Assistance Dogs Australia

Assistance Dogs Australia raises and trains Labradors and Golden Retrievers to help people with physical disabilities. Each dog takes two years to train and costs $27,000; each dog is placed free of charge with their recipient. The charity receives no government funding and relies on donations, sponsorships and fundraising activities; recipients include adults and children with C4 quadriplegia, paraplegia and developmental disorders such as cerebral palsy.

Around fifty applications are received each year for an Assistance Dog, and each application is carefully assessed by the Senior Trainers who decide if the applicant meets the criteria for either a Service or Companion Dog. Once a match is decided the trainers travel with the dog, either by car or plane, to the recipient’s home to teach them the commands needed for their new furry friend to perform the tasks they have been taught by the Assistance Dog trainers. The trainers spend between five and seven days when they are placing a Service Dog, with phone call follow ups in the weeks after the placement. For the first three months a temporary licence is issued, before the trainer returns to carry out a Public Access Test, and then ownership can be transferred to the recipient.

Puppies are eight weeks of age when they arrive at the National Training Centre at Heathcote and start the first few weeks of their training with puppy socialisers. After this they are placed with a puppy raiser where they spend the next twelve to fourteen months attending basic obedience training and socialisation. The pups are taken everywhere their raisers go, whether it is the supermarket, cinema, travelling on public transport or just general everyday errands. At sixteen to eighteen months of age they return to the National Training Centre to begin their Intensive Training, spending a couple of hours each day learning any one of the forty commands they will eventually master, and heading out on field trips to various public places.

Assistance Dogs Australia relies heavily on volunteer puppy raisers and trainers around the country to raise and train pups in their first eighteen months. Samson, a fifteen month old black lab pup, was raised in South Australia with his volunteer trainer Annette, who took him to training once a week and gave him exposure to all the day to day distractions such as grocery shopping and weekend markets. Samson recently made the trip back to Sydney to start his Intensive Training and be assessed to determine what type of Assistance Dog he will become.

There are three types of Assistance Dogs:

·  Service Dogs: are given to adults with physical disabilities and have full public access rights. They are trained in tasks such as retrieving dropped items, opening and closing doors, pressing the buttons at traffic lights and lifts, and alert barking if their owner falls out of their wheelchair or is in danger.

·  Companion Dogs: are trained to support an adult or child who would benefit from the companionship of a well-trained dog, in a home environment, and can help an adult or child with communication difficulties. They also offer emotional support, including love and companionship, and assist in breaking down barriers and reducing social isolation.

·  Facility Dogs: are placed in elderly care residential or day-program facilities or child and adult hospices, group housing and educational institutions, to benefit residents and students through enhancing emotional and physical well-being. Assistance Dogs Australia has recently placed Facility Dog “Benson” at Lake Illawarra High School on the NSW South Coast where he will be interacting with students who have special needs and helping to create a calm environment for them. Facility Dogs are trained to support residents, or in the case of “Benson”, students, in the facility where they live or study.

If you would like to find out more about Assistance Dogs Australia, call 1800 688 364 or visit www.assistancedogs.org.au.

To see what these remarkable dogs can do, check out the videos on http://www.youtube.com/user/AssistanceDogsAus and look especially for ‘Assistance Dogs - Partners in Independence’

DAS NEWS

Air conditioning for kennels

In a change that will improve dog comfort in the summer, exhaust vents have been installed in the DAS kennels to draw out the heat in hot summer months.

Lost dogs and lost owners

Dog owners are reminded to update registration details if you have moved or change contact details. This will enable DAS to readily locate you if your dog is found lost or injured. In the interests of your dog, and its welfare, please make sure you remember to do this.

Dog attacks

This year has seen an increase in dog attacks from dogs roaming and from dogs tied up and left unattended outside shopping centres. Please remember that dogs must be on leash and with a carer when in a public place. Dog owners should also conduct regular fence checks to ensure dogs can be contained in the owner’s yard. On-the-spot fines can be issued by Rangers.

Kennel blinds

Plastic kennel blinds have now been installed on DAS kennels. These will significantly improve dog welfare, especially for dogs that are older, shorthaired and more vulnerable during Canberra’s bitter winter.