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Disaster-Relief Dogs Earn Their Stripes
by: Michael Atkins, GA,
savannahnow.com
Seven certified therapy dogs coolly trotted past the fetlocks of two colossal police horses, called Sgt. Forrest and Sgt. Bobby, Saturday afternoon at Lake Mayer.
The composed canines also climbed aboard a boat, circled a siren-wailing fire engine and watched, unnerved, as a helicopter landed nearby.
The rigorous exercises marked Savannah's first-ever Disaster Stress Relief Dog Test, and amid the biting, blustery wind off the lake, something quickly became evident.
Cold dogs can definitely learn new tricks.
"He's seen horses, but this is the first time he's been up this close to them," Frank Bynes, of Savannah, said after Pharaoh, his 12-year-old Afghan Hound, stood poised alongside the hulking beasts. "The dogs know what to do, but going through this training program with the weather like it is, it puts it up another notch."
Therapy Dogs International proctored Saturday's tests, designed to identify pooches that, along with handlers, are able to maintain composure during the chaos that often follows disaster.
The New Jersey-based organization deployed dogs to comfort rescuers and victims after the Oklahoma City bombing, Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina.
"These dogs will be able to help if something happens," said Ursula Kempe, president of Therapy Dogs International. "People are not always willing to talk to a professional, but they're willing to go to the dog, and we create that opening for a professional to come in and help."
The group, which has a chapter in Savannah, boasts about 22,000 therapy dogs - which visit hospitals, nursing homes and the like - throughout the United States. There are about 100 such dogs locally.
"The purpose is to make sure they have the temperament to do this," said Clayton Scott, who directs the Chatham Emergency Management Agency, which helped arrange Saturday's exam. "They want the animals to be comfortable, calm, relaxed. Because that's what they're trying to do to the people they're around" at disaster scenes.
On Saturday, the furry pupils came in every shape and size, from domineering Dobermans to tiny terriers.
Sixteen dogs started the day with tests that included crammed elevator rides for the pooches to a mile-long walk for owners.
Standards are high, and if a pair was deemed unfit, the day ended early. By mid-afternoon, attrition whittled the group to seven.
"We try to assess both the handler and the dog, because they're working as a team," said Nanette Winter, a member of the Therapy Dogs International board of directors. "We need good, strong teams to go into disaster settings, because it's so much more intense than regular therapy visits."
A second round of tests is scheduled for today, and certifications are taking place across the nation.
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