It’s a little after 9 o’clock on a Thursday morning, and SSD (Susquehanna Service Dog) Hamlet, along with seven of his mates, is being loaded into a van, headed for an area mall. They’re not going to shop ‘til they drop, but are destined for serious business—a training expedition.
“Each Tuesday and Thursday, we transport the dogs to malls around the area for training on how to behave among distractions such as other people, shopping carts and so forth,” said Amanda Nicholson, training coordinator for Susquehanna Service Dogs. “These dogs are permitted by law to travel with and help their partners inside crowded areas, and they must be trained, then tested periodically, to prove they are able to do that.”
At the mall, the dogs work with their professional and volunteer trainers who practice the various commands the dogs have already learned from their puppy-raisers—sit, stand, stay, come, heel, retrieve—then help them learn the advanced tasks they must know to support their potential partners.
These more advanced tasks include visit (putting his chin on his partner’s knee to calm him in the event of a meltdown), take it (picking up a leash or something else his partner may have dropped on the floor and can’t reach) and maybe 20 other commands that will be of value.
During this time, the trainer may take the dog to a food court to practice lying quietly under a table while his partner has lunch or a cup of tea. “Down stays” of 30 minutes or more are required. It’s critical that SSD Hamlet only pay attention to his trainer and no one else. Later, his partner’s safety may depend on it.
20 Years of Service
Two decades ago, Nancy Fierer founded Susquehanna Service Dogs, now a program of Keystone Human Services. Since then, SSD has placed 225 service dogs that provide assistance to their partners on a daily basis.
“I’m so proud of each one of these dogs,” Fierer says.
Every dog has his or her own special story, one that starts at birth and culminates in a unique human/animal bond.
SSD Hamlet, for one, began his career (and his life) on June 12, 2012, snuggled up with other pups and his mom. Each litter receives a name, so Hamlet was from the Shakespeare litter. At about eight weeks, he left the friendly environs of the litter and, after a week in the kennel for a physical and other health checks, moved to the next step in his training: life with a puppy-raiser.
For more than a year, SSD Hamlet lived with his raiser/trainer in State College, learning not only basic commands, but how to control the urges that most dogs have every day—running, barking, playing. SSD Hamlet must be given time to be a dog, of course. However, as a service dog in training, he has to learn the skills and behavior he needs. At 18 months, SSD Hamlet moved from his puppy-raiser into a kennel with other dogs his age to begin learning advanced skills.
SSD Hamlet, along with three or four other dogs, now will spend about three months in the kennel working with trainers. Afterwards, he finally will meet his potential partner. It may be a soldier with PTSD, a woman in a wheelchair, a child with autism or a man with multiple sclerosis. Potential partners greet and play with each dog before a decision is made on placement. Every partner is special, and each dog must be carefully matched to meet the needs of that partner. For example, it takes a relatively large, strong dog to pull a wheelchair or act as a balance dog.
Positive Effect
Once SSD Hamlet is matched with a partner, he will spend the next two to three months learning the specific skills required. Afterwards, the pair will spend three weeks working together with trainers, polishing the skills they will use.
In SSD Hamlet’s case, he may become a courthouse dog. If that’s the decision, he must be sensitive to the moods of all around him and be able to calm people who are under pressure or stress. After the three-week training period, the partnership will be tested to make sure the pair works well together and both have learned the skills required to be able to move around their community and support one another.
Alternatively, he may serve an older person or even a child, which was the case with a recent success story cited by Fierer.
“We placed a service dog with an 11-year-old girl with a significant psychiatric illness and autism,” she said.
The girl’s family had tried many other support services with little success, but nothing helped until their service dog came into their lives.
“At the time the girl was a D/F student in school, with few friends and many meltdowns,” she said. “The service dog had an immediate positive effect.”
Together, the family taught the dog to exert full-body pressure, which provided a significant calming effect. Immediately, the girl’s meltdowns decreased in duration and slowly decreased in frequency. And her grades improved dramatically.
“That girl is now 16, and her life has changed markedly for the better because of her service dog,” said Fierer.
There are many other success stories involving these dogs. If you’re inspired, consider volunteering with Susquehanna Service Dogs. You’ll be proud of what, together, you can accomplish.
Coming Soon: PawsAbilities
If you’re interested in meeting service dogs and having fun with your own dog, then go for a walk this month to PawsAbilities, the annual canine extravaganza and fundraiser for Susquehanna Service Dogs.
“This is a fun family program,” said Vikki Lagaza, who coordinates PawsAbilities. “It consists of a number of events—we have a Dog Olympics, the Great Biscuit Bite-Off, Cutest Dog Contest, Dog Parade, agility tryouts and more.”
The event will be held on March 8 and 9 at the state Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. As a special treat this year, New York Times best-selling author Luis Carlos Montalván and his dog, Tuesday, will be featured on the main stage on March 8 at 1 p.m.
Pre-sale tickets (ends March 4): adults $8, children $4. At the door: adults $10, children $5. Tickets are good for both days. Proceeds support the mission of Susquehanna Service Dogs.
For more information on Susquehanna Service Dogs, visit www.keystonehumanservices.org/susquehannaservicedogs; for PawsAbilities, visit www.pawsabilities.net.
Don Helin published his first thriller, “Thy Kingdom Come,” in 2009. His second, “Devil’s Den,” has been selected as a finalist in the Indie Book Awards. His next, “Secret Assault,” will be published in May 2014. Contact him at www.donhelin.com.
