FEATURED HEELING PARTNER TEAMS

We periodically feature one of our member teams, along with interesting information about them. We would love to hear from you about what your feature will say! Please click here to send Membership Chair Jacquie your ideas.

AUGUST, 2011     JACQUIE & KARMA

Jacquie found Karma at a small rescue in Southern California 5 years ago.  She was alleged to be a 5 week old chihuahua/dachshund mix who was been returned to the rescue twice.  She was nothing but good Karma for Jacquie.  They visited a local nursing home once a week in Los Angeles as members of Actors and Others for Animals.

Upon moving to Glenwood Springs, Karma decided she was done with altruism and volunteering, not with so many fun outdoor activities to do and mountain dogs to play with.  Jacquie wanted to be a part of a rewarding organization as Heeling Partners, so she signed on as Membership Chair and lends a hand where needed.  There is room for everyone in Heeling Partners whether or not they even have a registered pet partner! Jacquie helps with the Pooch Parade fundraisers, administrating the group's Facebook Page (please "like" if you haven't done so already!) in addition to helping out with other new media and marketing.

Karma and Jacquie spend lots of time walking and hiking and Karma spends the rest of her time being part of a fearsome pack of three made up of Karma and her two "Uncles", Maxx and Chauncey.  Jacquie spends her non-free time working at the County Attorney's Office.  They are also taking Laura Van Dyne's advanced agility class this summer.  In spite of her short and crooked legs, Karma is surprisingly agile.  Alas, the same cannot always be said of Jacquie.

JUNE, 2011     MICHELE & LORDA

Michele and Lorda live in Glenwood Springs. Michele works at Valley View Hospital and Alpine Hospice as an RN.

Lorda is the 4th puppy I raised for Canine Companions for Independence, an organization that places service dogs, skilled companion dogs, facility dogs and hearing dogs to people at no cost. Lorda arrived in Dec 2005 at 8 weeks of age at DIA in Denver during a huge snowstorm. Lorda and I went to puppy classes in Colorado Springs and she also attended my nursing classes at Pikes Peak Community College, where she was quite the hit with the nursing students. In Nov of 2006 she went off to “college” in California for her advanced training in hopes of becoming a service dog. It turned out that Lorda did not like “working” and was returned to me as a “change of career” dog in the summer of 2007.

Lorda was a joy to raise as a puppy; she worked very hard at puppy classes but also loves to play. She is smart and will do anything that you ask of her, though she hates having her ears cleaned and her teeth brushed. Lorda and I have been back and forth across the country from Seattle to Chicago to California and Maine, she is a fantastic traveling partner.

I have always thought Lorda would make a great therapy dog so we became Delta certified and now visit at Valley View hospital and we also do Paws to Read at Glenwood Elementary.

Lorda has 2 doggie sisters, Maggie (middle) and Lucy (left) plus 2 kitty brothers, Sampson and Oliver.

MAY, 2011     WENDY & HANNAH
     Hannah is a 13 year old Australian Shepherd. She and Wendy visit the Youth Recovery Center (YRC) at Valley View Hospital where Wendy works. They were nominated for the Spirit of Caring award (and won!) by Wendy’s co-worker, Joni, who wrote the following about this wonderful team.
     Hannah is a retired search and rescue dog and was featured in a short film, K9 to 5 on the TV show, Animal Planet. When Hannah and Wendy visit the YRC, Hannah gives the young people a chance to sooth their souls, relieve stress and bond with this gentle, older, sweet and lovable dog. Wendy takes this opportunity to also teach her clients about search and rescue and wilderness safety.
     The young people lie down on the floor and just pet Hannah, for sometimes as long as the staff will let them. They often want to bring Hannah to their rooms and just hang out, which is not allowed, but tried anyway. They also go for short walks with Hannah in the dry seasons.
     YRC clients stay for 6 weeks and really miss their pets and families. They sometimes even talk to Hannah as though she were a counselor. Hannah is always there for them and doesn’t care who they are, what they look like, where they have come from or what they have done. She gives of herself unconditionally with patience and a tail wag. Clients who have had an especially hard day will just sit with her and calm down.
     Wendy goes above and beyond to make this happen, giving Hannah a bath, which Hannah detests, and brushing her teeth. When visiting with Hannah, Wendy takes the extra time to make sure the clients get the very much needed and priceless experience of Hannah.
     Some of the YRC clients, 14 to 18 years of age, have drawn pictures of and journaled about Hannah. Client “O” wrote the following poem, which says it all:
Ms. Hannah, you’re getting old but you’re still a puppy
I got to know you and I feel so lucky
I call your name and you know where to go
happy to get some love and you make my world glow
Your therapy brings me peace just like a dove,
May you have all the treats in the world for the best puppy love

APRIL, 2011     SARAH & ELLA

Sarah has owned dogs for over 25 years. She is a certified therapeutic riding instructor. She and Ella live in Glenwood Springs. Here is what Sarah writes about her life with Ella.

Ella joined our family when she was just eight weeks old. Her mother was an avalanche rescue dog at Snowmass Mountain and Ella definitely inherited her mother’s athletic ability and strong work ethic. Ella has always wanted a job.

Ella spent her early years as the family fitness coach.  Ella loves to hike and early on it became apparent that daily hikes would be necessary to keep Ella happy and well behaved. Every morning, Ella can be found leading part or all of her family up the trails on Red Mountain or Doc Holidays. Ella is the consummate coach, always wanting to go a little farther and push a little harder. Still at 12 ½, Ella loves her morning hikes.

Ella and I joined Heeling Partners just over a year ago. I was interested in HP because I love activities I can do with Ella and also because I have spent extended time in hospitals with ill family members and know what a difference it would have made for me to have the chance to connect with a dog while in the hospital setting. Ella and I have thoroughly enjoyed both, being part of the Heeling Partners community and also our time at Valley View Hospital. Ella loves to walk through the busy halls and greet all who pass by. Ella has such a joyful spirit and it is wonderful to be able to share that joy with others.   

FEBRUARY, 2011     DEBBIE & RUDI

My husband, Kirk, and I have Rudi to thank for our relocation to Glenwood Springs. In December 2004 we had to euthanize Roc, who was Lexxiss' (also a Heeling Partner dog) blood brother from Alaska. Lexxiss was so sad that we decided we needed to find another pup right away. We were living in Idaho Springs and started looking on Petfinder. We saw "Archer" who was thought to be a Australian Shepherd/Clumber Spaniel mix. Archer had been taken from the Canon City shelter where he was going to be put down immediately because he needed extensive medical work which they could not afford. It seemed he had been kicked in the face by a large animal on a ranch and nobody ever claimed him. We adopted him on Christmas Eve 2004, and named him Rudolph, aka Rudi. As thanks to the rescue group we started driving over for adoption events and found our spot in West Glenwood in February of 2005.

Rudi recovered from his injuries but has always been "slow". I talked Laura VanDyne at the Glenwood Hot Springs about testing him to do hospital visits because he always seemed so sensitive. He passed with flying colors and enjoyed 4 years visiting patients. Sadly, he has gone downhill very quickly in the past year. We figure he is 12 or 13 now. His last visit to Valley View was for the HP Expo in 2010 where his decline was very noticeable others.

I will never forget the visit where a young patient needed to talk and found Rudi to be the perfect ear. I got Rudi in a chair next to the bed and Rudi "listened" for over 2 hours. We went back again the following day. Rudi is struggling now, but always has a good attitude. We have spent most of the winter in Idaho Springs because he is much happier there. He goes in and out of the house with relative ease, and loves his yard. We had not expected him to make it through this winter but he seems to have decided otherwise. He still loves playing with his Cocker Spaniel brother, Bing, who is also a Heeling Partner.

None of our animal friends ever really decided what breed Rudi is. When he was at the vet after a spill in July of 2010 they measured his long black hair; it was 12-16" long. Our picture of Rudi on Thanksgiving of 2008 after partaking in one of his favorite activities, rolling in leaves, is a favorite. The biggest challenge of being a HP dog was getting cleaned up. Kirk and I will always be grateful to Heeling Partners for giving Rudi a purpose in life.  He loved visiting. Thanks, HP, for recognizing his achievements in your great program.

Website Editor’s note: Debbie has been Vice-President of Heeling Partners for many years; has contributed significantly to our Pooch Parades, particularly in managing and contributing beautiful hand-made items to the Silent Auction; assists with team evaluations; and is a new team mentor.