Arizonans love to hike. This is the favorite of the year for those of us living in or visiting the desert to enjoy as many outings as possible with our dogs, before the heat of the summer!

Hiking with our dogs is a great deal of fun, but it does involve some risks, and many will not recognize the signs of heat stress until it is too late. This doesn’t just happen in the middle of the summer - it can also happen in April and it’s preventable!

Here are a few tips, so that you and your dog can enjoy hiking for many years to come.

1. Getting your dog in shape is a must! Dogs can be couch potatoes just like their human counterparts and are no more in shape than their owners.

2. Whether planning for the local hills or up north, make sure you are prepared. Take along maps and a compass and know how to use them!

3. Water, Water, Water! Bring enough water for you and your dog. Make sure you give your dog water every 15 to 30 minutes to stay hydrated.

4. Dogs can get sunburned too! Bring the appropriate gear, such as doggy sunscreen and a hat for your dog - a childs hat will do just fine.

5. You may want to invest in some doggy booties for your dogs paws if the trails are long and flat.

6. I can’t stress this enough: don’t skimp on water. Dogs get dehydrated on car rides, much less hiking. So get used to carrying around a collapsible bowl with you at all times.

7. Allow time for frequent rest, preferably in the shade. Dogs can’t tell you when they are in physical trouble, so watch them closely. If your dog is seeking shade or is a bit slow, STOP! If you started your hike later in the day and the mercury is rising - turn around. Start your hike earlier next time.

8. Do some research and enjoy hiking new places.

9. Make sure your dog is well trained and able to be under control whether they are on - or off leash. (Remember to follow the rules of the area you are in)

10.Review canine first aid cautions and procedures. Better yet, take a   Humane Society or hiking safety course before setting out.

11. Bring a basic first aid kit with you at all times when hiking with your dog.

12. Please remember to ALWAYS pick up your dogs little “trail markers.” Have plenty of bags on hand.

13. Always check the weather before heading out.

14. Bring an extra set of car keys, flashlight and cell phone so you aren’t stranded.

Now hit the trails, and enjoy some happy hiking with your dog!

Re-posted with permission by Debra Watland - Director of Sierra Academy of Scottsdale. Gabriel’s Angels thanks Sierra Academy and Therapy Team Barbara Hall and Cooper!

A new breed of therapist is helping special-needs students at Sierra Academy of Scottsdale master socialization skills and other classrooms lessons. The therapists – three of them, in fact – are dutiful, enthusiastic and, best of all, work for affection and a few tasty treats.

Three therapy dogs and their owners make much-anticipated weekly visits to Sierra Academy of Scottsdale to “teach students sensitivity, self-control, compassion and the importance of treating others – pets as well as people – with respect,” said academy director Debra Watland.

“Our students have learning, emotional and behavioral challenges – and some are on the Autism spectrum – so these are not concepts that they easily grasp,” Watland said. “Introducing the therapy dogs into our classrooms this year has been very beneficial for our students.”

The therapy teams began to visit Sierra Academy in September through a school partnership with Phoenix-based Gabriel’s Angels Inc., which provides pet therapy to 13,000 abused, neglected and at-risk children throughout Arizona, said organization CEO Pam Gaber.

A Golden Retriever named “Cooper” and his owner Barbara Hall visit first-to-third-graders at Sierra Academy; “Teddy,” a Cockapoo, and owner Sharon Woodward visit middle school students; and a yellow Lab named Rubicon and handler Liz Rosen visit high school students.

Second-grader Sahara Daley, 8, said she has learned about canine anatomy and the importance of good grooming and proper feeding, but she said Cooper also helps her settle down with a good book in class.

“I sit on the floor with Cooper, hug him, and he listens while I read. I don’t think he understands, but he always listens,” said Sahara. “When Cooper gets tired or bored he rolls over on his back.”

“Social skills are built into our regular daily curriculum, but these therapy dog teams are a wonderful supplementary teaching tool,” said Watland. “Students are more receptive and comfortable with these concepts because of these dogs.”

Cooper has motivated younger students to read about dogs and other animals, to write short essays about pets, and to make dog puppets and pet scrapbooks. Rubicon helped older students learn about canine physiology with a variety of classroom projects like comparing his heart rate to their own.

“A lesson about healthy pet treats, for example, opens up a classroom discussion about the value of good nutrition for students,” said Watland. “Our students are more engaged in the lesson simply because one of these terrific dogs is involved.”

“A hallmark of Sierra Academy – and of our 48 other schools nationwide – is that they go the extra mile to use innovative approaches to educate students with special-needs and return them to mainstream classrooms,” said Michael Kaufman, president and CEO of Specialized Education Services Inc. (SESI), which operates Sierra Academy. “This is a marvelous example of what we do.”

Nine unified public schools in Phoenix area – including Scottsdale, Peoria, Chandler, Mesa, Higley, Paradise Valley, Cave Creek, Payson and Deer Valley – now refer special-needs students in grades 1-11 to Sierra Academy which offers an intensive, academic curriculum that is custom-tailored for each student.

More information about Sierra School of Scottsdale and Specialized Education Services Inc. is available at: www.sesi-schools.com.

Specialized Education Services, Inc. (SESI), based in Yardley, Pa., is one of the nation’s premier providers of specialized education for children with learning, language, behavioral and social challenges. It operates 49 schools in 12 states and the District of Columbia.

Posted on December 28, 2011
Re-Posted with permission of Kate Titus, Gabriel’s Angels Southern Arizona board member and therapy team, and dedicated to the honor or Travis, who recently crossed the rainbow bridge. Thank you, Kate, for sharing Harley and Travis with Gabriel’s Angels!
To view Kate’s blog site:  aloyalcompanion.wordpress.com

My nose is incredible! What? This IS my enthusiastic face.

Last week in my therapy dog class, we talked about how our dogs experience the world through scent. The best way I’ve found to describe this is to imagine that as we see the world—with all its vibrant color and varied texture—dogs smell it with the same intensity and clarity. Try this with me: Close your eyes and take a deep breath. What do you smell? Is it sweet or sour? Is it something new or familiar? Can you taste it on the roof of your mouth? What do you see? Are you building an image in your mind? Every time I do this exercise, I wonder if this is how Harley and Travis experience the world everyday.

As their primary sense and the only one functioning at birth, smell is a vital part of the cognition and recognition process for dogs.  But what does that process look like? How detailed is that chain from scent to action and how much computational if-then thinking is included? Let’s take cheese, for example. Harley likes to smell everything before it goes in his mouth. Does he sniff, recognize it as edible, consult his visual cues, have a chemical reaction that triggers salivation, remember that it tastes good, then gently take it from my hand? I’m convinced that Travis’s train of thought is much shorter: It’s near my mouth, snatch it, chew it, determine what it is, spit it out or swallow. Repeat.

Smells always trigger memory pictures for me. Much to my brothers’ chagrin, I don’t have many clear, easily recalled memories from our childhood together. But if I smell peanut butter fudge, I have a very clear image of my grandmother’s kitchen in Springfield. The smell of a light rain on dirt and asphalt spirits me back to the ball fields of my youth, Dad on the mound, pitching batting practice.

Is it a memory or a recognition for dogs? Is there a difference? Halloween is always a difficult time for dogs because the picture they see and the picture generated in their mind’s eye by the scent don’t match. You smell like you, but you look like The Grim Reaper or Elvira. Even the most loyal companion struggles when sight and smell don’t match.

When I come home from appointments, I always let the boys smell my pants and shirt.  I imagine them creating scent pictures to match the smells, perhaps using the same cues they would if they were sniffing the dogs themselves. Building a profile based on elemental facts like age, sex and general health. I often wonder if they met one of my clients if they would recognize them based on scent alone.  And how would I know?

So many questions, but that’s part of the fun of living life with a dog.  You can’t just ask. You have to make the effort to wonder, to watch, to consider and to be satisfied that your question will never be answered definitively or that the answer may change over time. It’s all in the experience of learning from your dog. That’s what brings us closer.

Beauregard & Georgia

A year ago my friend Elizabeth lost her husband unexpectedly – it happened on their young daughters last day of school. The very next afternoon I went to visit them with my bloodhounds, Beau and Georgia.

Upon my arrival six-year old Jenny asked me if she could take the dogs for a walk. Confident that Beau and Georgia would be gentle, I gave her the leashes and Jenny started walking down the sidewalk with both dogs. Imagine a little girl, not much taller than my male bloodhound, walking more than 200 pounds of dogs all on her own. When she returned you could see the sense of empowerment in the way she was walking and on her sweet face. As she hugged Beau and Georgia, she looked up and said to me, “My dad died. I was really sad, but now I feel better.”

This incident struck me with the simplicity and purity of the human-canine interaction. In my experience as a Gabriel’s Angels therapy team with Georgia and Beau, I recognize that children are not always capable of giving such clear communication about their feelings. Even so, the human-animal bond is always present to offer children unconditional love and hope…reminding us all of the healing power of animals, especially dogs, in our lives.

Debra & Chelsea visit teenagers at a residential treatment center. Their creativeness brings the kids the same happy and positive learning skills that Debra used in Chelsea’s puppy days.

Always searching for fun and easy ways to train my dogs…I discovered that puppets were a natural. When Chelsea was a puppy, my first gift to her was a cow puppet. We used it in play and to help her develop a ‘soft mouth’ (holding objects in a gentle way). Chelsea was not allowed to bite on our hands and arms as a puppy, but she had lots of fun with the puppet. As she grew older and became a therapy dog visiting teens, I noticed how naturally gentle she became…almost like she understood that the kids need that extra soft and kind touch.

On each of her seven birthdays, Chelsea’s special treat was to go shopping at Changing Hands Book Store. She proudly chooses one new puppet, and then takes it to the check-out counter, standing on her hind legs to ‘release’ it to the person behind the counter. She doesn’t have to pay though…that is my job!

Chelsea delights in knowing each of her puppets by name…there is Cow, Donkey, Finn (chocolate lab), Yote (coyote), Bowser (dog), Pony, Flopsy (bunny), and last but not least…Muy (steer with a Spanish name).

We are grateful to Changing Hands for the opportunity to train Chelsea in their delightful bookstore. Through the years Chelsea has met many famous authors, including the night she supported Pam Gaber’s book signing for Gabriel’s Angels: The Story Of The Dog Who Inspired A Revolution.

You, too, can use puppets as a positive training tool, to demonstrate how to share and make a connection with children. Consider introducing your dog and children to Gabriel the Headcover – maybe he will be their first puppet experience and inspire a puppet collection!

Therapy Team Wendy & Guinness

Several years ago I was a volunteer for Gabriel’s Angels events through a mother-daughter group, National Charity League. My desire to have my own therapy dog grew each time I was around Gabriel’s Angels.

With this goal in mind, our family found a Golden Retriever puppy, named him Guinness and from the moment he came home we started working with him to be a future Gabriel’s Angels’ therapy dog!

Before Guinness’ first birthday I attended a Gabriel’s Angels Information Session and filled out all the necessary paperwork to start the process of becoming a registered team. Right after his birthday celebration, we were evaluated by Therapy Dog Inc. and passed with flying colors…we were now officially a Therapy Team!

Our first assignment was at a group home for teenage mothers and children in crisis.  Guinness and I visited the children in the nurseries and school programs. At first Guinness, a mere youngster, was shy around the babies. My therapy dog and these toddlers literally grew up together in the Gabriel’s Angels Pet Therapy Program. You can imagine the bond that formed between Guinness and the children!  

Guinness is now three years old and has visited children and teens at My Sister’s Place, Parc Place and Florence Crittenton.  When I bring out his purple Gabriel’s Angels vest he dances around as if to say, ‘Let’s go, Mom!’  Through these years I have proudly observed how Guinness has grown in his ability to teach compassion, trust, awareness and respect.  He is confident and calm even with as many as 10 youngsters surrounding him.

As the human component of our therapy team, I am constantly in awe of the powerful impact of pet therapy.  Guinness, for his part, has led the way for his own mother and two sisters to follow in his paw prints and be Gabriel’s Angels therapy dogs with their own human partners.

Kerri & Dillon being Cool at Hotter Than July!

Pet Therapy Team and Gabriel’s Angels Ambassadors, Kerri Stamas and Dillon recently attended the 1^st Annual Hotter Than July Chili Cook-Off – hosted by Wag N’ Wash that is benefiting Gabriel’s Angels!  July in Arizona is mighty hot, but they stayed cool inside so Dillon was able to enjoy meeting those that were enjoying the cook-off and festivities! Kerri loves to share stories about how pet therapy helps children, especially those that do not always have the best role models.

Kerri and Dillon extended their stay when some amazing moments began to happen unexpectedly.

A family came into Wag N’ Wash, and their 6 year old boy, Jake, was immediately mesmerized with Dillon.  Jake’s parents were eager to participate in the Chili Cook-Off, but Jake clearly wanted some extra time with Dillon.  Kerri assured the parents that Jake could stay with her and Dillon so they could go outside to sample the chili and salsa.  As Jake’s parents came back into the store periodically to check on their son, they witnessed a new friendship unfolding.

Dillon had introduced Jake to a favorite game called ‘Catch & Roll.’ This game normally results in helping those children who are shy to interact with him.  Kerri watched as Dillon and Jake interacted with one another for over 45 minutes.  Young Jake felt empowered as he gave Dillon commands to fetch, sit or roll over. As patrons came into the store they enjoyed observing how this therapy dog and boy had formed a unique bond in less than one hour.

By spending just a short time with Dillon - Jake experienced trust, respect and unconditional love that only a Therapy Dog, like Dillon, can provide!

In the spirit of the unconditional love that our four-legged pets give to us and often generously share with children, here are some interesting pet accident statistics to help us keep our animal companions safe during this hot summer!

Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) conducted a survey to find the most dangerous times for pets - here is what they found:

More accidents occur in the summer months, the day after holidays (especially Memorial Day & Labor Day) and weekends. 

Monday has the largest average number of pets treated for accidental injuries and June is the most dangerous month.

Monsoon season is here! These storms along with fireworks are two main triggers for anxiety in dogs. Frightened dogs have different reactions - trembling, retreating to a hiding place, running away or displaying unusual and bizarre behavior.  Some dogs have been known to run for miles!

With the July 4th holiday and monsoon storms coming…please be watchful of your four-legged family members and encourage your children to respect them, too!  And just in case, know the location of the nearest 24-hour animal hospital.

All of the pets who share their unconditional love with you say thanks for showing your compassion and love for them!