Sorry about the hiatus last week- my computer cord ripped.
No,
seriously, look at this nonsense:
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| No laughing, it's tragic |
Anyway, I
had to plan accordingly, and when a blog post is competing with Organic Chemistry
for my time, I’m sorry, but Organic Chemistry wins. Sorry guys.
This week,
we’re going to be talking about handlers!
Being a
handler for service dogs sounds like a fun job. And it is, believe me. There is
no Viking Pups handler I can think of who regrets any second of their time
training these dogs. We enjoy every minute we spend with them, and we’ve made
some pretty fantastic friends among the handlers as well.
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| For instance, you hardly ever see President Mary Kiolbasa and Vice President Allie Roehrenbeck apart. |
A handler
is an active member of the Viking Pups club, who sees the dogs on a pretty
consistent basis. We also have the special privilege of taking them to class. Our duties, officially, are training with them if we have the time, attending one official QCCAN event and one Viking Pups event per school term, and making sure the dogs get to class and behave. We also have handlers-in-training, who have not quite been in training long enough to take the dogs to class or do official training on their own, but are handlers in every other respect. For instance, a handler may take a Oden to class and then train with him on 'tug' and 'touch close' afterwards, where in the same time span a handler-in-training would be walking around with Oden, hanging out, and maybe practicing in a public place, like a store or restaurant.
From an outside perspective, the handler’s jobs seem to revolve around taking the dogs to class and making sure they mind their p’s and q’s (or, in this cases, sits and downs). As a handler, I can say the position is a lot more nuanced than that. Of the things I have done as a handler this year, only a small portion of these can really be counted as being in class with the dogs. We train them, we teach them, we clean them, we buy them treats, we clean up their poop, we pay attention to see if they’re hurt or sick, we attend fundraisers, we sell calendars and HOCKEY TICKETS (BUY THESE, I HAVE TO SELL THEM), we (ahem, I) stay out in a freezing haunted forest at night for 5 hours screaming our heads off to earn money, I’ve gone out of my way to curry favor for the club, I’ve talked to people I never would’ve initiated conversations with to make sure our image stays sparkling and even improves.
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| Sam Scherer, a handler in training with Cami |
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| Trevor Farthing, a handler with Cami |
From an outside perspective, the handler’s jobs seem to revolve around taking the dogs to class and making sure they mind their p’s and q’s (or, in this cases, sits and downs). As a handler, I can say the position is a lot more nuanced than that. Of the things I have done as a handler this year, only a small portion of these can really be counted as being in class with the dogs. We train them, we teach them, we clean them, we buy them treats, we clean up their poop, we pay attention to see if they’re hurt or sick, we attend fundraisers, we sell calendars and HOCKEY TICKETS (BUY THESE, I HAVE TO SELL THEM), we (ahem, I) stay out in a freezing haunted forest at night for 5 hours screaming our heads off to earn money, I’ve gone out of my way to curry favor for the club, I’ve talked to people I never would’ve initiated conversations with to make sure our image stays sparkling and even improves.
For a
handler, it can seem like our lives revolve around the dogs. I can’t imagine
what it’s like to be a foster. My days, and occasionally parts of my nights, are
dependent on where the dogs need to go, who can babysit them, if I can take
them to all of my classes, what kind of training should I do, etc., etc. It’s a
hectic life.
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| Oden and his foster mommy, Amanda Rodriguez |
A handler’s
schedule (mine, in particular) might look something like this:
7:00 AM Wake Up
7:30 AM Walk the 20 minute walk to
Oden’s foster’s house, get him dressed, ready,
and grab any training supplies I might need. Leave in time to get to
8:30 AM Organic Chemistry, with Oden
10:20 AM Leave Organic Chemistry, train
with Oden, eat, finish up any homework
I might have procrastinated on, cuddle with Oden, train Oden some more, then meet with two other handlers. Give
Oden to Kori, who gives Zorn to Mary,
who gives Bobo to me. (This might be my favorite part of the day)
12:30 PM History with Bobo
2:30 PM Animal Communications with Bobo
4:20 PM Hang out / train with Bobo
(cuddles required)
6:00 PM Drop Bobo off at his foster’s
6:00 PM – 12:00 AM: All homework, dinner,
group meetings, other club meetings, emailing, scheduling, and studying.
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| Handlers-in-Training Kayla Boers (left) and Lauren Adamick (right) with member Allison Kotleba (middle) and Oden (the dog) |
Read
between the lines, and basically I’m hanging out with a dog all day long. And
there are NO complaints here. I have time with both of my guys, and they make
classes a whole lot less stressful, in their own fluffy way.
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| No other way either of them would rather spend their day; Bobo and his foster mommy Sarah Adam |
It is,
however, a LOT more challenging than you’d think. It’s time consuming, and
frustrating, and sometimes downright makes you want to cry. I mean, when you
have to teach a dog, no matter how smart, how to flip on and off a light
switch… it’s not an easy thing.
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| It's a bit easier when we get to torture them back They do not like the cones of shame. |
We have to
deal with pushy “animal rights activists”, angry students who miss their dogs
and just want to pet the pups, difficult sponsors- the handlers have their work
cut out for them. On top of all of that, there is an incredible amount of responsibility on every single handler’s
shoulders. These dogs are being trained as something much more than a well
behaved pet- they’re going to be giving people their freedom, and a sense of
security that’s almost impossible to come by when suffering from a disability.
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| Dear Animal Rights Activists who tell us we abuse our dogs- Yes. They are suffering so much. Paula Gruenke and Tucker, a Viking Pups Gradute! Find his official page in the links below! |
To use
Bobo’s girl, Juls, as an example, Bobo will provide a kind of security to both
Juls and her loved ones that would be impossible to find unless another person
tailed her everywhere. With Juls’ William’s Syndrome, it must be a daily
struggle for her, her parents, and anybody who cares about her to see her go
somewhere on her own without a deep sense of worry and anxiety (William’s
Syndrome comes with a lack of social inhibition, which could lead to Juls
approaching people who may want to hurt her). It is the handler’s
responsibility to make sure that Bobo will provide that security and comfort,
and that he will do his job to the best of his abilities, even with a spacey
sweetheart like Juls, who just wouldn’t have the heart or the attention span to
keep him in check.
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| Tiny lil Oden and handler Colleen Murphy |
Our baby
boy Zorn might be going to a little girl who may very well be wheelchair bound
for the rest of her life. Oden will likely be going to a paraplegic or quadriplegic
who will not be able to do everyday tasks without his help. Cami will be a
facility dog who might be working with children with disabilities or who have
been abused in the past, and need her for comfort and a sense of protection.
These dogs are going to be doing important jobs, and as handlers, it is our job
to make sure that they can do theirs. It isn’t easy, and it’s a heavy job to
take on yourself. It’s hard, time-consuming work. But it’s more worth it than
anything else I can think of.
Meet some of our wonderful handlers with their adorable handl-ees:
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| Kori Marcum and Zorn! |
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| Tucker and foster mommy Stephanie Dantino, now foster to our very own Camicakes! |
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| Mary, Sarah, and Stephanie with their kids |
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| Ashleigh Hresan with Bobo |
I’m incredibly
proud to be a handler, and incredibly happy to be a member of this group.
Thanks Mary and Allie and Ashleigh and Hilary, for making this a possibility
here. You’ve done a wonderful thing for the school.
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| Mary Kiolbasa, Allie Roehrenbeck, and Ashleigh Hresan, who made this club happen. Featured with ex-Viking Pups Augie and Thor, and tiny lil Oden in the middle! |
Updates on All The Pups:
This week, the pups have had a wonderful photoshoot with the fabulous Lisa Francescon of Captured Moments Photography!
Our partnership with the Quad Cities Mallards is doing amazing things for us, so please BUY THOSE TICKETS I WAS TALKING ABOUT!!!!
This week, the pups have had a wonderful photoshoot with the fabulous Lisa Francescon of Captured Moments Photography!
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| Look at these cuties. |
Quick
Fixes:
Oden
Oden is working super hard on tug, he can now tug legs out of bed, open fridges consistently, and tug open just about anything. He can
even pull off your hoodie. He’s also starting to learn names of objects! Oden back feets got hurt playing to hard on
Tuesday- hopefully they’ll be better soon. We miss you on campus, pretty boy!
Bobo
Bobo is being his usual cuddly doofus self, making great progress on lap and cover. He hurt his paws playing with Oden, and hopefully he’ll be better just as fast as our golden boy. We can’t live long without our favorite cuddlebug! Bobo’s starting to work with his girl Juls outside of training as well! The two of them had two wonderful outings last week, shopping at the mall and playing in Happy Joe’s. They’re super cute together, so proud to see them working together so well!
Cami
Cami’s hard at work, learning settle, hug, and heel. Cami’s
hugs have improved by millions of percents, but the thing she’s learning the
most right now is how not to be a princess! Cami’s got a stubborn streak that
will only break if she’s offered the right treat. This girl’s going to do a
wonderful job wherever she goes, but she’s gonna make us work to get her there!
Zorn
Zorn, like Oden, is getting to be an absolute pro at tug!
He’s tugging open fridges (touching them closed too!), cabinets, and
drawers, and his settle is so professional you wouldn’t know he’s a puppy to
watch him train. He’s having troubles adjusting to those gangly teenager legs
of his, and he’s just not fitting into his favorite spots anymore, which is
very upsetting to this lil man, his mom will tell you!
A special thanks to:
First and foremost, Christina Clark, our fabulous breeder and owner of Iron Hill Retrievers. All of our active dogs have been donated by Christina and they are all spectacular, with wonderful temperaments and absolutely GREAT looks.
The Quad Cities Canine Assistant Network is the non-profit organization that makes our program possible. As sister organizations QCCAN is an integral part of the Viking Pups mission, helping us with training, putting us in contact with clients, and most importantly, training service dogs and reaching more people who need the dogs to live better lives.
A huge shoutout to Compassionate Care Veterinary Clinic, who takes care of our pups at a discounted rate.
And last but not least:
Thanks for taking all of your beautiful pictures, Lisa! They're amazing, and you show off our pups so much better than our grainy phone pictures! You're incredibly talented and deserve every bit of business you get!
To learn more / keep up to date about Viking Pups:
Tucker, Professional Therapy Dog
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