[SEPT. 29, 2000]  Several years ago the John Babczak family moved out to the countryside of Streator, Ill. With some trepidation, they took in an older golden retriever shortly after moving. They liked her so well that a few years later they thought they should bring home a pup. They chose another golden whose mother was known for her sweetness.

From the day they brought Molly home, she has been has been an unending bundle of energy, joy and trouble. She digs up every plant and eats every shrub in the yard, including most recently three Korean viburnums and a new rose bush. She drank antifreeze (before they knew it had leaked out of a car that day), set off all the mousetraps set out in the flower beds to protect plants from her, and so on. In six months’ time she was at the vet’s office for more emergency calls than the sum total of all of their past dogs in the last 20 years. But her sweet, endearing personality kept them hoping for a better future. They were wondering if there was any hope for this dog.

When Molly was 6 months old, her owner, Joani Babczak, contacted the Foundation for "Pet-Provided Therapy" in Oceanside, Calif. The foundation is one of a number of therapy pet programs around the country with a wide diversity of training purposes. There are programs which train seeing-eye dogs to assist the blind, helping hands dogs to help the disabled, police dog training, nursing home and hospital visiting dogs. Schools are also using dogs with learning-disabled students. As a reward for cooperating, students are allowed time with the dog.

The foundation told Babczak how to go about training Molly to become a certified pet therapy dog. Basically they needed to find a qualified dog trainer that would confirm the dog’s obedience training and required abilities, using the foundation’s checklist. Then they would need to log 10 to 20 volunteer hours. Once that is done, the owner sends in two pictures; one is kept on file; the other is made into a photo ID. The foundation also sends a vest for the dog to wear indicating that he/she is a true-to-life, authentic certified therapy dog. Yearly fees pay for insurance on the dog.

So, they found a trainer who is able to work with the foundation’s requirements. Their major goals were to get her used to being around other animals and people, so that she would sit still, make friends and be in control of herself, not jumping or scaring anyone. Babczak mentions, "Trainers say that dogs need to be exposed to lots of people and other animals in order to be socialized and know how to interact."

Immediately after the first session Molly began to be more controllable. She would obey "sit" and "stay" commands. She became a completely different dog, like one with a job to do as long as her collar and leash are on.

Babczak works as a respiratory therapist at St. Mary’s Hospital in Streator. Once a week on her day off, she and Molly began going there to visit. At first, Babczak was unsure whether she and Molly were really ready or not. Molly proved herself to be a perfect natural, as though she was born to do it. She was amazingly well-behaved from the start and clearly loved her job.

Molly’s abilities grew fast when they began going to the sixth floor at St. Mary’s. The sixth floor is set aside for people who come into the hospital for necessary medical care and are now better, but are either not ready to go back home and live on their own or are awaiting placement in a long-term care facility. Babczak and Molly have been going to the sixth floor for over a year now.

They both look forward to visiting day. They start with Molly getting a good bath, some good-smelling conditioner, followed by brushing and blowing her hair dry. "She would sit all day having her hair blow dried!" exclaims Joani. After that Molly gets her nails trimmed and filed. "She just puts her paw up as though she is thoroughly enjoying being pampered," Joani says. Molly doesn’t even mind getting her ears cleaned and teeth brushed (to curb that dog breath). "She acts like she loves getting primped and fluffed," Joani relates. "She seems to enjoy the whole ritual." Molly clearly knows what is in store for her and is perfectly cooperative in preparing for it.

From the time they enter the hospital, they are the center of attention. Before beginning her rounds, Molly has a ritual she must perform first. When they get to the sixth floor she goes behind the nurses’ desk to find whatever crumbs are on the floor from the last treats the nurses ate. Then, "we can go visit."

[to top of second column in this article]

She quickly begins her patient rounds. She senses when someone may not want her to come right up to him or her, and she doesn’t push it.

Then there is a reverse problem; some people would like to spoil her with people cookies and people food. She doesn’t get people food at home. She would soon be overweight or ill if she were allowed to eat all that she is offered. Mostly, people like to feed her dog biscuits, which is fine.

One of the funniest sights was the time when this one older gentleman would take a scoop of green Jell-O and slyly tip it on the floor saying, "Oops, I wasn’t going to eat that anyway," and Molly would get it. "To see that green Jell-O go bouncing under the bed and the smile on his face was just comical," says Joani.

Another memorable time was getting dressed up for Christmas. Molly wore "a jingle-bell collar, which was fine by her, but the Santa hat she refused to tolerate." She must have missed all the pats on the head.

Just as much as she likes getting cleaned up, she also remains true to her nature. Upon returning home, Molly acts just like the hooligan she is — running, sliding in the grass, rolling in the dirt and whatever else she can find. She sets out to get every square inch of her body dirty as quickly as possible.

Not only does Molly work a spell on the patients, "The staff just loves her. Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t ask about her." The hospital receives many thank you notes that mention Molly. One of Molly’s best trophies, however, is a particular letter sent to the hospital by family members of a patient that had gone home. The family wrote saying they "appreciated all the special care that (name withheld here) received from staff," particularly "when she received visits from Molly." They went on, apologizing, "but I’m afraid everybody took a back seat to Molly." The hospital gave Babczak the letter to keep.

Babczak seldom goes to town anymore without someone stopping her to ask, "How’s Molly?" She finds it humorous they remember Molly’s name, but not hers, now more often referred to as "Molly’s mom." That doesn’t bother her though. She takes delight in the joy her charge brings to others.

Molly’s next debut will be a presentation in October at a Girl Scout meeting.

Molly and her "mom" will soon be going for their last trainer obedience checkoff confirmation that will lead to her certification as an official therapy dog. LDN will update you when she certifies.

If you are looking for a local dog trainer, Clay Glover from San Jose is available, (309) 247-3474. He trains the 4-H dogs. You can also go to any major city surrounding Lincoln to find trainers.

If you want to learn more about these remarkable pets, and the power they have to give comfort, we have listed some exceptional websites below that tell the story and share the concept of pet-provided therapy.

http://www.superdog.com/therapy.htm

http://home.earthlink.net/~kimgsullivan/therapy.htm

http://uaata.org/links.html

http://lonestar.texas.net/~jgr/Therapy.htm

http://www.compwiz.net/fppt/fppt.html

[Jan Youngquist]

[SEPT. 28, 2000]  Set back off the road at 1515 N. Kickapoo sits Logan County Animal Control. Originally they were located out at the Scully Farm and were known as American Humane. They moved to the new site in 1989 and became Logan County Animal Control.

Logan County Animal Control

The county agency serves many functions. They provide pickup of domestic nuisance animals; care for and maintain the animals that were brought in by their owners or that they went out and picked up; handle dog license registration; and arrange adoptions. They also provide limited veterinarian services for spaying, neutering and declawing (cats only declawed at time of fixing) for adoptees.

The staff is made up of two full-time employees and a veterinarian who comes in as needed. In charge of the facility is Warden Sheila Farmer. Farmer, a mother of young children, began working at the Logan County Animal Control six years ago. Before working there she groomed dogs. She’s had a lifelong love of animals and now works with them, lots of them, every day. She bestows her love and care on an average of 100 newly brought in animals per month.

Warden Farmer’s duties include pretty much everything there is to do in running the facility. She does the office work, answers calls, does the bookkeeping, processes papers, then records and files lots of them. She schedules appointments for veterinarian services of animals that have been adopted from there. She cleans the floors and the animal cages, feeds the animals, takes all the dogs out daily, and goes out to pick up nuisance domestic animals all around the county. Not many days are easy, though some are better than others. Most days are hectic, with lots of people coming in and calling with questions. Lots of days it’s nonstop, exhausting and difficult to get everything done, but she knows this leads to adoptions quite often. Farmer puts in 40-plus hours per week.

So, what makes it a job she says she likes? Farmer lights up, softly saying, "I love animals! Getting them together with people for adoption is a great feeling. They’re so happy to get out!"

The worst part of Warden Farmer’s job is, as you can probably guess, knowing a good animal is out of time. "I don’t like putting animals to sleep. I’d rather see them adopted," she says sadly.

Farmer herself now has three dogs and five cats, all adopted from Logan County Animal Control.

Working right alongside Farmer performing all the same duties is gentle-natured Assistant Warden Michelle Mote. Like Farmer, Mote shares all the duties for keeping everything running in the facility — from office work to cleaning the facility, caring for the animals by taking the dogs out, cleaning the dog and cat kennels, and feeding everyone and giving them some attention, as much as is possible in spare moments. She works 38 to 40 hours per week.

[Michelle Mote takes a dog out to "take care of business."]

Mote says it was just "lucky timing" that she got her job there. She started in February. She, too, loves animals and was looking for a new job when she found this one.

When you see her with the animals you can see how much she likes them. She’s very easy and loving with them. She brings out the dogs each week for LDN to take their pictures, speaking nicely to them and patiently handling them.

She has recently adopted a cute little longhaired calico she named Sassy. She was able to see her as a newborn there.

Assistant Warden Mote's answers are the same as Warden Farmer when asked about her favorite and worst part of the job. "The best part is the animals. I love them." The worst part is "putting them down" when they don’t get adopted.

Dr. Lester Thompson is the house veterinarian. Limited veterinarian services are provided for adoptees from the facility. Appointments are made for spaying and neutering before the animals go to their new homes. Cats may be declawed at the same time as fixing.

Dr. Thompson was not available for interview this week. He will be interviewed sometime in the future.

[to top of second column in this article]

Farmer and Mote run the entire daily operation of the large facility. These two hard-working women deserve our respect and appreciation for their dedicated hard work and doing an emotionally challenging job as well! Be sure to tell them how much you appreciate the availability of the facility and the work they do there.

If you’re looking to adopt, call Logan County Animal Control at (217) 735-3232 or stop in and pick one out at 1515 N. Kickapoo in Lincoln.

The facility also accepts monetary and product donations.

Regional sources of
shelters, humane societies, animal controls

You love animals, except for one reason or another can't have a pet. So how can you help your local animal control or animal shelter? Whether or not your local animal control or shelter receives tax dollars, they always appreciate donations. The donations may be monetary, time (some locations) or consumable products. Animal controls and animal shelters obviously need a lot of food, toys, hay, shavings, liter and shampoo, but they can also use cleaning products for the facilities and office products for the front desk. Please call before you donate items, as different locations may require different products.

If you have room for a pet in your home, think about adopting one of the animals waiting at animal control or a shelter. You can go in and visit the animals until you find the perfect match. Usually the animal keepers can tell you a little something about the animals. They can help recommend the cat or dog that fits your preferences. Adoption is a lifelong commitment that will enrich your life and the life of your new friend.

The fees are nominal, and help defray the cost of the medical care your pet received while at the shelter. If you are able to give an additional donation when you adopt, it will help feed and care for the other animals still waiting for a home. All of your efforts are greatly appreciated.

The best way you can help animal control and local shelters is to have your pet spayed or neutered. Some shelters receive as many as 7,000 animals annually. In just seven years, two dogs and their offspring have the potential to produce 4,372 more dogs, and two cats and their offspring could produce 420,000 more cats. If you have your pet spayed or neutered, you can help prevent future animal control problems.

If your pet disappears, call as many shelters as you can as soon as possible. Animals can cover amazing distances, so try shelters even if you think they may be too far away. If animal control workers have a description of your pet, they can help watch for it and identify it when it is brought in. If your pet appears at animal control or a shelter, it is important that you retrieve your pet as soon as possible, because they have a limited amount of space. Remember to keep your pet’s tags on him at all times, because you never know when he might wander away.

Lastly, how can they help you? Visit their website, or any humane society website, for valuable information on all sorts of animal care.

The Humane Society of Southern Illinois (www.geocities.com/morganarowan52/) lists household dangers for pets — many dangers are the same as if you had a baby or toddler in your home. Also, they give information on three animal control facilities in southern Illinois.

The Champaign County Humane Society (www.cuhumane.org) offers a pet library that covers topics such as behavior, care and human-animal bonds. It posts recent legislation about animals, an alumni page to view happy-ending adoptions and a calendar of events.

McLean County Humane Society (http://cube.ice.net/~mchs/main.htm) gives a specific list of common, poisonous plants pet owners should avoid. They say even a nibble can cause illness or death.

A simple search on any search engine will provide a flood of animal resources and ideas for where one might volunteer.

[Jan Youngquist and Jean Ann Carnley]

Ten reasons to adopt a shelter dog

1. I'll bring out your playful side!

2. I'll lend an ear to your troubles.

3.  I'll keep you fit and trim.

4.  We'll look our for each other.

5.  We'll sniff out fun together!

6.  I'll keep you right on schedule.

7.  I'll love you with all my heart.

8.  We'll have a tail-waggin' good time!

9.  We'll snuggle on a quiet evening.

10.  We'll be best friends always.

[SEPT. 27, 2000]  Have you been longing to open your home, your family and your heart to a homeless dog? If so, there may be an avenue open to you that you aren't familiar with: dog rescue. What is dog rescue, you ask? In a nutshell, it is groups of dog-lovers, usually breed-affiliated, looking to save homeless canines from being euthanized and to save at-risk dogs from bad living conditions. Their ultimate goal is giving these dogs a second chance at a happy life.

I am a member of one such group, Northern Illinois Samoyed Assistance (NISA). NISA is a dog rescue organization which takes in homeless and at-risk Samoyed dogs. The dogs are picked up as strays, rescued from animal shelters, surrendered by their owners (for a variety of reasons) or rescued from abusive situations. There have even been instances where dogs were rescued from puppy mills.

The Samoyed breed is not unique in this regard. Across the country, there are breed rescue organizations for all breeds of dogs recognized by the AKC (American Kennel Club).

What does rescue do for the dogs that come under their care? You name it, they do it. Rescued dogs receive medical care, including heartworm testing, proper vaccinations, general checkups and treatment of any health conditions which are found. Dogs are cleaned and groomed. Spaying or neutering is also performed, and, in most cases, is mandatory before a dog can be adopted.

Once medical and grooming issues are taken care of, rescued dogs are placed in "foster homes" until permanent homes can be found. Rescue foster homes observe the dog, assess its temperament and try to socialize and/or train the dog if there are any problem areas. The goal here is to help the dog feel secure with people and to work out behavioral problems which might interfere with finding the dog a permanent home.

The primary goal is, of course, to take a dog which has come from a less-than-perfect situation and to find it a loving, responsible home. And rescue organizations do not take this task lightly. They have invested time, money and effort in the rescued dog and desire nothing less than to try and ensure that its new home will be safe and secure. Rescue organizations, more often than not, carefully screen potential new owners to make sure that they understand the responsibility of taking on a pet. Potential owners must fill out questionnaires, open their homes for "home checks," agree to the conditions set forth by the rescue organization and sign a contract to that effect.

Most rescue organizations have a standard adoption contract which the potential owner must sign upon adopting a dog. Clauses might stipulate that the new home have a fenced yard or that the dog never be left out unsupervised. A common stipulation is that if the new home "doesn't work out," for whatever reason, the dog should be returned to the rescue organization and not turned over to a shelter or given away.

Potential owners must also pay a fee to the rescue organization to help cover the costs involved — a fee that varies from one organization to the next. Paying upwards of $100 for a rescued dog is not uncommon; however, considering the wonderful care, both medical and emotional, that the dog has been given by the rescue organization, the cost does not seem high.

In contrast, buying a puppy (or even an older dog) from a breeder is much more expensive. Also, a rescued dog has most likely already been spayed or neutered. It has most likely been socialized around people and given some basic training before being placed for adoption. The rescue organization can also give potential owners a lot of information about the dog, especially regarding its temperament and health conditions, which removes a lot of the guesswork involved in bringing home a "secondhand" pet!

[to top of second column in this article]

[Cuzack is a yellow Labrador retriever. Esther Sparks adopted him from the Springfield Animal Shelter. He's about 8 years old, a marvelous dog and very dear to her.]

Perhaps most valuable is the relationship the new owner forms with the rescue group. Rescue organizations are more than willing to educate, to answer questions, to assist with problems. Their goal is to give the rescued dog a new shot at happiness, and that involves working with adoptive families to make sure that everybody is happy in the new arrangement!

A large number of rescue organizations have websites, which list their philosophies and adoption criteria and often have pictures and descriptions of available dogs. One such example is the NISA website at http://www.samfans.org/nisa. At the site, there is an example of a contract, as well as organizational information.

Other websites with breed rescue information include these:

http://dogzone.com/rescue.htm 

http://woofs.org/adoption/newlist.html

http://infodog.com/ads/rescue/rescue.htm

And the American Kennel Club has a central, state-by-state list of rescue contacts for each breed, as well as valuable breed information. Their site is at http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm. 

So if you have the space, in your home and in your heart, there are rescued dogs of all breeds just waiting for a second chance. Giving an adopted dog a happy home can be one of the most rewarding things you can do — for yourself AND for the dog!

[Cherie Rankin]

Animals for adoption

These animals and more are available to good homes from the Logan County Animal Control at 1515 N. Kickapoo, phone 735-3232.

Fees for animal adoption: dogs, $60/male, $65/female; cats, $35/male, $44/female. The fees include neutering and spaying.

Logan County Animal Control's hours of operation:

Sunday  –  closed

Monday  –  8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Tuesday  –  8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Wednesday  –  8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Thursday  –  8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Friday  –  8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Saturday  –  closed

Warden: Sheila Farmer
Assistant:  Michelle Mote
In-house veterinarian:  Dr. Lester Thompson

Brought to you by Best Friends Animal Hospital

[SEPT. 25, 2000]  It's National Dog Week! If you've been contemplating adding a puppy or a dog to your family, there is much to consider to ensure that your new canine companion that will be a good fit — both for your family and for your lifestyle.

First, be honest with yourself about how much time and money you have available to devote to a puppy or a dog. Then, do some research — on the Internet, in books and with breeders — to find a breed which will suit your situation. Breeds of dogs differ in the amount of exercise and grooming they require. Some breeds are highly independent and stubborn, while others are more readily "trainable." Some breeds require a lot of activity and stimulation to keep them entertained and out of trouble! And, of course, some breeds grow much larger than others and require a lot of space.

If there are children in your family, that too must be considered. Some breeds are known to be good with children, while other breeds tend to be more "high strung" and are not a good mix in families with small children.

Don't forget about the financial commitments either. Quality food, veterinary care, routine vaccinations, licensing fees, leashes, crates and/or kennels, toys and chewies, and grooming supplies can add up. There is no such thing as a "free" dog!

With a puppy, training and housebreaking can (and should) be time-consuming activities. There will be puppy-related wear-and-tear on your house. There will be accidents, as housebreaking won't happen overnight. A puppy must be properly socialized and trained in order to be a well-mannered member of your household. Remember that a majority of dogs wind up in shelters or abandoned NOT because they "bad dogs" — they wind up there because their owners either didn't take the time to train them properly or got tired of the responsibility. Make sure this isn't going to be you!

[Rollie is a 2-year-old adoptee owned by Cherie Rankin.]

If the responsibility of a puppy sounds like more than you want to take on, there are other options. Animal shelters and breed rescue operations have countless dogs available that need loving, responsible homes. With a little time and research, you can find a dog of almost any breed or mix that is available for adoption.

    Of course, with an older dog, there may be other issues to consider. An older dog may have special health needs. In this case, be sure that you are able and willing to meet them, both emotionally and financially. Potential owners are often afraid of adopting an older dog. These people might be pleasantly surprised! Older dogs are often calmer than their younger counterparts, demand less exercise and may already be well-trained. And as veterinary care technology advances, the life span of our canine companions keeps increasing. An older dog may, in all likelihood, have years of love and companionship to offer you.

Do your homework! In her online article "Choosing the Right Dog," Sari B. Tietjen makes the following suggestions.

— There is no substitute for making a careful study of each breed's characteristics and narrowing down the field until you are left with the one that best suits your temperament, lifestyle, accommodations and taste.

— Go to a dog show, buy dog books, consult websites and search out legitimate kennels. Talk to breeders and other experts about the breed you are considering.

If you decide a puppy is what you want, find a breeder who will work with you and answer your questions. DO NOT buy from pet stores or wholesalers. Ask to see the puppies' parents. Make sure that the parents are certified for hip and eye health and that they have good temperament. Pick a puppy who appears healthy and whose temperament seems well-adjusted. Then take it home and be a responsible owner!

If you decide that you would prefer an older dog, locate the breed rescue group for the breed you desire, or check your local animal shelter for a dog that suits you. Quality rescue and shelter organizations are more than willing to work with potential owners, as their top priority is finding good homes for the animals in their care!

There is a wealth of information available to you to help in your search for the perfect canine companion. Good breeders are more than happy to talk to you about their breed. Books on specific breeds, their characteristics and the commitment required of an owner abound. And, of course, the Internet has some wonderful sites. Two excellent sites are:

Dog Owner's Guide — The Online Magazine for Pet and Showdog Owners, at http://www.canismajor.com/dog/chbreed.html

The American Kennel Club website, at http://www.akc.org

(The AKC site has links for both breeder referral and breed-specific rescue contacts.)

If you invest the time in finding the perfect canine match, your dog will reward you with years of loyal companionship, countless happy memories and unconditional love. Happy searching!

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