Veteran 8 14 2014

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VOL.2/ISSUE 41

THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2014

‘Man’s best friend’ brings hope to veterans, others in need Mary Kemper STAFF WRITER

mkemper@veteranvoiceweekly.com

Tony Santos of Vero Beach is an Army veteran of the Korean War. Facing losing a leg in the future due to health issues, he knows he’s going to be limited in his activities in multiple ways. Enter Shadow, his 4-year-old black Labrador/ Walker hound mix. With the help of Dogs For Life, Shadow is being trained to help Santos get the newspaper, make an emergency phone call and go up and down stairs, among other tasks. On Aug. 5, Shelly Ferger, founder and CEO of Dogs For Life, and one of her trainers, former Army Sgt. Jason “Jay” Harris, visited Santos’ home to check on Shadow’s progress. Shadow is an exuberant dog — “He’s smart, but he’s 100 percent stubborn,” Santos said — but he must learn to obey commands. “Let me see you make him lie down,” Ferger said to Santos, who complied. “We need to get him to lie on his side, because otherwise he’ll ‘break,’” Ferger said, referring to a dog’s habit of jumping back up or walking away without permission. She took Santos and Shadow through a series of tasks — from “down” to “stay” to helping Santos up from the couch — and pronounced that “I want to see more tug and release, but he’s doing well.” After the home visit, Ferger had Santos and Shadow visit the clubhouse, where Santos spends time each week helping out at bingo. The plan was to teach Shadow how to lie down quietly under the table. After two or three tries, Ferger succeeded — but she made sure this task would be necessary. “I’m up and down a lot at this bingo,” Santos said. He serves refreshments from the kitchen, for example. “But my wife and I go to high-stakes bingo sometimes, where I’d just be sitting.”

Staff photo by Mary Kemper Tony Santos, an Army Vietnam veteran who lives in Vero Beach, gets ready to take off in his golf cart with his buddy, Shadow, who will one day help be Santos’ eyes, ears and hands once service-dog training is completed through Dogs For Life. “It takes a full year to train these kinds of dogs. It’s very, very specialized.” Former Army Sgt. Jason “Jay” Harris veterans’ program coordinator at Dogs For Life Ferger’s verdict: It’s probably best to leave Shadow home on these occasions. Down the road, Shadow will receive training on how to use a special phone — “about the size of a small shoebox,” Santos said — equipped with a button Shadow can press, which will call 911 when programmed, if Santos’ wife, Debbie, is not home during an emergency. Shadow will then be trained to bark when the dispatcher answers. If Debbie is home, Shadow will be trained to get her attention. Helping veterans like Santos — and, currently, another veteran suffering from PTSD — is a big part of Dogs For Life’s mission. “Our goal is to expand our service-dog

program, which is absolutely free to all veterans who need them,” Ferger said. This is accomplished through generous donations, as the costs can be steep. “It takes a full year to train these kinds of dogs,” said Harris, who is the program’s coordinator. “It’s very, very specialized.” Dogs For Life also conducts regular obedience classes, open to the public, which help offset costs as well. At the newly built administrative building, Ferger conducted the first class of a six-week course on Aug. 2. At least 20 people attended, some of whom were disabled.

See DOGS page 3


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