Wisconsin Academy for Graduate Service Dogs (WAGS)

Volunteer Puppy Raiser

BARB SCHULTZE

I found out about WAGS on the internet in 2006.  I’ve been interested in working with dogs and people and WAGS is a great combination!  I feel that everybody should volunteer - to "pay back" as it were.  I volunteered with my kids when they were small, but they are all grown now.  After I retired, I thought that I could make my next volunteer contribution being a Puppy Raiser.  It really appealed to me as I would learn more about training dogs and helping people at the same time.  Come to think of it, I actually wanted to volunteer for an organization like WAGS for quite some time.  But I did not have the time (or type of job) necessary to help.  I also liked the staff and volunteers at WAGS. They are enthusiastic and believe in what they are doing.

I have worked with Frodi, Forrest and with Hero. 

HERO AND INGLESIDE NURSING HOME by BARB SCHULTZE, Volunteer Puppy Raiser

Before Mark and I started volunteering with WAGS, we had become interested in doing therapy dog work.  This was because my father was home-bound with severe dementia and had poor hearing and sight.  We noticed that when we visited with the dogs, he would perk up, pet the dogs and enjoy the visit much more.  So we began to bring the dogs every time we visited. 

Two of our pet dogs, Stitch and Reggie had good personalities and were well behaved. Before starting therapy work, we took them to a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) class, and then the AKC certification test.  In order to learn more about the therapy dog work, we became Pet Partners through the Delta Society, an educational organization, which helps the handler learn about therapy work, as well as testing the dog’s suitability. In addition to the training class, Delta Society requires that the dog be one year old. The local branch of Delta Society is Dogs on Call www.dogsoncall.org  Mark and I chose to work with our pet dogs at Ingelside nursing home in Mount Horeb and then later at Hospice Care on Fish Hatchery Road.  (Hospice Care requires additional training through their Volunteer Program.)  

As our WAGS Service Dog in training, Hero, began to get older, we wondered if we could use him for therapy work as well.  Much of the training we do withService Dogs is similar to Therapy dog training. I talked with Kelly, the WAGS Program Director, as well as the Resident Activities Director at Ingelside Nursing Home.  Both Kelly and the Director thought that it was a wonderful idea to use Hero – both for Hero’s continued training and for the residents of Ingleside.   

Staff members and residents enjoy Hero’s visits. Some residents enjoy the “youngness”/wet nose that Hero brings. I encouraged Hero to come closer to wheel chairs, and to learn how to be petted by people who can not reach very far to pet, or, maybe pet differently.  I helped Hero position himself by moving him to the side of the chair or bed.  The residents look forward to his visits and he really lifts their spirits.  Hero can put on a little “show” for the residents by performing some of the skills that he does such as getting his leash, etc. 

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