Flashback to an entire year?  Why not?

In the madness that was May 2013, we did not get a chance to formally introduce our annual report.  Those who came to the Open House in June were able to view it in person in all its colorful glory.  But for those who were not able to make it or who are not local, we wanted to share it with you.

To be sure, 2012 was a year of tremendous growth.  We developed new programs and stabalized our policies and procedures.  We were still able to continue training and pairing psychiatric service dogs, but we also made a concentrated effort to better the Sanctuary for years to come.

I hope you’ll take the time to read through it and forward it to those who you think might be interested in Stiggy’s Dogs.

We thank you for your tireless support.  Without people like you, we would not be Rescuing One to Rescue Another.

Our Annual Reports can all be viewed at stiggysdogs.org/about/annual-reports/

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You’ve heard our names.  You’ve seen our faces.  But do you know why we are part of Stiggy’s Dogs?  Find out on My Story Monday.

Everything happens for a reason…Nothing could be more true when it comes to my place in the Stiggy’s Dogs family.  Last spring I read a book that changed the course of my life, in all reality…doors began to open and I began to walk through them…and gratefully, one of those opened doors, led me into this amazing organization.  I contacted Jen by happenstance, to see if she might be interested in partnering with another organization for a fundraising idea I was working on…the connection between us was instant….it felt like we had always been a part of each other’s lives and journey.  Over the next few months, we would connect, talk about ideas…she never knowing I was a dog trainer, and me never seeing the significance of sharing that information since it didn’t relate to what we were trying to work toward…

Eventually, It came up in conversation and her excitement was infectious…It was as if she was trying to put her finger on why we were so connected, and where would I fit into her life plan…and then this missing piece of information, put everything in its place for her.  Stiggy’s Dogs was growing and expanding and trying to keep up with the needs and demands of so many veterans.  It was becoming overwhelming for the small 2 woman show.  She and head trainer, Donna Fournier were looking for other options for our wounded warriors to get the help they needed in a more timely manner, and they were thinking about adding a program to be able to help more veterans…what they were missing, was someone to help work that program…they needed to add another trainer…but the fit had to be perfect, a balance of experience, compassion, flexibility, patience…they had to feel comfortable with the new trainer because they had invested every ounce of their souls into this mission for the last few years….for reasons out of our ability to predict, here I am…taking everything that I have loved for so many years…animal welfare advocacy and the desire to heal broken spirits and lives by using the love and honesty of our best friends,  to give back to those who have given and risked everything for us.

I began “rescuing” when I was a tiny girl…hiding mouse traps in the laundry room, so the mice wouldn’t get stuck in them…taking dog food outside to feed the opossums that would run along our fence line, I even tried to save crickets with broken legs, never successfully and always with a tearful goodbye little friend…my mom would help me set the little bug up in a box with some grass and she would tolerate me carrying my treasured broken friend everywhere until it would die and she would wipe my tears and help me find a safe resting place…as an adult, I began working with rescue groups, pulling dogs from shelters and transporting them, then fostering sick dogs that couldn’t go into a new home yet, nursing them through heartworm treatments and broken legs, helping them gain weight and recover from neglect, abuse, malnutrition…and then it just became my life.  Rescuing…I expanded my animal advocacy work into the shelter environment, which perpetuated me to fine tune my animal behavior skills and techniques.  I have over 10 yrs of experience working with dogs specifically, rehabilitating and training them to be stable, balanced and beautiful.  I made a decision recently, to dedicate my time and energy to training dogs as service dogs exclusively with Stiggy’s Dogs.  I know this was the right door to go through.

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You can give to Stiggy’s Dogs securely online on our Rally page.  Please consider a donation to help us continue in our mission of Rescuing One to Rescue Another.

Not everything we do in training our psychiatric service dogs is applicable to companion animals.  But one thing that most dogs have in common-working dogs or not-is a shared dislike of fireworks.  Since it’s that holiday when fireworks are everywhere, here are some Stiggy’s Tips for making sure your holiday is fun for the furry family members as well.

From our training manual…

Thunderstorms, fireworks, and general loud noises:

Dogs learn by making associations to different stimulus, either good or bad. Using this understanding of how a dog learns, training a dog to overcome fear is rather simple; make a positive association to that stimulus.

The best way to prepare your dog, and to make that positive association is to purchase a CD of thunderstorms and play it at a low volume while feeding your dog his meals or playing his favorite game. Each day, turn that volume a notch higher; all while your dog is doing something positive. This forms that positive association to the sound of the storm. If, at any time during this desensitization process your dog becomes nervous of the CD sounds, back the volume down and step up your fun or food reward.

Another alternative is providing heartbeat and aroma therapy for your pet. Heartbeat therapy is exactly what it sounds like; a naturally recorded heartbeat that soothes the fearful pooch. Two products that work with heartbeat therapy are the Snuggle Puppy and Canine Lullabies CD. The best scent to use in aroma therapy for fear and stress is Lavender. Also using linen sprays of lavender scent on the dog’s bed can be helpful as well. You may have to incorporate multiple desensitizing processes; using the Snuggle Puppy, Lavender, and the CD of storms on a daily basis before you see results. Fear doesn’t go away overnight; it can take many weeks to months of work before your dog is no longer afraid.

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And remember: keep tabs on your dog during firework displays.  Many dogs get scared and run off when they hear fireworks.  It’s the busiest time of the year for shelters and emergency animal clinics.  Make sure you and your family doesn’t have to visit one of those places this holiday.

Happy Independence Day!

If you have questions you’d like to see on Stiggy’s Tips e-mail us at training@stiggysdogs.org with the subject line “STIGGY’S TIPS”.

Hard to believe that one year ago today, Mike met Barrett for the first time ….

I tell all our recently paired Veteran and Dogs teams, that there are milestones you will have during training . At one year is when I consider them to be 100% united.  And Mike and Barret are another wonderful example of that.

During the past year they have …. moved homes, traveled with the family to Disney Land, learned to like a baby pool, made new friends, were spokesman for our organization, made a television debut, helped each family member when they were sick, many many Doctor appointment, truly becoming  part of this family…. growing and loving with  them.

I am so proud of Mike, Barrett, Mollie and the whole family, as they are role models for new Veterans that come in. I love you guys…

Enjoy this video of them throughout the year!!!! Mike and Barrett