Humane Education Dogs

My dog Mystic has served as an outstanding education dog in my work at HAWS for the last 8 years.    Mystic started his career when he was only 9 weeks old, and I set out to create the perfect dog to help me in my work.  I knew I needed a dog who would be friendly and outgoing, tolerant of stressful situations and handling, confident in new environments and when meeting new people, and calm around children who's energy level might be an eleven on a scale of one to ten.  He's met literally thousands of children and adults through humane education programs and has been a great example of what a well trained and socialized dog can be.

Mystic is not retiring -- not by a long shot.  But recently I added another dog to my family and I'd like to add the new puppy to my education programs.  Quinn was adopted through Minnesota Border Collie Rescue almost two weeks ago.  They were a great organzation to work with.  I told them what my future puppy would be doing as a humane education dog, and what kind of temperment the puppy should have.  They found a puppy they thought would work, and so far, so good. 

I've started Quinn's education by socializing him to as many people as I possibly can.   Socialization is extremely important for puppies before they are 14-16 weeks of age, and the process should make socialization fun, not scary for the puppy.  Quinn's socialization includes having new people get down on the ground and giving him food.  The idea is that by teaching him that new people have treats he'll start to look forward to meeting new people. 

Here's video of Quinn meeting some kids at Waukesha's Blair Elementary School last week.  The kids are all being appropriate, feeding his food down low and with the treats in the palm of their hands so fingers don't go into his mouth, and he's having a great time meeting him.  I look forward to giving frequent updates on Quinn's progress. 

HAWS Winter Camp In the News!

Fox 6 Milwaukee was kind enough to have myself and Education Assistant Kaitlin Daugherty on their Fox 6 Wake-up on Monday morning. We were able to talk about HAWS upcoming Kids 'n Critters Winter Camp that will be running on Monday & Tuesday December 26 & 27, and also Wed-Fri December 28-30 for kids between the ages of 6 and 13 years.

It's amazing to me that we're already gearing up for winter camp -- it seems like our summer camp just ended!

Not suprisingly, HAWS mascot Mystic was the star of the Fox 6 appearance!

What Smells!

This year's annual spring seminar hosted by HAWS was a huge success, and Sunday's topic was one of the most interesting presentations we've ever had. While it's well known that dogs have a phenominal sense of smell, it's not something that most people do as a fun activity with their dogs.

Up until now there really hasn't been much for the dog owner who wants to train their dog to use their nose, but doesn't really want to get into obedience, search and rescue or tracking. That's all starting to change. Dog trainers are starting to understand that because dogs have such a natural tendency to use their nose to explore their world, we can use this as a way to help dogs tire out mentally and as a bonding activity between owner and dog. A sport called K9 Nose Work recently developed and has started to become popular.

Steve and Jennifer White were HAWS featured speakers last weekend. Steve has a background in training dogs for law enforcement K-9 units, and Jennifer has decades of experience training a variety of species and working in behavior modification of canine behavior problems.

Our introduction to scent taught us that scent isn't stationary -- it moves according to the environment it's in and can be affected by surface type, temperature and wind. A good dog handler understands this, and should learn how to evaluate the environment in order for the dog to be the most successful.

A good handler also learns to trust the dog -- because after all humans have only 5 mllion scent receptors in our noses, while dogs have between 125 and 300 million -- depending on the breed.

The highlight of Sunday was the demo. I was very proud of my dog Mystic who found the scent tucked away in a film canister and placed on an upside down chair after minimal training.








Dixie wasn't quite as successful -- her extensive training as a hunting dog most likely made her dismiss the scent of almond extract as being irrelevant. Her nose has been trained to find birds, not nuts. But she sure had fun playing with Steve!

Star of the day was Bryn -- a schipperke with a nose that kicked in. Here's video of her enthusiastic report that she had successfully located the almond extract.


Thanks to Steve and Jennifer White for the video, and stills taken from the video. And for showing those of us in attendance on Sunday a whole new world as smelled through our dog's noses.

When Opportunity Knocks

One of the things I've learned over the years in my job is that you have to be flexible when doing presentations. Sometimes training demonstrations with dogs don't go as planned, sometimes kids ask questions that take you off track, and sometimes things happen that end up being a really great education opportunity.

Yesterday I participated in a High Interest Day at St. John Vianney School in Brookfield. Whether they're called High Interest Day, Try-It Day, or Kid's Choice Day (depending on the school) -- they are very popular this time of year. The school brings a variety of presenters in on topics as varied as karate, rock climbing, baking, criminal forensics, and pets. The idea is to give kids a way to try new things and perhaps find where their interests may take them.

This year St. John Vianney asked me to talk about pet care to three different groups of kids. As we were playing a pet care game some of the kids were petting Mystic, and interrupted me to ask about a bump they'd found near his ear. Thinking it was an irritation left over from the tick I had removed the day before I told them not to worry about it. But they were insistant that it was huge and I should look at it.

It turned out to be a dog tick -- already dead because I treat Mystic with Frontline. As I removed the tick I talked about how pet ownership sometimes involves doing something unpleasant - such as pulling out a tick. Then I talked about the fact that Mystic is treated with Frontline -- which is a tick and flea preventative and the fact that dogs can get Lyme disease from ticks.

Of course pulling a tick from Mystic wasn't part of my presentation, but what a great opportunity to show them one of the more unpleasant sides of pet ownership!

That same day I had another opporunity. Three years ago at a different school's High Interest Day I trained Mystic to "play the piano". I haven't had him around a piano since -- so when I saw that there was a piano in the room where I was working with the kids I decided to see if he still remembered how to do it. You can see the results in the video below.

Mystic and the Campers

Because Mystic comes to work with me, and because my office is right off of the room where camp is held, the children attending camp have dubbed him the "Camp Mascot".

It's not unusual for me to have to shoo children away from the baby gate across my office door in order for me to get in and out of my office. Mystic really knows how to play his adoring fans. At the first sound of a childish sing song voice calling out "Myyyyystic!" he comes strolling out of his crate and acknowledges the kids with a sniff, before turning sideways and leaning against the gate so as to make it more convenient for them to pet the entire length of his back. And with 3 or 4 kids squeezed into my office doorway there's plenty of hands to give him a nice massage.

Many of the kids have attended camp in previous years, and so they know that Mystic knows many tricks and that I usually show them off before the end of the camp session. Word spreads to the newcomers, and all week long I get asked when they'll get to see Mystic do his tricks.

Yesterday I was appalled when guest speaker Ginny Marchel, who is a HAWS dog trainer, brought in her American Eskimo Seika and showed off all of her tricks. Seika not only knew all the tricks Mystic knows, but she knew a few more. How could I follow that act?

One of the things Mystic does do, that Seika does not, is Agility. In the past I've used the kids as obstacles -- they've made jumps out of their arms, weave poles out of their legs, and tunnels as a group. Mystic has gone through kid made obstacles one at a time, and at Winter Camp we paired kid weave poles with a kid tunnel. But I decided to try to expand on it.

In the video you'll see 3 jumps, a set of 6 weave poles and a tunnel. Mystic had a beautiful run this afternoon!

Creative Projects for HAWS

I have many wonderful teachers in Waukesha County that contact me on a regular basis to come and speak to their classrooms. Most of teachers use my visit to teach their students about giving back to the community, and work on a classroom service project to benefit HAWS.

Of of these teachers is Ms. Killian-Janicek at North Junior High School in Menomonee Falls. Once again students in her Creative Projects class made beds and toys to benefit HAWS (seen in the photo with Mystic). As someone who is totally devoid of any sewing skill whatsoever, I'm in awe of the beautiful work -- which must have taken them hours and hours.

Thank you Ms. Killian-Janicek and your students!

A Good Friday Visit

It always amazes me to realize that there are those out there who aren't animal lovers, and others who don't feel they have any value to people. Luckily science is on our side.

Studies show that contact with pets can decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels (Allen, K 2001 & Anderson 1992). Alzheimers patients who have regular contact with pets have "fewer episodes of verbal aggression and anxiety and fewer mood disorders". (Fritz, Farver, Kass & Hart, 1995)

Today HAWS had a visit from some of the residents of Congregational Home in Brookfield. Accompied by three staff members, the ladies toured our dog and cat adoption areas, and then spent some one on one time with several animals.

It was very rewarding to see how much joy the animals were able to give -- and we didn't need science for that observation. I think the photos speak for themselves!

In the photo above is HAWS adoptable Griffin -- 5 years old and doing a wonderful job being handed from person to person.

Little Shelly (to the right) -- our chihuahua-dachshund mix was a huge lover -- giving kisses and getting love from everyone.

I was proudest of Mystic - who truly was the hit of the visit. He's a big dog, and yet was extremely gentle with our visitors who needed a gentle touch.

After petting him the first time, the woman on the right in the photo below asked that he come back so that she could pet him some more. One of the staff who came from Congregational Home told me that she is normally afraid of dogs. Mystic truly lives up to his name.

My Humane Education Co-Worker

One of my co-workers shares my office, weighs 55 lbs and occasionally likes to clean his private parts in public. Like most non-profit employees he really doesn't get paid a lot, but he never complains about being paid in Pup-Peroni. Mystic is a 4 year old border collie that I adopted at the age of 8 weeks. He's been working with me ever since - accompanying me to day care centers, schools, scout troop meetings, adult day care, nursing homes and work places in Waukesha County. He's also the official mascot of HAWS Kid's 'n Critters Day Camp.

One of the benefits of using my own dog instead of a shelter dog is that I know without a doubt the he loves children and doesn't get overwhelmed when we vist what many times is a very stressful environment for a dog. I also know he won't pee on the floor (which could be embarrassing), and he knows a number of tricks -- which never fails to entertain our audience.


As ambassador from HAWS, Mystic plays an important role in promoting our educational messages. It's easy to dismiss a woman talking about responsible pet ownership and the needs of the animals in the Waukesha community. But bring a well-behaved, enthusiastic and friendly, furry face along, and the message becomes much more relavant.