It’s been a long journey from conceptualization to fruition, but Dogs for Life supporters never gave up, and this month will open the doors to a whole world of opportunities for veterans and others in need of service dogs with its new Assistance Dog Training and Administrative Center.
Shelly Ferger, DFL founder and executive director, and her dedicated team have been training service, pet-assisted therapy and companion dogs since 2002. In 2010 DFL became accredited by Assistance Dogs International as one of only four in Florida sanctioned by the VA to certify service dogs for veterans.
All service dogs are trained at no cost to their owners, thanks to private donations, local grants and memberships in their Off-Leash Dog Park.
“We are using the dog park as the equivalent of a thrift shop as a source of income for us,” explains Ferger.
In addition to the new Training Center, the 4.5-acre site includes spaces for both outdoor and agility training, separate areas for small and large dogs and a memorial garden. Future plans call for outdoor park lighting to accommodate working people.
The new building will house the DFL administrative offices, restrooms with outdoor access for Dog Park members, and most importantly a place for indoor training. It also offers an opportunity to increase services open to the public, such as dog behavior and obedience training, and outreach programs to the 4-H Dog Masters Club and others.
“Before, we could never stay on a training schedule because everything was outside. In Florida it’s never cool enough unless you’re getting out here at 7:30 in the morning which people don’t want to do,” says Ferger. “So now that we’ve got the indoor training center, we can train year round and stay on a schedule. Now we’re going to be able to have individual classes and we can have them at night, without the mosquitos.”
Designed by architect Tony Donadio and constructed by Bill Bryant & Associates, the new multi-functional facility affords a variety of indoor training scenarios.
“In the past we could only work in the home of the people who owned the dog to do the task training, because we had to have a bed and alarm clocks, telephones, fire alarms and that sort of thing,” explains Ferger. “This building allows us to simulate the in-home environment, so we can do the work here. And it also allows us to train dogs from outside of Vero Beach.”
The DFL Assistance Dog Training program, which aids owners dealing with hearing and mobility issues, was the perfect foundation for the newer Service Dogs for Veterans Training program.
As any dog lover can attest, tensions can be eased by just the thump of a tail from a furry friend. For veterans returning home from the horrors of war a service dog can bring about an emotional stability that is far more effective then drugs. DFL can train dogs in 14 tasks beneficial to veterans suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
She said one frequently requested task is called “watch my back,” where the dog is placed behind the person.
“It’s so they can sit comfortably in an environment of people where they’re not so concerned that someone is going to come up behind them and assault them or something of that sort.”
Another coping mechanism aid is crowd control, where the dog is trained to go out to the end of the leash and create a circular safety barrier.
“Not in an aggressive way; these dogs are not aggressive,” stresses Ferger, noting the goal is increased personal space. “They get overwhelmed with hyper-vigilance, stress, fear; they’re on alert all the time.”
They also train dogs to wake a person from a nightmare by jumping on the bed and licking their face.
“And from what we hear, if you’re woke-up by a dog licking your face you’re a lot less combative than when a person is waking you up.”
Others include: “popping a corner” to look before a person enters a doorway; searching a home before entry; barking at a hand signal; providing tactile stimulation to disrupt emotional overload; “breaking the spell” of a combat trauma trance; “finding the car” when owners need to exit a building quickly; calling 911 or a suicide hotline on K-9 emergency phones; carrying backpacks of supplies; providing deep pressure for calming effects; reducing hyper-vigilance; and serving as a security and loneliness “combat buddy.”
“All our training is positive reinforcement; they have to want to do it,” she says. “When they want to do it that bond is unbreakable.”
Although the VA will not yet reimburse veterans for PTSD service dogs, most of the DFL dogs are cross-trained so Ferger says, “If it’s a hearing or mobility dog trained for PTSD as a secondary condition then they can get their benefits from the VA.”
They are being told to expect a huge influx of veterans needing service dogs, and want to obtain grants to hire veterans as trainers.
“Our first hired veteran and dog trainer, Jason Harris, is actively attending regular veterans’ group meetings and events to engage and recruit additional veterans to assist as future Dogs for Life trainers. This effort will help the reintegration of veterans into our community and help Dogs for Life pre-train service dogs at the same time.”
Unlike most service dog training facilities, which breed, pre-train and sell their dogs, DFL generally either trains a dog people already have, or assists them in finding one at shelters.
“We are looking for foster homes; a lot of people are not physically capable of training their own dogs. Dogs could be dropped off during the daytime for training, and stay in the foster home nights and weekends.”
DFL also has a Pet-Assisted Therapy Dog program, which trains and certifies volunteers to take their own dogs to senior centers and children’s facilities.
“We currently have 13 facilities that we serve at least once a week; some of them are twice a week,” says Ferger, noting the therapeutic value of a dog’s unconditional love.
“Now that we have this building it’s going to be all about veterans and service dogs. Our focus is going to be on what we can do to train more service dogs, and we have to train more trainers.”
One of their biggest hurdles has been that the public does not fully realize all that Dogs for Life offers.
“We have a resource in this community that is second to none. I want people to know that this is like a little gem,” stresses Ferger. “We’re so much more than just a dog park, but we can’t make it happen without the money. We need the community to get behind this; to support Dogs for Life so that we can support our veterans and others with disabilities.”
