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2002 Act of Heroism - NUTMEGowned by Mr. and Mrs. Randle of Tennessee
Rescued by: Tennessee Valley Golden Retriever Rescue
Nutmeg was about 1 1/2 when she was turned in to Rescue by an owner who claimed that the dog was dog aggressive and unmanageable. No aggression has ever been observed by either the foster family or the adoptive family. Only 6 months after her adoption and the commencement of formal obedience training, Nutmeg earned her CD title. A year later, she was accepted into the University of Tennessee Veterinary College's Human Animal Bonding In Tennessee (HABIT) animal therapy program and trained as a "Specialty Command" dog. Since then, Nutmeg goes to a local hospital once a week to help brain damaged patients recover their verbal, visual, memory and motor skills. She provides petting and brushing opportunities so they can exercise their hands, and she retrieves toys thrown for her. Only a month after joining HABIT, Nutmeg began working with the Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad. She has since had 18 months of Air Scent/Wilderness SAR training. Nutmeg has distinguished herself as an excellent scenter and tracker. She successfully trailed a lost young child to the grandparents' house. She has also assisted in discovering the whereabouts of a missing Alzheimer's patient.
In May of 1999, Nutmeg's handler, John Randle, became a member of the Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad (KVRS). Based on Nutmeg's previous obedience training along with her desire to be with patients, John decided to explore the possibilities of also training her for Air Scent/Wilderness SAR missions. After approximately 18 months of SAR training, first in Agility, then in Trailing/Tracking, and finally in Air Scent/ Wilderness SAR, Nutmeg responded to her first operational call-out on October 2, 2000. On this mission, Nutmeg successfully trailed a young child to the grandparents' house where the child was taken. Nutmeg has continued her K9 SAR training on a frequent basis, working with the K9 units in the Anderson and Hamilton County (TN) Rescue Squads, as well as with a professional K9 unit located in Morristown, TN. Nutmeg is scheduled to undergo her formal NASAR K9 SAR TECH III Air Scent Certification examination during Fall, 2001.
Nutmeg was dispatched on Sunday, 8 July 2001 to respond to a missing Alzheimer Patient report. Nutmeg executed her KVRS SAR responsibilities in an excellent fashion and in fact identified the Alzheimer Patient's exit point from the church as well as the direction of travel, critical information to a successful search and rescue mission.
Nutmeg has also helped to educate school children about the actions they should take if they become lost. The program is called "Hug-A-Tree". Nutmeg demonstrates her skills as an Air Scenting Wilderness SAR K9 in locating a "lost child" without the benefit of a "point last seen" or "direction of travel".
In addition, this special rescued Golden has been an "outstanding asset to St. Mary's RehabCare Center" in helping with the physical and mental rehabilitation of several patients.
2002 Animal Assisted Therapy/Activities - LITTLE MANowned by Mr. and Mrs. Eschenbacher of Arizona
Rescued by: Rescue A Golden of Arizona
After owning him for 7 years, Little Man's owner decided she didn't want him any more, so she left him at her mother's small, cluttered apartment, which had no air conditioning and where there were already three Cockers. Realizing she had more than she could handle, the mother called RAGofAZ.
A local mom with an 18-year-old son, Buddy, who has cerebral palsy had been trying to find an assistance dog for him for a couple of years. The waiting list was long and the cost huge. She found the RAGofAZ web site and immediately felt a connection to Little Man. She debated whether to get the dog because he was not assistance-trained, not expensive, and getting on in years - he was just someone else's throwaway. She couldn't get Little Man out of her mind, though, so after a few days she offered to adopt him.
Little Man bonded to Buddy immediately and has changed his life. They sleep together; they swim together; they go to Diamondbacks games together; they go to Buddy's school together; and they have taken a bus to the bowling alley all by themselves, something Buddy has never been able to do before. Buddy can not speak, but he makes certain noises around Little Man, and the dog seems to know what Buddy wants him to do. Little Man has also helped Buddy overcome touch-aversion - Buddy washes and dries Little Man's fur every day when they are finished swimming. Mom says, "I can't tell you what this hairy angel has done for my son. Words can't express the joy and new independence he has found. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed."
Buddy has spent his entire 18 years without a regular friend, without the fun and play activities that other boys have. He will always live at home and need assistance. He has not had the opportunity to develop independence and take responsibility upon himself, so when Buddy started doing even little things for himself, it was a major victory for the family, and they know that it is Little Man who is responsible for these changes.