Dakota was born on November 4, 1999. He became a member of our family in June of 2000 (he was in a shelter) and became a certified Therapy Dog in August 2001. My wife and I had recently put our 17-year-old Beagle to sleep after a long illness and had spread the word that we were looking for a GSD who was young but not a puppy. A friend told me about a 7-month-old male GSD that was in a shelter in NE Pennsylvania. We called that day and he was still there and asked if they would hold him till we got there the following day because it was an hour and a half drive from our home. We arrived at the shelter to the sounds of many barking dogs, introduced ourselves and asked to see the young GSD. The lady went in the back and brought out this beautifully handsome GSD named Dakota. As the lady was telling us about him he walked between my wife and I and lay down. I said to my wife that if he was this calm after being in a pen and as young as he was that he would certainly be a great house companion. We took him for a walk outside the facility and he was just as calm as if he had been with us for years. After going back inside we filled in the adoption papers, paid our money and made arrangements to pick him up in a week (after they neutered him) and we had a chance to get things in order at home. Although we had always had a housedog, they had always been smaller dogs. We had had two GSD's over the years but they had been outside dogs living in the barn (a big mistake as I was to find out). A week later, after what seemed like a year, I again drove to the shelter and picked up Dakota. They had said he enjoyed rides in cars but after about ten minutes in the back seat of my Bronco he went to sleep and slept almost the entire trip. Dakota and I attended puppy classes at the Flying-W dog training school near Phillipsburg, NJ. He did rather well and I learned a lot. I had never spent so much time with a dog and learned that he had a personality that I never thought a dog could have. I wanted to train him for Search and Rescue but learned that the training was very intensive and involved a lot of time. I knew he would do well at it but I just do not have the time it would take to get him trained and certified. A friend from work suggested Therapy Dog work so I looked into that and decided that Dakota would do very well at it. I also felt that it would be far "happier work" for him then Search and Rescue. So, we started a class that would prepare us for the TDI (Therapy Dog International) test. About halfway through the course I was told that a test session was scheduled for the next weekend and I figured, why not? That Sunday morning off we went. He was the first one tested and passed with no trouble. His certification came in from TDI in a few weeks and we joined a local chapter of TDI, Mountain Therapy Dogs, and have been active ever since. A few weeks later the events of September 11 took place and within a few days rumors started circulating amongst our group that we might be called to take the dogs into New York City to Ground Zero. One day we were on to go and the next day, cancelled. It was a roller coaster. Finally the call came but it was not for Ground Zero it was for the Grief Center at Pier 94. Our schedule was set and the morning of our first visit we met with two other members of our group and their dogs and drove to Pier 94. I was a little apprehensive because as of that morning Dakota had only been on one visit as a Therapy Dog and that was in a persons home. He had never been to a big city (we live in a very rural area) and I knew that all the sights and sounds would be new to him. We went through three checkpoints just to park and then Dakota had to take his first escalator ride. In all honesty, he did balk at it for a minute but with some gentle words and some petting he stepped on to the escalator and down we went. I don't think he knew what was going on because he had a look in his eyes like how can I be moving when I am not walking. We made it down okay and then it was into an elevator. I put him on a sit and as the elevator went down he sat there looking up wondering again what was going on. That first visit at Pier 94 went very well and he did a great job. We visited the pier three more times and each time Dakota was great. It was really neat for me because on return visits a number of people remembered him from before. He spent most of his time with the emergency service workers and was introduced to a NYC Police Dog with whom he spent some time. On one visit to Pier 94 we had a long (almost an hour) visit with a NYC firefighter who poured his heart out to Dakota about the events of that tragic day. It really affected Dakota and after we said our good-byes to the firefighter, Dakota started pulling for the door. He was stressed and wanted to go home. So home we went. The drive to and from our home was about an hour and a half, except in traffic. Dakota would sit up and watch the traffic on the way in and then sleep on the way out. He loves to travel and we have taken him to Pittsburgh and stayed in motels and he was fine. I believe I have forgotten to say that Dakota is a very large GSD and now stands 32 inches at the shoulders. He weighs in at about 81 lbs but stays thin because he has a lot of room to run and play. Dakota has been visiting senior care facilities of all types since he became a Therapy Dog. He has his favorite people in a few places and just recently was awarded his TDIA which is a certificate given to Therapy Dogs who have made 50 visits. In order to make Dakota a real member of our family I wanted him to sleep in our room in his own bed right near ours. The only problem was that our bedroom was small and with his bed there I had trouble getting my dresser open. In order to solve the problem I started a project to remodel our bedroom. There was a spare room behind ours so I removed the wall and completely re-modeled the room. Dakota has given my wife and I more hours of love, affection and joy then we could ever speak of. He has shown us total affection and dedication. He has a personality that has blended with our family and he has taught us to appreciate life more through his working as a Therapy Dog. By the way, I almost forgot to mention that Dakota has another job. He also goes to work with me and chases geese from our public areas in the spring. He has never caught one but has cleared one facility of all the geese and reduced the number in a county facility. He lets me brush his teeth, do his nails and clean his ears. He has come a long way from the shelter where we adopted him - or did he adopt us. So much for the big dog mean dog theory! He is a big lover! |
Therapy Dogs |
Dakota was born on November 4, 1999. He became a member of our family in June of 2000 (he was in a shelter) and became a certified Therapy Dog in August 2001. My wife and I had recently put our 17-year-old Beagle to sleep after a long illness and had spread the word that we were looking for a GSD who was young but not a puppy. A friend told me about a 7-month-old male GSD that was in a shelter in NE Pennsylvania. We called that day and he was still there and asked if they would hold him till we got there the following day because it was an hour and a half drive from our home. We arrived at the shelter to the sounds of many barking dogs, introduced ourselves and asked to see the young GSD. The lady went in the back and brought out this beautifully handsome GSD named Dakota. As the lady was telling us about him he walked between my wife and I and lay down. I said to my wife that if he was this calm after being in a pen and as young as he was that he would certainly be a great house companion. We took him for a walk outside the facility and he was just as calm as if he had been with us for years. After going back inside we filled in the adoption papers, paid our money and made arrangements to pick him up in a week (after they neutered him) and we had a chance to get things in order at home. Although we had always had a housedog, they had always been smaller dogs. We had had two GSD's over the years but they had been outside dogs living in the barn (a big mistake as I was to find out). A week later, after what seemed like a year, I again drove to the shelter and picked up Dakota. They had said he enjoyed rides in cars but after about ten minutes in the back seat of my Bronco he went to sleep and slept almost the entire trip. Dakota and I attended puppy classes at the Flying-W dog training school near Phillipsburg, NJ. He did rather well and I learned a lot. I had never spent so much time with a dog and learned that he had a personality that I never thought a dog could have. I wanted to train him for Search and Rescue but learned that the training was very intensive and involved a lot of time. I knew he would do well at it but I just do not have the time it would take to get him trained and certified. A friend from work suggested Therapy Dog work so I looked into that and decided that Dakota would do very well at it. I also felt that it would be far "happier work" for him then Search and Rescue. So, we started a class that would prepare us for the TDI (Therapy Dog International) test. About halfway through the course I was told that a test session was scheduled for the next weekend and I figured, why not? That Sunday morning off we went. He was the first one tested and passed with no trouble. His certification came in from TDI in a few weeks and we joined a local chapter of TDI, Mountain Therapy Dogs, and have been active ever since. A few weeks later the events of September 11 took place and within a few days rumors started circulating amongst our group that we might be called to take the dogs into New York City to Ground Zero. One day we were on to go and the next day, cancelled. It was a roller coaster. Finally the call came but it was not for Ground Zero it was for the Grief Center at Pier 94. Our schedule was set and the morning of our first visit we met with two other members of our group and their dogs and drove to Pier 94. I was a little apprehensive because as of that morning Dakota had only been on one visit as a Therapy Dog and that was in a persons home. He had never been to a big city (we live in a very rural area) and I knew that all the sights and sounds would be new to him. We went through three checkpoints just to park and then Dakota had to take his first escalator ride. In all honesty, he did balk at it for a minute but with some gentle words and some petting he stepped on to the escalator and down we went. I don't think he knew what was going on because he had a look in his eyes like how can I be moving when I am not walking. We made it down okay and then it was into an elevator. I put him on a sit and as the elevator went down he sat there looking up wondering again what was going on. That first visit at Pier 94 went very well and he did a great job. We visited the pier three more times and each time Dakota was great. It was really neat for me because on return visits a number of people remembered him from before. He spent most of his time with the emergency service workers and was introduced to a NYC Police Dog with whom he spent some time. On one visit to Pier 94 we had a long (almost an hour) visit with a NYC firefighter who poured his heart out to Dakota about the events of that tragic day. It really affected Dakota and after we said our good-byes to the firefighter, Dakota started pulling for the door. He was stressed and wanted to go home. So home we went. The drive to and from our home was about an hour and a half, except in traffic. Dakota would sit up and watch the traffic on the way in and then sleep on the way out. He loves to travel and we have taken him to Pittsburgh and stayed in motels and he was fine. I believe I have forgotten to say that Dakota is a very large GSD and now stands 32 inches at the shoulders. He weighs in at about 81 lbs but stays thin because he has a lot of room to run and play. Dakota has been visiting senior care facilities of all types since he became a Therapy Dog. He has his favorite people in a few places and just recently was awarded his TDIA which is a certificate given to Therapy Dogs who have made 50 visits. In order to make Dakota a real member of our family I wanted him to sleep in our room in his own bed right near ours. The only problem was that our bedroom was small and with his bed there I had trouble getting my dresser open. In order to solve the problem I started a project to remodel our bedroom. There was a spare room behind ours so I removed the wall and completely re-modeled the room. Dakota has given my wife and I more hours of love, affection and joy then we could ever speak of. He has shown us total affection and dedication. He has a personality that has blended with our family and he has taught us to appreciate life more through his working as a Therapy Dog. By the way, I almost forgot to mention that Dakota has another job. He also goes to work with me and chases geese from our public areas in the spring. He has never caught one but has cleared one facility of all the geese and reduced the number in a county facility. He lets me brush his teeth, do his nails and clean his ears. He has come a long way from the shelter where we adopted him - or did he adopt us. So much for the big dog mean dog theory! He is a big lover! |
Joel Schwartz and Dakota, Therapy Dog. |
Joel and Dakota (centre) with their Therapy Dog group at Pier 94, the WTC Grief Center in New York City |
