Tails For Hope

 by Amy Fernandez

Photo By Lisa Croft-Elliott

AKC promotes dog sports as family activities. However, families attending and enjoying dog shows together has become increasingly rare. This raises concern for the sheer survival of AKC for several reasons. Expert knowledge and specialized skills disappear unless they are shared with the next generation. Kids lacking personal experience with animals become very susceptible to AR propaganda. Even kids who are interested in purebred dogs find limited opportunities to learn about them from adult mentors today.

A group based in Orange County, NY is tackling this problem at a grassroots level. I recently spoke to Linda Blick, founding board member of the nonprofit Tails of Hope Foundation. A former social worker, she couldn’t disguise her delight as she admitted to working harder than ever since her retirement. That’s because the program she helped to create has taken off like a rocket. That day, she was hammering out details for a parade float. “We have been invited to participate in the NYC Veterans Day Parade,” she says. Noting the tremendous coverage this will generate, she explains, “In 2007 one of our Tails of Hope supporters in lower Manhattan asked if we could do something to honor the 9/11 dogs.” This led to a recognition ceremony during last year’s 9/11 tribute honoring the many working dog teams involved in the recovery effort.

“For the year leading up to it we did educational events and fundraisers, including co-hosting the U Penn International Working Dog Conference. The keynote speaker, Dave Kontny from the Department of Homeland Security, said he would really like us to do something to educate the youth of America about working dogs. A few moments later I met Dr. Carmen Battaglia and he said the same thing. We had a conversation then and there. It just fell into place.” Linda invited former Tails of Hope youth member Amanda Reck to create a pilot program. “I introduced her to Dave and Carmen and we had a team. Five months later, the Youth Ambassador Program (YAP™) for Working Dogs was launched.

It’s designed to get kids involved in purebred dogs, introduce them to working dog careers, and provide opportunities to learn these skills and gain experience. After students are introduced to the capabilities of working dogs and careers in this field they must gain volunteer experience and complete an independent study or group project.

“Whether we realize it or not, our lives are impacted every day by working dogs. We want kids to know about opportunities in this constantly evolving field and think beyond traditional choices.” At the most basic level, Linda adds, “I hope it will also help people become kinder to animals.”

YAP received funding from the Joan Angela D’Alessandro Memorial Foundation. “Their daughter was abducted, raped, and murdered. Ultimately a law enforcement canine led to finding the murderer and the body of their little girl. Through her foundation, Joan’s mother turned this horrible tragedy into something positive. She offered to help fund the project as a way to reach high risk youth and help to decrease violence.”

After last year’s 9/11 tribute, Linda was contacted by an agri-science teacher at the Alfred G. Waters Middle School in Middletown, DE. His students had made posters and cards for the 9/11 K9 teams, which he offered to Linda’s group. As a result, the D’Alessandro Foundation underwrote expenses for YAP to present its newly minted program at the school during Future Farmers of America Week. Almost 900 students participated in this day long event. SAR, FEMA, Army, and Delaware State Police working dog teams did demonstrations and presentations on volunteer and career opportunities in these fields. As a bonus, students were selected by lottery to work with the K9 teams. It was an unprecedented success. Two students were teamed with mentors. YAP was invited back and asked to present their unique program for other schools.

Linda admits that they weren’t prepared for this overwhelming response. “The program is so new, we don’t yet have the funding to respond.” YAP is seeking sponsors and working dog handlers to volunteer for upcoming presentations.

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=6049

Posted by admin on Sep 4 2012. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.