At Your Service: Stories of Canine Caring and Compassion

By Charmaine Gordon

Therapy dogs, comfort dogs, rescue dogs, companions, search and rescue, and trained canines never forget their mission to help those in need of emotional support. They (and their humans) are there to share a story, a smile, help a struggling child read or interact socially, brighten the day for someone in physical rehabilitation, or cuddle patiently with someone who has endured trauma. 

Charmaine Gordon, Vanilla Heart Publishing author, has generously donated her novella, Young at Heart, as part of this book. Young at Heart features Kizzy, an adorable member of Hudson Valley Paws for a Cause, as Kizzy charms his way into their lives  to create something special between two mature lovers.

Part of the Publisher's proceeds from each sale will go directly to Hudson Valley Paws for a Cause to give back just a little of what these animals and their humans give each time they go on a 'mission.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vanilla Heart Publishing
• Release date: Nov 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781540136923

Book preview

Note from Charmaine

I’m writing this to you after a long stint a rehab hospital after a bad fall. I was there for seven weeks hoping to get well, return to my husband and to my life in general. My dear friend, Judy Audevard, contacted many friends and therapy dogs to visit and so they did.

One day, a German Shepherd named Jessie trotted into my room with her owner Pat, a dog trainer. It didn’t take long to fall in love and soon Jessie moved in close to express her affection. What a glorious moment –that. Old memories swamped this woman. There is indeed, something so special about a dog. Thank you for listening to our stories.

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About the Paws Program

Judy Audevard

The foundation of the Paws program started in 2011. A few of us had been asked by officials at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY to help soldiers who had PTSD. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) We started with six therapy dogs teams. A team is a trained handler and a registered therapy dog. We had no idea about the path we were to take, but we knew it would be exciting, challenging and rewarding.

We met with soldiers weekly on the porch outside their barracks. Our dogs became a vehicle for communication. We were there to listen and never be judgmental.  They felt comfortable talking to us and frankly told stories we were not prepared to hear. The soldiers had stories of combat, love and their struggle to reenter into society. We continued our visits and got to know individual soldiers­­. It was a special time for everyone. Honestly, the soldiers never asked for our names. But for sure, they knew each dog’s name.

Soon, we became familiar faces on the grounds of West Point. While that was happening, our Paws membership started to increase, we began to have more and more requests for visits to nursing homes, schools, libraries and local veterans’ hospitals.

A requirement for Paws teams to work at West Point has been that we become members of the American Red Cross. This has broadened the scope of our program and ability to provide our services.

Because of our involvement at West Point, we were required to be part of the American Red Cross. That alone, has put our group into a special category that not many pet therapy groups share.

Due to this association, over the next few years we will be embarking on new ventures. We plan to receive special training for Emergency Disaster Services. As our membership is increasing, our plan is to have qualified teams deploy when an event takes place.

We have had the honor of receiving both individual and group outstanding achievement awards from West Point and the American Red Cross. Our most prestigious award has been the Commanders Award. The Commanders Award for Public Service is the fourth highest honor the United States Department of the Army can bestow upon a civilian.  Personally, I received the President’s Volunteer Service Award. This award was established to honor volunteers who give hundreds of hours per year helping others through the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. ​ When we began at West Point, we never had any thought of receiving awards. We do what we do because we enjoy sharing our dogs.

We will never forget our mission to help those in need of emotional support. We are there to share a story, a smile, or to help a struggling child read or interact socially. We share the unconditional love and solace that our dogs give us every day with anyone in need.

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The Great Things Dogs Do

Charmaine Gordon

You may wonder what’s the big deal about therapy dogs. Here’s the news. They go to class to learn how to work with kids, soldiers at West Point, elderly homes to cheer what we will be in the future. When the work is finished , the dog receives a certificate. Folks, this is something to be proud of and the real work begins. It’s a commitment for the owner and dog. They spend time every week helping others. The group I’m most familiar with is Paws for a Cause. I learned about them through my good friend Judy Audevard and when she learned I fell– by the way, that’s not a smart thing to do, her associates and dogs came trotting in. The joy it brought me is immeasurable. So when you see one of the dogs or two with their owners, appreciate what they do for your community.

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Where the Story Begins

Charmaine Gordon

It all began on 9/11. Didn’t everything? My good friends, Bob and Judy Audevard, drove down to the World Trade Center during that awful time. There they found a line of therapy dogs eager to help in ways they have been trained. Small or big, long floppy ears or short little pointed ears, it didn’t matter, the dogs and their trainers were there to work.

On the way home, the Audevards discussed the situation. They, being super good people, needed to help and the first thing was, they had to have a dog. Off they went to a Bijon breeder to get started. There in the corner of a pen was a lonely little pup not playing with the other dogs; not eager to engage possible buyers. Not this pup with no potential. One look between Judy and the dog and it was love and need. Bob called it Kismet. Thus the name Kizzy came to be. Quivering on her lap all the way home, Judy patted the small dog. He needed comfort and at night he needed more comfort. A pattern began and then the small dog explored the comfortable home to find that upstairs, a grandmother recovering from a stroke. A job was born. Kizzy hopped up, snuggled under Gran’s chin. Gran’s hand, not used for a while, began to work, to pet the curly white dog with the big black eyes. I featured Kizzy in my novel Now What? after I had fallen in love with the sweet bundle of fur.

Judy learned from that. This pooch could be trained to be a therapy dog. He could and would be taught to give children the courage to read. After many months of training, Kizzy received his certificate and there was no stopping him. Judy helped form a group called Paws for a Cause that extended to schools, needy children, cadets and wounded warrior with PTSD.

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Kizzy

Judy Audevard

This is a different kind of story–our first assignment as a therapy team. Kind of scary from my point of view. As for Kizzy, she was merely a young pup on an adventure. We were to go to the Children’s Psychiatric Hospital in Rockland, not your friendly happy place. You see, it’s a lock down facility where children up to the age of eighteen are housed because sadly, there is no place for them in the outside world. We drove up there, my little dog and I, with work to do, work both of us have been trained to do. The evening