Chief with Jade by new Ambulance Cot.

Jade went to a Lenten Vesper Service and a Sunday Service.

We sit back pew, have treats for Jade.

Jade has excellent behavior, lays down by edge of pew, only gets up for a treat.

When service is over, people stop and interact with Jade, older and younger people.

Tonight Jade goes to Athens Area Fire & Ambulance Commission Meeting.

Yes, Jade knows if any of the members have dogs, she sniffs the members shoes.

Never ever did the above with my other 4 dogs, not even with my King.

But Jade seems different. She likes to interact with the little kids at schooland people at Church.

Maybe because I never thought of any of the above for King.

Or maybe because Jade is a female German Shepherd.

Jade brings great joy to my life and also to others who interact with her on a regular basis.

Tom Treweek and Marilyn K Bhend

They did birthday celebration at trinity school for Jade 1st birthday

A brilliant dog can be trained to do anything. Klaus, owned by Steve Mitchell.

She is also set to work the Ellsworth and Osceola libraries.

Owned by Chuck and Lori Dove.

Mahtomedi Therapy Dog Needs Own Therapy

Vince Deschene hopes Kaiser can keep helping

Kara Owens

MAHTOMEDI, Minn. - Kaiser is not your typical 9-year-old German Shepherd. After his owner, Vince Deschene, retired, he trained Kaiser to become a therapy dog.

"When he was a puppy we noticed there was something very unique about his temperament," Deschene said. "He was extra friendly, he loved people, was good with kids."

For the past seven year, Kaiser has been touching lives at hospital and clinics around the Twin Cities. Deschene said his German Shepherd has a way with patients -- something medicine can't do.

"W when a 105-pound German Shepherd came in, everything changed," Deschene said. "And within two or three minutes the patient was smiling. I've seen blood pressure lowered actually on a machine when a dog comes in and then they start petting the dog."

With each hug or pat on the head, Kaiser also creates a special bond with those he meets.

"Ii've seen people that could hardly talk and than six, seven months later I see them walking down the hall calling not for me, they're calling for Kaiser," Deschene.

But about a year ago, Kaiser needed medical help of his own. Deschene noticed he was limping out of patient rooms, due to a torn ligament in the back of his left knee.

Kaiser takes anti-inflammatory pain killers, but can't walk like he used to. While the medicine helps, Kaiser need surgery and extensive rehab.

Surgery alone costs $3,000 -- something Deschene can't pay for on his own. He's hoping someone can help his dog, because without it, Kaiser won't be able to help more people.

"I don't know what there gonna do at these hospitals and places we go," Deschene said. "He'll probably still be at home, but if I had to roll up the carpet and not go anymore -- it's gonna be a sad day. I mean, everybody's gonna miss him."

Kaiser was something special in the world of canines. He lived to be 12yrs. old and had at least another 3 years of trauma-wear and tear which I figure put him around 15. He has left quite a canine legacy behind:

Kaiser out lived every other dog that he started with at every hospital that we visit regularly.

He was known for his endurance and desire to please. Many times when we visited with other dogs and they had become stessed out, Kaiser would get up right away at the chance to keep visiting. I can't forget the time this was most prominent. Unknown to anyone, he had a ruptured spleen and it only had 1" of skin keeping it attached to his system. He was still getting up in chairs at Bethesda so people could rub his chest.

Many people over the years have commented on how Kaiser helped them overcome their fears of large dogs especially Germans as he was so unique and would push right up to someone to get petted.

He loved people so much that not once did he ever bark at person who came to the door. He viewed them as
"look, here's another person to come and pet me".

Who could forget the 10yr. old girl who walked Kaiser to the operating room to get her broken arm fixed.
Or the family that just had a stillborn baby and when the 100# German Shepherd walked into the room and put his chin on the woman's leg, in minutes they went from tears to taking pictures with their cell phones.

And the people on hospice who smiled on their beds as Kaiser put his chin on the mattress for them to pet him.

And the patients who had their pictures with Kaiser on the hospital room bulletin boards.

Kaiser started the Therapy Dog Reading program at the Odessey Charter School.

Also in closing, for those of you who get this email and are not Pet Therapists, let me briefly try to explain why we take the passing of our dogs so hard. Let's take the best, most lovable family pet dog that you ever had. Maybe you went camping with them and they slept in the tent with you. Maybe you could even sense that they would risk their life to try and protect you if a bear came into camp. Maybe they slept on your child's bed when they were very sick or brought a smile on someone's face who was depressed one time. Now, literally multiply that by hundreds of situations over a period of many years. It's even completely unique from Assistance Dogs or Police Dogs. If you can picture and feel that I little, you can begin to see why Therapy Dogs are so beloved and missed when they must pass on.

Vince Deschene.

"Augie was one of the most dedicated, loyal and hardest working k-9’s I’ve ever worked with. I’m counting the days until I can get another puppy from Jerland Kennels."
Tom Couch

NEWS RELEASE

The Houston County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to announce that Lt. Tracie Erickson and K-9 partner Virgil took 1st Place Overall during the United States Police Canine Association Region 21, Regional Dog Trials, held August 25-27, 2008. Our canine team also took first place in the Head to Head and Team Competitions. There were over 40 K-9 teams participating.

Lt. Erickson and Virgil placed first in most all portions of the trials. Their overall score was 690.5 out of 700 possible points. The next place team was 10 points behind. For perspective, a K-9 team must have over 490 point to be certified and over 590 points to qualify for the National Dog Trials.

Sheriff Ely states “Lt. Erickson if very dedicated to the K-9 program. His 1st Place finish is a direct result of the dedication and attention to detail that he places in the K-9 program. All residents of Houston County should be proud of his efforts”.

The Houston County K-9 program is run at no cost to the citizens of Houston County and is supported through generous donations. The K-9 team is a great asset to have available and has proven time and again its value.

K-9 Unit

Officer Hintz has been selected as the next Canine Handler for the Tomah Police Department.  He will be attending a four-week school in North Carolina, where he will train with a newly acquired Police Dog.  Upon returning to Tomah, they will replace Sergeant Weaver and his
K-9 partner Sierra after a great 9 years of Service.

The Tomah Police Department Canine Unit is a partnership between Sgt. Chris Weaver and his partner, K-9 Sierra. Sgt. Weaver has been with the Department since December 1997 and raised Sierra from a puppy. K-9 Sierra is a male black and tan color German Sheppard dog and joined the Department in June of 2000. Sgt. Weaver and K-9 Sierra completed Basic Patrol Dog School at the Ramsey County, MN Sheriff's Office Regional K-9 Training Center in St. Paul, MN. Sgt. Weaver and K-9 Sierra attended training together for 12 weeks. By investing this amount of time Sgt. Weaver was able to gain the necessary skills to provide on going training, testing and evaluation of the Canine Unit.

Dear Teresa,

We have a 4 year old male German Shephard who is unneutered. He is the gentlest dog. He weighs about 100 lbs. Whenever he meets other dogs he always wags his tail, and if he can get near them, covers them with licks. He has made friends with a variety of other dogs in our neighborhood. I think the most important thing in getting a German Shephard is where you get the dog. We bought ours from a breeder in Wis. who breeds for intelligence, temperament, and appearance. You may pay a little more, but what value can you put on peace of mind? Our dog's brother is owned by a woman who was out jogging one day. When she got home the dog greeted her at the door but growled when she tried to enter her house. He did the same thing at the back door. When this had gone on for a while, she finally called the police. When the animal control officer arrived, he said, "This dog is trying to tell you something." The policeman entered the home and the dog shot upstairs. There, hiding in a closet, was an intruder. The dog had been protecting her from an assailant. A quality dog is worth every penny. Our breeder has a website. See www.jerland.com.
Good luck puppy hunting,
Rudy

Hello, my name is Meagan Hairston. My family has bought many of your dogs including our favorite Jerland's Fritz.He got killed saving my baby cousin from a rattle snake.
He killed the snake but it killed him.
I thank you for supplying us with such wonderful creatures.

Meagan Hairston

Just wanted to let you know about our dog Heidi, that we purchased from you in Dec of 1997, she was my Christmas gift from my husband. You know us well as we have had 3 of your dogs and have been so happy with each one.
Heidi has been the family dog and has been so good with our 3 children. Wherever Heidi was the boys are, never had problems finding the kids. But I have to tell you story about her. My second son Sebastian has has some trouble learning to read and is being tested for a learning disability. We read daily at home and Seb tries so very hard, progress is coming but slow. He would become so frustrated as would I, it was a chore every night as his brothers were all done with their homework and there sat poor Seb with his early reader. I read an article of children having difficutly with reading who read to dogs and the success they had, but the writer of the article noted that one has to have a certain type of dog that is patient and willing to sit as the child reads. I realized that we own this special type of dog and she is my Heidi as she was always so patient. We have taken her to school on other occasions for show and tell and other things but I never had a child read to her before. Now this is the routine. Seb lies next to Heidi and reads her stories daily. She lays patiently and doesn't correct his mistakes which builds his confidence and he loves it. It makes his reading a lot more fun and then he is willing to read to his mom, who has to correct his mistakes, but then he goes back to Heidi reads the story again and corrects his mistakes. He is making progress in school and reading doesn't hurt so much anymore. Much more pleasant homework experience at the Volm home.

I spoke with the special education teacher at the school and we will be setting dates to bring in Heidi to the classroom for other children to benefit from "Reading to Heidi".

How I love this dog!!!!

Thankyou, Merry Christmas to you and the family.
Johanna Volm.