Furs-day Feature #1

Furs-Day Feature!

Welcome the first edition of my new blog feature, Furs-day Feature.  Since, I like to read books about dogs, I decided to do talk about them in a separate blog post on Thursdays.  There will not be a Furs-day Feature every week, but hopefully at least once a month.

 

My first post will be piggy backed with Barb @ BookerT’sFarm’s They Call It Puppy Love Reading Challenge!

BARB OVER AT BOOKER T’S FARM IS HOSTING A FUN LITTLE CHALLENGE FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY.

Here are the rules.

• Make a sign up post and link it to Barb’s sign-up post.
• Read at least one book which: has a dog (or cat) on the cover or features a dog (or cat) in it.
• Do a wrap up post at the end of February with links to your review(s).
• At the end of the month, she will put all the participants in a bowl and Booker T will pick a lucky winner.  That person will receive a $10.00 gift certificate to Amazon or Book Depository.
• The challenge is open to anyone! So let’s have fun!

 

I find books about service dogs so fascinating not just because of the dedication it takes for the training of the dogs and their handlers but how smart and hard working the dogs themselves are.  Hours and hours of training goes into making a successful service dog team. This book is about the author, Wilma and her vision of starting a canine search and rescue organization. Back in 1995, when the bombing of Oklahoma City, OK happened, Wilma was shocked at the lack of dog search and rescue teams available to search for survivors in the rubble. She made a vow, at 61 years old, to start an organization and train 168 dog/handler teams, one for each victim of the Oklahoma City bombing.  

The books details how Wilma chose her dogs, trainers, and handlers.  I loved how she chose dogs from shelters. One was even an hour away from being euthanized.  If a dog didn’t work out for training, she vowed that it would never see another shelter in its life.   

It was amazing to read how these dogs can use their noses and ears to find survivors of natural disasters and terrorist attacks.  The first event was the attack on the World Trade Center. Several of her dog teams went to search for survivors in an unimaginable amount of rubble and destruction.   Other sad events are featured as well such as Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti. It is always heart-warming to read how these dogs that give it their all are still able to provide comfort in times of need.  Here is an example from 9/11.

“The NYFD firefighter approached her.  His face was powdered black with soot and striped with lines of sweat.  He asked Debra if he could bet her dog. Debra said of course. Without another word, the firefighter slumped down next to Abby (the dog), buried his face in her black fur, and wept.  Young Abby sat with the firefighter, wagging her tail and happy to sit as long as needed. After a while the firefighter raised his head and composed himself. To completely get over what he was going through would take a lifetime, but he did look a little better.  ‘That’s exactly what I needed’, he said and returned to work.”

I was inspired by the author, who at 61 years old started something new and so worthwhile.  The book introduces us to many wonderful dogs and takes us through their training which was so interesting.  I hope people read this book and realize how important dogs are to our society, even ones that are getting second and third chances from shelters.  If you love dogs or are curious how service dogs are trained, then I highly recommend you read this book.