Pet Therapy Society of Northern Alberta

The Heroes Awards recognizes special acts of caring and this young lady is a wonderful example of this.

An animal lover, Lauren vanKuppeveld has often cared for animals while their owners were on vacation. This past summer Lauren was caring for Bubba, a 10 year old rabbit. With her mother’s assistance, Lauren dutifully administered oral medication twice daily for Bubba’s bladder infection. Three days after the prescription was finished, Bubba’s health began to deteriorate. Refusing to eat, making wheezing sounds and losing movement in her front legs, Bubba was taken to the emergency clinic.

At the clinic, the veterinarian determined that Bubba had reproductive cancer and recommended that she be euthanized. Lauren bravely made the decision on behalf of the owners. Lauren rocked, sang, kissed and cooed Bubba as she held her in her arms for the last time. It was a very emotional and difficult evening, filled with tears of love and loss.

When Bubba’s owners returned from their vacation, they expressed their gratitude for the brave way Lauren handled the difficult decision to euthanize Bubba and for the care and love Lauren provided to her.

When most of us think of a dog protecting his master, we picture a big dog like a German Shepherd or Rottweiller. Although this canine hero is much smaller, he has a big heart, the heart of a hero.

McDuff and his owner, Marion Coolen, live on the ground floor of a seniors’ residence. A window had been left open in the vacant suite above them and went unnoticed. With temperatures dropping below zero on this December night, the pipes froze, burst and a large quantity of scalding water filled the room.

When the floor buckled under the weight of gallons of extremely hot water, the ceiling in Marion’s living room collapsed and the water spilled into her suite.

Marion was in the bedroom sleeping soundly, unaware of the dangerous situation. Fortunately, McDuff reacted quickly and his persistent barking awakened Marion and they escaped before further damage was done.

Needless to say, Marion feels she owes her life to McDuff’s devotion.

While James Sheen was working on the oil rigs up north in a deserted area, he noticed a scruffy and unkept stray that shied away from human contact. A few days later, the camp was to move on. Although James had assumed the dog belonged to one of the crew, it became apparent that he had been deserted in the middle of nowhere. Unable to leave him behind to fend for himself, James called his family and explained the situation. Although daughters, Chelsea and Carly, had wanted a puppy, they were sad for the dog their father had found deserted and warmed to the idea of providing a home for the stray. However, the dog was less sure about the arrangements and James spent a considerable amount of time with the dog to get him into the truck for the journey to his new home.

Upon his arrival, the family realized that rescuing this dog and adding him to the family would be a challenge, requiring a lot of patience and love from all of them to get the dog to trust people. The dog needed a name and it was decided that he would be called Chinook, named after the oil company at the site where James found him.

Chinook appeared to have been abused in the past and his trust in the family was slow to develop. Even when the family wanted to give him affection, they had to sit down on the floor and put their hand out very slowly to pet him or he would cower.

After a few weeks, Judy took him to a veterinarian where they vet diagnosed Chinook with eye infections and bladder problems; at that time the vet also estimated Chinook’s age to be ten to twelve years old.

A few months passed before Chinook really felt part of the family and actually accepted that he was loved and cared for by such wonderful people. Today Chinook is definitely a family dog. He loves to run behind the tractor at the acreage when someone is cutting the grass, gets a little playful from time to time and actually enjoys some gentle roughhousing. He loves belly rubs from the girls and doggy treats. He has lots of room to roam on the acreage but doesn’t stray from home.

The purpose of this award is to recognize exceptional service on the part of a pet therapy team who have been actively involved in pet visits. This service is to be characterized by the qualities exemplified by the late John Brown and his canine partners, Charlie and Molly. Long service and perseverance in the face of personal challenges or difficulties are the principal qualities honored by this award.

Sally Bishop and Sierra joined the Pet Therapy Society in 1996 and were involved in nearly every program we presented. Their pet therapy career spanned ten years and they touched the lives of many.

Whether it was working with teens with high risk behaviour or lonely seniors, they offered compassionate companionship. Regardless of an individual’s condition or state of mind, Sally and Sierra made them feel special and cared for.

Every resident at the Allen Gray Care Centre recognized Sierra and sometimes even Sally. Their visits were also appreciated by staff who needed a smile or laugh. Dedicated to their residents at the Allen Gray Care Centre, Sally and Sierra made a special trip to say “Good-bye” when it was Sierra’s time.

Judy Winter and her Papillon, Peanut joined the Pet Therapy Society in 1996 and were involved in nearly every program we presented. They began their pet therapy career at St. Joseph’s Auxiliary Hospital visiting seniors and long term care residents. Judy and Peanut were generous with their time and were willing to be involved in a variety of programs. They were always up to every challenge, from disabled adults or curious second graders.

They were welcomed participants at PAWS In the Classroom activities at Britannia Junior High School and Mount Carmel Elementary School and pioneered our PAWS For A Story program at St. Matthews School as well as the introduction of the program at the Edmonton Public Library. Peanut was the poster-dog for this program

Despite being diagnosed with cancer in 2005, Peanut continued to share her special gifts with young readers in the PAWS For A Story program until her health forced her to retire.

Sometimes we’re fortunate enough to meet a remarkable animal that does something beyond the normal expectation for a companion animal or we witness a special act of devotion or caring between an animal and a person. Like the person finding a dog by the side of the road, a victim of a thoughtless hit and run, who not only stops to see if the animal is okay but also accepts the emotional and financial responsibility of getting the animal treated by a veterinarian. Like the old farm dog who adopts an orphan baby goat as her own. Like the senior citizen who never misses putting out feed for the birds in the nearby park regardless of the weather. These may not be "Heroes" in the life-and-death sense of the word, but they are definitely heroes deserving recognition in the eyes of the Pet Therapy Society of Northern Alberta. These heroes may be your friends, people next door in your neighbourhood or people you work with.

The Pet Therapy Society of Northern Alberta is now accepting nominations for its 10th annual Heroes Award. You are invited to nominate a deserving person or animal in Northern Alberta by sending us the details:

Or sent by FAX to 780-440-3341. All nominations must be received by August 31, 2006 for consideration.

All nominations will be reviewed by a Committee; each will be acknowledged by a Certificate of Recognition and the selected "Heroes" will be honoured at the Annual Heroes Dinner hosted by the Pet Therapy Society of Northern Alberta to be held October 21, 2006.