dogs

A nose for flows

sbradford — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 19:32:24 +0000

A nose for flows

May 1, 2025

A dog’s sense of smell is thousands of times more sensitive than that of a human being. So-called cadaver dogs, for example (working dogs trained to detect human remains), can even locate a drowned victim whose body is still underwater. They do it by scenting the gases produced by the decomposing body, which rise to the surface.

Keena is a different type of water dog, among the first anywhere in her line of work. The 5-year-old Belgian Malinois (pronounced MAL-in-wah) has been trained to detect underground water leaks — specifically, she smells the chlorine found in public water supplies and can detect as little as a half of one part per million. She and her owner/handler, Zach Lohr, work for Del-Co Water Company, a member-owned water cooperative serving 130,000 residents in eight central Ohio counties.

“The first water-detection dog in the U.S. began working in Arkansas several years ago,” said Lohr. “That K-9 program proved so successful, and now there are a dozen or more such dogs scattered throughout the country.”

Before beginning work at Del-Co, Keena and Lohr underwent an intensive 12-week training program developed by Storm Dog Tactical in Sunbury. According to Lohr, the most popular breed of working dog in America has been changing in recent years, from the German shepherd to the Belgian Malinois. He believes that the Malinois is the perfect package because of its drive, trainability, and retention of training knowledge.

“But where the Malinois really outshines the shepherd is in their years of work longevity,” Lohr says. “For example, Keena weighs a lean 64 pounds and is expected to have a working lifespan of 8 to 10 years. Being a much heavier dog, a German shepherd’s realistic working life could be significantly shorter due to health issues.”

Lohr describes Keena as intense and always wanting to work — which is typical of the breed. “Her favorite time of day is morning, because she knows we’re soon going to look for water leaks,” Lohr said. “She’ll gobble her breakfast, then immediately go sit by the front door to wait for me.”

Keena is trained to “indicate,” meaning to show Lohr where she detects the odor of chlorine, simply by stopping her movement.

“She is so active, naturally always in motion, that when she lies down, sits, or simply stops and looks up at me, essentially she’s saying, ‘It’s here, Boss, right under my nose!’” Lohr then calls in the repair crews.

During her first two years of service, Keena has saved Del-Co untold thousands of dollars in labor costs that used to ring up when repairmen sometimes had to spend countless hours searching for the precise location of a leak in a transmission line to know where to dig. Individual homeowners, Del-Co customers, have benefited, too.

“Keena has identified more than 50 water leaks on private property, which our customers really appreciate, because it saves them money,” Lohr said. “One customer even dubbed Keena ‘the million-dollar dog.’ Keena and I have also assisted a few other municipal water companies in Ohio. I see our job as not just locating leaks, but conserving water.”

Lohr is also one of four licensed drone pilots for Del-Co who search for underground leaks from the air using infrared/thermal technology.

Though he admits his job at times is fun, for him it has a much deeper meaning.

“I’m a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and I lost three close buddies in Afghanistan who were all K-9 handlers,” he says. “When I got out of the Marine Corps, I wanted to continue what my friends had been doing as a way to honor and remember them. As a result, service-dog work has since become my passion. I love it — and Keena seems to as well.”

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dogs

Delaware

Hero dogs

aspecht — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 14:14:40 +0000

Hero dogs

January 26, 2021

Margaret Buranen

Features

Golden retrievers are beautiful and affectionate dogs. They’re great with children and get along with other dogs and, usually, cats. Those characteristics make them among the most popular dog breeds. Sadly, more than half of them develop cancer, which is in fact the leading cause of death in all dogs age 2 and older.
That’s why, in 2012, the Morris Animal Foundation launched one of the largest, longest-running animal-health studies in history. The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study (GRLS) enrolled 3,044 dogs to be followed for their entire lives.

The researchers’ aim is to discover nutritional, environmental, and other risk factors for cancer and other major health problems in all dogs. The owners and their veterinarians collect health and behavior information on every dog for the researchers.

In Ohio, 102 golden retrievers were enrolled in the study. Among them is Montana, now 9, who lives in Oberlin with his owners, Kim and Scott Faulks, members of Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative.

Montana was a full brother to Ryder, the Faulks’ first golden retriever. “Ryder gave us three wonderful years,” says Kim Faulk. “He was never upset or angry, always loving and trusting.”

The Faulks were devastated when Ryder died of cancer at only 3 years old. Ryder is the reason that Montana is a “Hero,” which is what GRLS participants are called.

“We thought it was a great idea to enroll his full brother in the study,” Faulk says. “We wanted to see if we could get some answers.”
The Faulks’ third golden retriever, Spenser, was a GRLS Hero, too. Sadly, Spenser (named for the Spenser: For Hire mystery series) also died of cancer about a year ago.

“Spenser was a joy,” Faulk recalls. “He had the cutest puppy face until the day he died.”

“We’ve lost two retrievers to this horrible thing,” she says. “My husband and I — and Montana — are giving back, and that’s all we can do.”

Besides Montana and their golden retriever puppy, Jake, the Faulks have three cats: LuWeeze, Inky, and Rambo, who, incidentally, all adore Montana.

The GRLS dogs’ owners must keep detailed records about the dogs’ diet, behavior, sleeping habits, and more. They fill out an annual questionnaire that Faulk says takes two to three hours to complete.

“They want to know about chemicals you use at home, whether or not you put chemicals on your lawn, and other environmental information,” she says.

The owners’ other major commitment is to make sure the dogs get needed medical care and a thorough annual physical from a veterinarian, who also contributes to the study. The Faulks’ animals are cared for by Dr. John Douds of Douds Veterinary Hospital in Oberlin, where Faulk works as a pet groomer.

“I really feel like it’s a privilege as a private practitioner to be able to make a significant difference in the future health of our pets,” Douds says. “I wasn’t able to go into research after graduation, so at least this may help make up for a part of that.”

Since the GRLS began, Douds has cared for four golden retrievers, owned by three different clients. Two of the dogs succumbed to cancer.

Douds says the participating veterinarians submit multiple samples of hair, nails, urine, and blood. There is an extensive questionnaire to fill out online after every visit, and many owners find it easier to leave their dog at the office for part of the day, since the process takes a while.

“The study requests seem to change a little from year to year as the scientists keep learning new facts,” he says.

Douds describes the GRLS as “the first large-scale prospective study of dogs.” Instead of looking at past records to try to find answers (a retrospective study), this 3,000-dog investigation follows the health of the very young all the way through their end-of-life changes.

Douds adds, “Goldens are prone to many types of cancer and are an ideal breed to monitor, because of their size and temperament. Although cancer is the prime target, some very smart people working with the information we send may be able to uncover the genetics and risk factors for many other illnesses in multiple canine breeds.”

Faulk is grateful for the GRLS. “Too many people are losing precious pets to cancer,” she says.

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dogs

pets

Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative

Training K-9

aspecht — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 14:46:37 +0000

Training K-9

July 27, 2020

Margie Wuebker

Co-op People

Al Gill believes well-trained German shepherds can mean the difference between life and death in many law enforcement situations.

As the owner of Von der Haus Gill German Shepherds and Police K-9 Academy near Wapakoneta in rural Auglaize County, he is committed to making sure the dogs and their two-legged handlers are prepared for whatever might happen on the job.

Gill, who formerly served as a K-9 officer with the Wapakoneta Police Department and later the Auglaize County Sheriff’s Office, started his business in 1992. He moved to the current 20-acre site, where the business is a member of Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative, five years later.

The property is now home to a world-class training facility as well as housing units for male and female officers who come from across the country to participate in academy classes. There is also a kennel that can accommodate 60 adult dogs as part of the business’ breeding operation.

Gill travels to Europe five or six times a year, working with a longtime associate to acquire high-quality dogs — primarily from Germany and occasionally from the Czech Republic. He evaluates each animal on such factors as overall health, temperament, confidence, social skills, and the desire to work and please. More than 3,000 dogs have been brought to Von der Haus Gill (House of Gill) over the course of nearly 30 years.

“We want the best dogs possible, whether they’re destined to become K-9 units or family companions,” he says. “This is no hobby. We are a working, breeding, training facility 24/7.”

Academy training commences after a dog marks its first birthday. Handlers and their department dogs spend six weeks bonding and learning to work as a team. Twelve- to 14-hour days are the rule rather than the exception. Obedience comes first and then tracking, before moving on to more complex tasks. All commands are given in German and for good reason: Not only are the dogs accustomed to the words, but bystanders are not likely to understand the meaning.

Early on, police dogs were bred for a single purpose, such as tracking, officer protection, or patrol duty, according to Gill, who is one of three master trainers on staff. Nowadays, departments want dogs capable of serving multiple purposes: narcotics detection, explosives detection, patrol, personal protection, and search and rescue.

A dog trained to detect narcotics represents an investment of around $12,000, while one adept at locating explosives is closer to $15,000. Agencies face a grand total ranging from $50,000 to $70,000 when other factors like special cruisers, safety equipment, and insurance are included.

Training never ends for the dogs or their handlers, with maintenance work taking place every two weeks to keep skills fine-tuned. A K-9 unit earns retirement status around the age of 10, with the likelihood of spending its golden years at the home of the officer it diligently protected.

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dogs

law enforcement

Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative

Ohio's Iditarod connection

hgraffice — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 17:45:49 +0000

Ohio's Iditarod connection

February 22, 2016

Wayne Stephens

Features

The relatively mild winter this year in Ohio would hardly make a person think about dog sledding. Yet Ohio does have a connection with the famed Iditarod sled dog race, held annually during March in Alaska. The Iditarod race is named for the Iditarod trail that was originally used for getting mail and supplies to the interior of Alaska and bringing out gold, which was being mined by prospectors trying to make their fortune.

The original trail went from Seward to various places in the interior and covered some of the most beautiful terrain in Alaska. The Iditarod race is 1,000 miles of that same type of terrain, but with some of the worst weather and trail conditions anyone could imagine, including blizzards, extreme cold, water and ice hazards — and even marauding moose! How is this connected to Ohio?

In January 1925, there was a diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska. Serum for diphtheria was available in Seattle, Washington, but the only airplanes anywhere close were disabled by mechanical and weather problems. Since the serum couldn’t be flown, it was first moved by railroad to Nenana, Alaska. There, the first of a group of dog sleds in relay set out for Nome with the serum.

On February 2, 1925, Norwegian musher Gunnar Kaasen drove his team, led by a dog named Balto, into Nome. Balto was a six-year-old black and white Siberian husky with white “socks, bib and muzzle,” named after the explorer Samuel Balto. The serum was delivered and the population saved. Balto had proven to be invaluable on the Iditarod trail, saving the team in the Topok River and leading them relentlessly in blizzard and whiteout conditions. Most of their leg on the relay was during darkness. Balto and the team were actually supposed to do the next-to-last leg of the relay. But when Kaasen, Balto and the team arrived to make the handoff, the receiving team and the musher were sound asleep. Kaasen made a decision to go onward to Nome.

Balto and Kaasen became celebrities and a statue depicting Balto was erected later that same year in December in New York’s Central Park. The inscription reads: “Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed antitoxin 600 miles over rough ice, treacherous waters, through Arctic blizzards from Nenana, to the relief of stricken Nome in the winter of 1925.”

But things went downhill for the dogs. Balto and the team were sold by a private company that had sponsored their touring. Kaasen, the musher, was not the owner. Balto and the team ended up in a novelty museum in Los Angeles.

A Cleveland businessman saw Balto and the other dogs and noticed that they were in poor health and being kept in deplorable conditions. Working with the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper, the businessman —George Kimble — purchased the dogs and brought them triumphantly to Cleveland in March 1927. The team received a hero’s welcome and a parade. The dogs’ new home was the Brookside Zoo, now the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The dogs lived there in comfort the rest of their days. Balto died on March 13, 1933, at the age of 14. His remains were immortalized by a taxidermist. Balto’s body is still located in Ohio and can be seen at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

In 1998, the State of Alaska tried to get Balto returned, even going so far as passing a resolution to that effect. He was not returned, although he was lent to the Anchorage Museum of History for five months. Balto has further been recognized as the main character of the animated film Balto, in which actor Kevin Bacon provided the dog’s voice.

Balto was a hero to a generation of people. He wasn’t the only dog in a race against time and dangerous conditions, but he was, perhaps, the most important. He is certainly the most famous.

Wayne Stephens of Wooster is a member of Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative.

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dogs

Ohio history

Waging war on fleas

hgraffice — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 13:52:41 +0000

Waging war on fleas

July 29, 2016

Karen Kirsch

Features

War must be waged against these formidable enemies — the sooner, the better, considering that one mating female can potentially produce about 20,000 more fleas in just sixty days. These tiny tormentors can attack your pampered pet just as readily as a rescue at a crowded shelter. Fleas can’t be ignored, because they won’t go away on their own and, left uncontrolled, can seriously jeopardize your pet’s well-being.

Thriving in hot, humid conditions, fleas find that summer presents an ideal environment, but these pests can also infest a home year-round. Getting rid of them is labor-intensive and can be expensive, but doing nothing isn’t an option.

Fleas bite the host animal, feed on its blood, and reproduce quickly. Black pepper-like specks on the animal are feces. White salt-like specs indicate eggs. Scratching and chewing are common symptoms of your pet’s agonizing discomfort, which is a reaction to flea saliva. Flea bites can cause anemia or dermatitis that may become infected, while ingested fleas can transmit tapeworms. Severe infestations can even become life threatening.

Countless products exist to fight fleas, but it takes more than popping a pill, squirting a topical, or snapping on a collar. Remember, this is war, so consider your vet the general. He or she will recommend a course of treatment and appropriate preparations for your pet, which should be taken seriously.

Discount store products that claim to be “just like…” or “comparable to…” vet-recommended treatments are not the same. While some may work, some can actually be dangerous. Many contain pyrethroids like permethrin, which is extremely toxic to cats.

Another note — never use products intended for dogs on cats! Spot-on flea treatments for dogs often contain permethrin and can actually kill cats. If you want a tool that works for both, a metal flea comb is cheap and effective on dogs and cats, so use it daily.

Cleanliness matters, too. Your vacuum cleaner is undeniably the most valuable weapon in your arsenal. Meticulous vacuuming collects adult fleas, eggs, and pupa, which can survive for months, so start sweeping and don’t ignore furniture and hard surfaces. Seal the collected debris in a plastic bag, and remove it from the home immediately. Launder all pet bedding frequently, and dry it on the hottest setting.

You can even bug bomb the area to be extra safe. Flea bombs contain insect growth regulators, which prevent fleas from developing to maturity. They’re effective, but people and pets must not be in the immediate area when these are used.

Some natural solutions include dusting carpets with borax powder and leaving it for several days before vacuuming, sprinkling the entire home with table salt or diatomaceous earth, planting mints and lemon grass, and even setting out a shallow plate of sudsy water with a candle in the center to attract fleas who will hop in and drown.

The war against fleas won’t be easily won, so choose your weapons judiciously. Your pets are counting on you.

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dogs

Campus canines

hgraffice — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 19:51:05 +0000

Campus canines

October 27, 2017

Damaine Vonada

Co-op People

Graduation Day, as it is for most who walk the stage to receive their diplomas, was a proud one for Matt Sutton last year.

Not only was he receiving his engineering degree from Ohio Northern University, but he also was able to showcase a program that has become part of his legacy at the Ada school.

Walking alongside him — and displaying her best puppy manners — was Primrose, a collie Sutton was raising for Polar Paws, a campus organization he had co-founded only a few years before. He was so proud of both the puppy and the program that he had placed a graduation cap on the dog’s head and led her across the stage; she made the walk like a pro.

Laying the groundwork

Sutton had set his sights on attending Ohio Northern when he was in seventh grade, after he toured the university with his older brother, Scott, who also studied civil engineering there. “ONU has a gorgeous campus, and it’s surrounded by corn fields,” he says. “Because I grew up on a farm, it felt like home.”

The fact that Ada was reminiscent of home also was important to Matt’s father, Harold Sutton, who still runs the farm where his family has raised cattle since the early 1900s. Following in both his father’s and mother’s footsteps, Harold Sutton is on the board of trustees at Carrollton-based Carroll Electric Cooperative, and, in fact, has been the board’s president since 2005.

With such close ties to his electric cooperative and its principles that include concern for his community, the younger Sutton started looking for ways to put his passions to work for a good cause, almost as soon as he got to Ohio Northern. That was when he and some of his like-minded, animal-loving friends founded Polar Paws.

Filling a need

Polar Paws is a group of ONU volunteers who foster puppies for the 4 Paws for Ability University Program. 4 Paws for Ability is a Xenia-based nonprofit that provides trained service dogs to children with disabilities and to veterans who have lost their hearing or use of their limbs. By donating their time to raise service puppies, university students make 4 Paws dogs more affordable for recipients.

Currently, Polar Paws has 34 members who serve either as puppy raisers or puppy sitters, according to Polar Paws adviser Sharyn Zembower, an ONU instructional designer.

As service dogs in training, the pups accompany their handlers everywhere, including class and campus events — such as graduation. At ONU, they’re even allowed to live in the dorms. “Under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), the puppies can go anywhere,” Sutton says. “They have equal access rights like humans.”

Lasting impression

Polar Paws students train about nine dogs every school year, according to Zembower, and the program has supplied 4 Paws with more than 30 trained service dogs since its inception.

Now employed as a transportation engineer in the Indianapolis area, Matt Sutton still keeps tabs on Polar Paws, and he is helping the group plan an on-campus service dog park. When he attended ONU’s homecoming last September, he brought along his new pet black Labrador, Daisy, that he’s schooling in keeping with Polar Paws’ curriculum. “I got Daisy because of a black Lab named Ziggy I trained for Polar Paws,” he says. “Ziggy was the best dog I ever had, and after fostering him, I had to have my own black Lab.”

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health

dogs

Beagles and cottontails

hgraffice — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 19:49:13 +0000

Beagles and cottontails

October 27, 2017

W.H. Chip Gross

Woods, Waters & Wildlife

For some 25 years, I raised beagles for hunting cottontail rabbits. Reluctantly, I gave it up about a decade ago when my oldest dog died. What I miss most about the sport is the sound of the chase.

Hunters call it hound music.

My longtime friend and fellow outdoors writer Mike Tontimonia is another who knows the sound well. A member of Carroll Electric Cooperative in eastern Ohio, Tontimonia estimates he’s owned 150 beagles during his lifetime — both hunters and field-trialers — with as many as 20 dogs in his kennel at any one time.

“There aren’t as many of us as there used to be,” Tontimonia says, referring to the number of rabbit hunters using dogs today. “Raising and training beagles takes a serious time commitment, and that’s a commodity Americans don’t seem to have much of these days, including most hunters.”

Tontimonia has been hunting with beagles so long, he doesn’t even care to take along a shotgun anymore. Instead, he prefers letting others of his hunting party do the shooting. “I just enjoy watching and hearing the dogs work,” he says.

Hunting conditions couldn’t have been better that mid-January morning last winter when I joined Mike and a few of his friends for a hunt. The temperature was just above freezing, with no wind, and the ground was moist — excellent scenting conditions for the dogs. Hot, dry, and windy conditions of early fall cause scents to dissipate too quickly.

Entering a woody briar patch, we didn’t have to wait long before one of four beagles (we had Brooke, Daisy, Gabby, and Ike with us) crossed a fresh rabbit track and opened up in a long, drawn-out howl. The other three dogs soon joined in, and the first chase of the day was on, as the beagles filled the woods with their excited yipping and barking.

Cottontails in quality habitat live their entire lives within about a quarter-mile section of land. They know that parcel intimately, and seldom venture out of it, since all their needs — food, water, and shelter — can be found within that parcel. That explains why, when a beagle strikes a hot rabbit track, it’s the wise hunter who stays put. He knows that if the rabbit doesn’t dive into a hole during the chase, it will eventually circle back to the original jump point, offering a shot.

Tontimonia and his hunting buddies make good use of the rabbits they take, turning them into “hare soup,” a hearty stew with vegetables. “It’s an ugly-sounding name, but the soup’s delicious,” Tontimonia says.

Wildlife biologists in Ohio say that even given a daily bag limit of four rabbits per hunter (which is seldom achieved) and a generous annual hunting season of four months (early November through the end of February), there is no concern of overharvest, because cottontails reproduce like…well, like rabbits; they have up to five litters per year.

When a hunting dog grows old and dies, it takes a little of a hunter’s heart with it. Years ago, when one of my beagles would die, I’d solemnly slip off its collar and bury the dog in a small woodlot on our property, marking the grave with a few large stones. Today, I can still make out the circle of graves from the house, but only when the leaves are off the trees; only when November gets that certain look — and it’s once again time to hunt.

Do hunting dogs go to heaven? If so — and assuming I make it there myself — I should have quite a pack of excellent beagle hounds awaiting me. Look me up. We’ll find a log, sit for a while, and listen to the dogs run.

The 2017 Ohio cottontail rabbit hunting season opens November 3.

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wildlife

hunting

dogs

Dog-friendly destinations

hgraffice — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 14:25:48 +0000

Dog-friendly destinations

June 5, 2018

Jamie Rhein

Features

Ohio is generally a dog-friendly state — more than a third (36.6 percent) of the state’s households include a canine resident — and research tells us that nearly two-thirds of dog owners consider their pup to be a member of the family. So when summer travel beckons, it’s nice to know where your tail-wagging pal can come along for the ride.

The great outdoors

Ohio’s 56 state parks are a dog-friendly gold mine of miles of trails and pristine waterways, with diverse vistas from the rugged beauty of southeastern Ohio’s mountains to Lake Erie’s shoreline. From woods to wetlands, there’s much to explore with a canine companion.

When Kathy McQuate of Whitehall headed to Deer Creek with her family for a weeklong getaway, Hoagie, their German shepherd, vacationed right along with them. “Our cabin was right by the water,” she says. “Every morning, he barreled through the trees to the lake.”

Deer Creek is one of several parks with a dog beach and dog-friendly cabins, and every park has campsites where dogs can settle in. At the lodges at Deer Creek, Punderson, and Salt Fork, dogs are allowed to stay in some guest rooms for a nominal fee.

Over the years, Malabar Farm — where the top of Mt. Jeez offers a stunning view of the farm and surrounding hills — has been Columbus poet Charlene Fix’s go-to place for dog-walking adventures. Three generations of dogs have made the trip with her. She also loves the Kokosing Gap Trail on a former Pennsylvania Railroad line between Danville and Mt. Vernon.

Add some structure

For ranger-led events where dogs and dog folks mingle, head to Howl at the Moon, Happy-Tails-n-Trails, and Walk and Wolf through the Columbus Metro Parks system. These evening programs at Highbanks, Glacier Ridge, and Sharon Woods pair hikes with nature know-how. Dogs are welcome on dog-friendly trails throughout the park system.

In the Dayton area, Five Rivers MetroParks offer the nation’s largest paved trail network of more than 300 miles to explore. The mix of waterfalls, gardens, prairies, and forests are dog-friendly destinations. Last year, Cox Arboretum became dog-friendlier after Zipp, the park’s worker dog, retired. With Zipp no longer around to keep the geese away, visiting dogs (with their owners) do the job instead.

More adventures

For dog travel with a river view, hit the Hocking River on a Hocking Hills Adventures canoe trip. “Dogs are family,” says owner Shane Barbini. The 5-mile Crockett’s Run gives dogs plenty of time to get out and swim.

At Captains Baseball Stadium in Eastlake, where the Lake County Captains play, enjoy a night of baseball with your best friend. “Bark in the Park nights are our favorite games of the season,” says Brent Pozzi, social media manager. A portion of all dog tickets sold is donated to the Lake County and Geauga County Humane Societies. Dog-friendly activities and promotions go on throughout the game.

In Marietta, the Lafayette Hotel, with a history steeped in Ohio’s sternwheeler days, welcomes dogs as favored guests. At check-in, dogs are given a treat from a dog treat jar. The $50 pet fee is returned if there isn’t any damage to the room.

If you go

Keeping dogs on a leash is a requirement at all places mentioned here.
To go to dog-friendly places, your dog must also be dog- and people-friendly.
When canoeing, consider a life jacket for your dog for safety. Also, put a towel or a mat in the canoe bottom to help your dog keep its footing.

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Dogs' best friend

sean.walker — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 19:50:02 +0000

Dogs' best friend

January 3, 2020

Margaret Buranen

Features

On 28 Mondays a year, Greg Mahle climbs into his semitractor-trailer in Zanesville and heads south on a mission through Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi to give formerly homeless dogs the loving homes they deserve.

One of his first stops on the weeklong, 4,200-mile journey is Shaggy Dog Rescue in Houston, where he finds dogs waiting for him that have been saved from overcrowded shelters across the Lone Star State.

Mahle gets the dogs into kennels, which are then secured — three shelves high — along the walls of his custom-built, air-conditioned trailer. Though they don’t realize it, the dogs have taken their first step toward much better lives, thanks to Rescue Road Trips, the nonprofit organization Mahle founded.

From Houston, Mahle and his relief driver travel to shelters and veterinary clinics in Louisiana and Mississippi to pick up more dogs. Mahle says that a typical run carries “80 to 100 dogs and sometimes a few cats.”

All of the dogs are healthy and attractive. Labs, assorted terriers, German shepherds, Chihuahuas, beagles and other hounds, and mixed-breeds large and small all get quick goodbye hugs from shelter volunteers or foster parents who have cared for them, and Mahle continues on his way.

He drives the dogs to Connecticut and other northern states, where adoptive families or foster parents will be waiting for all of them.

On Thursday evening of mission week, the big white truck — emblazoned with “Rescue Road Trips Saving Lives Four Paws at a Time” on its sides — stops near Birmingham, Alabama, where volunteers are waiting to ease the stress of the long journey with a walk and cuddle for each dog. They get another walk, treats, and attention from more volunteers on Friday evening in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

From both stops, volunteers post photos of the dogs on the Rescue Road Trips Facebook page. Social media lets the dogs’ former caretakers in the South see how the dogs are doing on the trip, while giving a sneak peek to the people who will foster or adopt them in the North.

The dogs are never left unattended. Mahle and his relief driver take turns sleeping — Mahle sleeps in back with the dogs. Finally, on Saturday morning, the truck rolls in to Rocky Hill, Connecticut, for “Gotcha Day,” which is livestreamed on Facebook. People shed happy tears as Mahle announces each dog’s name to the waiting crowd and Facebook viewers all over the country. Kids grin and hold “welcome home” signs they’ve made for their new dogs.

“I get most of the glory and recognition, but it’s not just me,” Mahle says. “Adella [his wife] is every bit as invested as I am. So are Debbie [his mother-in-law] and the office staff and the volunteers. Rescue is a big chain with the final link being the adopter. We all have to pull together to get this dog to its forever home.”

Mahle started transporting rescued dogs from southern states to the North in 2005, when he received a distress call from his sister. She operates Labs4Rescue in Connecticut, a group of volunteers who foster Labrador retrievers until carefully screened families adopt them.

When the group’s driver couldn’t finish a trip, Mahle stepped in to drive the van full of Labs the rest of their way. He began driving more often and eventually started transporting dogs for other rescue organizations, too.

For Mahle, the most difficult part of each trip is “the grueling labor. I leave on Monday and don’t get home until Sunday. Walking dogs, taking care of them, lifting them in and out of kennels, loading supplies — it’s hard work.”

That’s balanced, though, by the best part of his long week: “the thousand dog kisses I get on every trip,” he says. “Just getting to put my hands on the dogs, to feel their love. You build attachments. They have feelings for me, and I have feelings for them.”

The days between trips are busy, too. Cleaning and sanitizing the trailer, booking dogs from various rescue groups, and paying endless bills (salaries, license fees, supplies, truck maintenance and fuel, etc.) takes a lot of time.

Mahle says that despite the thousands of dogs he and other groups have transported from overcrowded southern shelters to loving homes in the North, the problem of homeless dogs isn’t decreasing and “won’t be solved in my lifetime.” Because that’s too overwhelming to think about, Mahle explains, “I focus on the small victories, not the large problem. I think about how rescues are making a tremendous difference to the individual dogs.”

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dogs

pets

Zanesville