By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice Chair Because September is National Service Dog Month, I was prompted to write about service dogs and how they enrich the lives of their owners. Since the publication of that article in The Mountain Mail, on September 19, I have received these questions: “Are those dogs I see working with a police officer in an airport service dogs?” “My daughter loves to read to a dog who visits her school. Is Rex a service dog?” “My friend copes with her anxieties thanks to her beloved emotional support......

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By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice Chair On September 11, 2001, Michael Hingson, blind since birth, arrived to his office on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center, along with his guide dog, Roselle. Both settled into their morning routines. At 8:45 am a hijacked jetliner crashed into their North Tower, 18 floors above them. Amid the chaos, noise and smoke Roselle, his Labrador Retriever, led Hingson and 30 other workers down 78 floors, 1,463 steps – an hour long trek – reaching the sidewalk just as Tower Two was collapsing. Guided......

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By: Judy Lore, AVHS Volunteer columnist In many different ways, dogs have played an important role in our history. We’ve already discussed some famous dogs, but here is part 2 of historical dogs and how they’ve become well-known. Nipper. The model for the famous dog looking into a gramophone was Nipper, a terrier mix from Bristol, England. He was named Nipper because of his habit of biting at the ankles and legs of visitors to his home. Eventually this picture became the trademark of the RCA Records. Lassie. Lassie was played by a......

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By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice Chair “Our 5 year-old cat, Nucla, lost his twin brother, Delta. He grieved with his furry, 17 year-old friend Kalila. They yowled and cuddled. Then about one month later, Nucla lost Kalila. Nucla was unconsolable. He wanted constant attention, following me everywhere. No amount of love was enough. He yowled louder than I have ever heard. It made my aching heart ache still more.” This was the sorrow of my friends Rebecca and Clarke who along with so many other cat owners have witnessed their precious cats......

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By: Judy Lore, AVHS Volunteer columnist There are so many reasons why we can claim our pups as our best friends. Maybe it’s the way they welcome us home no matter how many times on the same day. Or they entertain us with their craziness. We certainly take enough photos of them to qualify as best friends. Let’s look at some other reasons. Entertainment – They can be so entertaining. From zoomies to snuggling up on top of you to get pets and scratches. A study conducted by BarkBox discovered that we......

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By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice Chair My friend, Rebecca, recently lost her cat, Delta, only 5 years-old. She and her husband Clarke were heart broken. So were two of their other cats, 17 year-old, Kalila and 5 year-old Nucla, Delta’s twin brother. Both cats yowled but took comfort in cuddling with each other. Then only about a month later geriatric Kalila’s health began to rapidly decline. She was not eating or drinking. Her behavior also changed. She was always a cuddler, but now she was obsessed with it, to the point of......

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By: Judy Lore, AVHS Volunteer columnist Let’s explore some of the most well-known dogs in history and in the media with a brief note about each. Togo and Balto – remembered for their hard-earned trip taking vital diphtheria vaccine serum to Nome Alaska. It was Togo, a 12-year-old Siberian Husky, who was the lead dog for most of the long journey one hundred years ago in 1925 along the now famous Iditarod Trail. Balto did the last 50 miles into Nome. Togo lived out his life in a kennel in Maine, while......

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By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice Chair In 2008, one of the world’s largest animal shelters and adoption organizations, North Shore Animal League America in Port Washington, New York, chose August 1st to be “DOGust,” the universal birthday for all shelter dogs, or as they like to call them, “Mutt-i-grees,” rescues who have no records. Shelter workers can estimate a dog’s age, but they cannot precisely determine the day a dog was born unless they are born in-care. Because no one at North Shore Animal League wanted to see a sweet dog without......

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By: Judy Hamontre, AVHS Vice Chair My name is Gracie. I used my most pleading eyes, put a paw on my mom’s lap and whimpered a bit, begging – not for food but to “speak” about a concern I have. I am sad because some dogs have now been at the Ark-Valley Humane Society (AVHS) even longer than I was. It is a good place, and everyone there was good to me and loved me. They helped me trust people again. However, living in a shelter is not like having your own......

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By: Judy Lore, AVHS Volunteer columnist Over recent decades, the relationship between people and their canine companions has undergone an extraordinary transformation. Where once dogs served primarily as hunters, herders, guardians, or working animals, today they often occupy a central place in the family home. Many households now see their dogs as family members, complete with their own birthdays, social media presences, and sometimes even wardrobes. This shift can reflect broader changes in how society values emotional well-being and companionship. Advancements in animal behavioral science have illuminated the remarkable ways dogs communicate......

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