Caring-Compassion-And Concern-The Human-Animal Bond

Caring-Concern-Compassion

The Human-Animal Bond

Carrying the Torch

DH DeForge, VMD 19January2014

A Biography of the Father of the Human-Animal Bond- Dr.Leo K. Bustad

A Stanwood, WA native, Leo K. Bustad was born January 10, 1920. He earned a bachelor's degree in Agriculture (1941), a master's degree in animal nutrition (1948), and a DVM (1949), all from WSU.

He received a PhD in physiology in 1960 from the University of Washington School of Medicine, where earlier he completed a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Science Foundation.  As dean from 1973-83, Bustad is credited with rebuilding the veterinary program from one on provisional accreditation status to one of the most respected in the country. In 1985, the $11.3 million Veterinary Science Building was dedicated in his honor.

Also in 1985, Bustad received the WSU Regents' Distinguished Alumnus Award - the 20th alumnus to be recognized with the university's highest honor.  Bustad spent a majority of his adult life devoted to work on the human-animal bond and became known as a pioneer in human-animal bond theory and application.

Under the leadership of Michael McCulloch, MD, William McCulloch, DVM, and others, the Delta Foundation was established in 1977 in Portland, Oregon. In 1979, Bustad and Linda Hines founded the People-Pet Partnership at WSU, the first university-based community service program on the human-animal bond. They joined forces with the McCullochs, and in 1981 the Delta Foundation became the Delta Society, headquartered at WSU.

Bustad was named first Chair of this now international nonprofit association, which at its onset focused much energy on work to understand the quality of the relationship between pet owners, pets, and care givers (hence the "delta" name based on this triangle).

In addition to serving as Chair of Delta Society from 1980 to 1990, Bustad authored two books: Animals, Aging and the Aged, 1980; and Compassion: Our Last Great Hope, 1990. He co-authored Learning and Living Together: Building the Human-Animal Bond. an elementary school curriculum.  He also was author or co-author of more than 200 articles and reports, many of which focused on the human-animal bond. His work in the field of human-animal interactions resulted in the creation of many programs nationally and internationally that bring people and pets together.

Comments from Dr. DeForge:

I never met Dr. Bustad but I read all that he wrote and consider him a mentor.  Is it possible to be speaking about a man born in 1920-----94 years ago----- and still be amazed and excited about what he left behind.  Our society is "I" centered and most people would not care about the Delta Society or People-Pet-Partnerships.  I do and I am blessed to know many others who cherish either knowing or emulating his excellent work within the Human-Animal Bond.

In the next few months, I am going to recognize leaders in the Human-Animal Bond and tell their stories within the words of this blog.  We can continue to honor Dr. Bustad by helping those who cherish the Human-Animal-Bond or discover a way to construct our own contribution.

This month we will look at Canine Angels and The Human-Animal-Bond!

See Inclusions below from the Canine Angels Website:

Free service dogs for disabled veterans

Our nonprofit rescues dogs from shelters and trains them to become service dogs – accomplished assistance animals that can perform dozens of tasks – for disabled American veterans and first responders. President and founder Rick Kaplan donates all his time and dog training expertise. That’s at least 60 hours during a slow week, if you don’t count round-the-clock dog training.

Founded in 2011, Canine Angels has already teamed more than a dozen veterans with service dogs that are helping them reclaim their independence. Our veterans have experienced relief from PTSD, night terrors, fear of crowds, irritability and anger. They are able to rejoin family activities again, with a little help from their Canine Angels.

The military coin shown here was presented to Rick by a grateful veteran whose Canine Angel, Tomo, has helped ease his PTSD symptoms. As Rick will tell you, freedom is not free. The sacrifices of our military men and women have made every privilege and choice we enjoy possible. It’s a debt we can never fully repay, but Canine Angels intends to help every dog and every veteran we possibly can.

Rick Kaplan relaxes Diamond, a service dog in training.

Photo by Jan Igoe

Fully trained service dogs are valued around $20,000. But our Angels are free to eligible veterans and first responders. They’re all heroes in our book.

Their mission was to keep us free. Ours is to give them the freedom to enjoy life again.

On behalf of all our dogs and veterans, thank you for your support!

Canine Angels founder Rick Kaplan relaxes with his pack of service dogs.

Can I get a dog if I’m not a veteran?

Yes. You are welcome and encouraged to apply. However, our charitable mission is providing free service dogs to veterans and first responders, as we have promised our supporters. We have placed several dogs with non-veterans who have paid for the training privately or through insurance. Please contact Rick@CanineAngelsServiceDogs.org for more information.

Are my donations tax-deductible?  

Yes. Canine Angels is a 501(c)3 public charity registered with the state of South Carolina. You can donate through our website (you don’t need your own PayPal account), or by check. Every contribution, no matter how small helps us. You can also hire Rick to train your dog. All private lesson fees go directly to Canine Angels and are tax deductible. Receipts are provided.

I’m a disabled veteran, but my injuries are not combat-related. Does that count?

Absolutely. All veterans are eligible to apply, regardless of where, when and how they sustained physical or psychological injury. We have placed service dogs with veterans from WWII to the War on Terror (OEF and OIF) . They range in age from 22 to 97.

Can you train my dog to be a service dog?

Yes, in many cases. To determine whether your pet has what it takes, we will give the dog a comprehensive 2-hour evaluation for a $200 donation. If we determine that you and the dog have potential as a united working team, we will guide you through the application process.  

Can you help veterans outside the Carolinas?

Presently, we serve disabled veterans on the Grand Strand, from Georgetown, SC, to Wilmington, NC. That’s about an hour drive from our home base in North Myrtle Beach in either direction. Funding and geography are limitations, since our veterans and their dogs receive continuous training after placement for as long as needed. When possible, we make an effort to accommodate veterans from beyond our area when they can travel to us for ongoing training and support.

Will Canine Angels do a presentation for my organization?

Gladly. We’re always happy to visit church groups, schools and organizations. Donations are always welcome, but there is no charge. That’s part of our community service. Please contact us atInfo@CanineAngelsServiceDogs.org to arrange a date. 

 What breeds make the best service dogs?  

In a perfect world, we would breed Labs, Golden Retreivers and Shepherds, which are known for their ability to learn, work and perform tasks. But Canine Angels doesn’t breed dogs; we rescue them. We don’t discount any breed or mix, except for some giant breeds whose life span is too short to make service work viable. Pedigree or mix, big or small, we assess the dog’s temperament, health, and willingness to learn, work and obey.

Are females easier to train than males? 

No. Success as a service or therapy dog has zero to do with gender.   

Can you train a puppy?

We prefer to start training dogs for service work at about 1 year old. Canine Angels has made exceptions for some extraordinary pups we discovered in bad situations, but that’s not the norm. Since we don’t have the luxury of breeding dogs for our purposes, we make faster progress with dogs that are past the unfocused puppy phase.

Which dogs are not candidates?

We look for animals that are heartworm negative and have complete medical records. We do not train dogs that display any hint of aggression. But we do work with dogs that been unjustly labeled, only because humans have failed to understand their signals, needs and triggers. Some behaviors are easily fixed, while others are deal breakers. The hardest truth we’ve faced is that we can’t save every dog.

Commentary by Dr. DeForge continued:

Dr. Leo Buscaglia writes: "Don't waste your precious time asking, "Why isn't the world a better place......it will only be time wasted."  The question to ask is......"How can I make it better?"  To that there is an answer.

Rick Kaplan, the Founder of Canine Angels, along with his group of volunteers is doing just that.  Helping one veteran and first-responder at a time. He brings them hope, happiness, and a willingness to continue after suffering physically and mentally.  Leo Bustad lives inside of Rick Kaplan. Rick knows about the suffering of the veteran/first-responder and has implemented an action center to help our veteran heroes through the Human-Animal Bond.  Rick's Canine Angels are beacons of hope and vehicles of giving.  These canine companions provide unconditional love.  

Stop and think about that for a moment.  How many examples of unconditional love did you run across this past week.  Listen to the news each night....for every positive report there are 1000 negative reports about killings, rape, robbery, suicide, bullyism, and hate.

This is my blog challenge to you starting today.  After you finish your professional time and "fun" time with the family sit down and go to this website.  http://www.canineangelsservicedogs.org

Find out about Canine Angels and then consider a donation to a group who gives selflessly of themselves to help our veterans.  If Dr. Bustad were in this room with me today, I know that he would say Canine Angels is a new look at the Peopl-Pet -Partnership/Delta Society that I was blessed to create with my friends.  He would call Rick Kaplan and congratulate him and he would make other calls to help this organization so it will never cease to function. Whether it be Leo Bustad, Don DeForge, or Rick Kaplan......we are all finite.  The Human-Animal-Bond has no ending as long as there are individuals who care to support People-Pet-Partnerships around the world.  Make a donation today to Canine Angels....do it for all who believe in the importance of The Human-Animal Bond.

Dr. Don DeForge

http://www.AnimalDocAmMultiMedia.blogspot.com

Address questions and comments to DoctorDeForge@yahoo.com

19Jan2014