K-9S FOR COMPASSION Dogs, owners embark on mission

Each animal undergoes a 15-minute test.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Jag passed the stuffed purple squirrel toy test with flying colors.
He also did well with the staggering, gesturing person test and remained focused in a crowd.
But the 120-pound dog had some stress and basic obedience issues.
The clincher against him was the huge drool strings that hung from his jowls when he ate a treat.
"I'm more nervous than he is," said Cathy Melick of Boardman, who owns Jag, a 6-year-old cane corso. "And he's scared. But I think he did pretty good. He's a very social dog."
Jag was among the majority of animals that failed the test to become accepted into the K-9s for Compassion program.
No one wants dog drool all over them, said Beth Fink, the evaluator who failed Jag.
Nationally, only 8 percent of animals tested for the program are accepted, said Katie Squibbs of Hubbard, president of the local K-9s for Compassion.
Those tested Saturday did better than that. About one-third passed.
Under stress
"The animals have a lot of stress making it difficult for them to pass the test, " Squibbs said. "They need to have confidence and not be too afraid or too exuberant."
Each animal undergoes a 15-minute test that includes 19 steps.
They are tested for their temperament, how well they listen to commands, their sociability and how they react to distractions, such as crowds and the squirrel toy lying on the floor.
The program has animals, mostly dogs, visit and assist ill people in St. Elizabeth Health Center and area nursing homes, as well as participate in school programs to teach kids about animal bite prevention.
The two-day testing was to conclude today from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Elizabeth.
The owners of the animals chosen to participate in the program will next have to take an eight-hour training course, Squibbs said.
They will spend at least one hour a week visiting ill people and/or working with those in need of physical rehabilitation.
"The animals work with therapists on the hospital's rehabilitation floor," Squibbs said. "A person who is trying to throw a ball is more apt to do it if there's a dog involved."
skolnick@vindy.com