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Caring Hands Humane Society in Newton has taken in a new service dog to be trained as a “therapy dog.”
Her name is Onyx, and she’s an American Pit Bull Terrier, a little over a year old, said Jack Brand of Caring Hands, and she will be the first new in-house, shelter-owned, active service dog that the Humane Society has had in two years.
“She’s extremely social, as most Pit Bulls are,” said Brand. “Their outgoing nature and high confidence makes them good therapy dogs.”
Onyx came to the shelter as a stray, and was tracked through an identification microchip through three different former homes around the region, but none of those homes were able to continue to take care of her — so she was eventually adopted as a “house dog” by Caring Hands.
Training her to become a therapy dog won’t be easy, however.
“Everyone here at the shelter has taken some part in training her,” said Lori Smith, kennel manager and the shelter’s training and behavioral consultant. “She already knows at least 10 commands now, if not more.”
Onyx will go through specialized training, consisting of three separate, intensive training sessions before she takes a certification test. The primary goal of the shelter is to help Onyx become a “companion dog,” a type of therapy dog which will visit children in schools, and visit the elderly, hospital patients, or those who cannot have pets of their own.
“She’s already had her first experiences being around a lot of kids,” said Smith, citing some visits the shelter has already taken Onyx out on. “She wasn’t bothered by them at all. She’s very friendly.”
Caring Hands has not had an active therapy dog since the retirement of Sylvester, a Cairn Terrier, who is now in his late teens. Lucy, a Doberman Pinscher, was their other service dog. She died in 2008.
Brand says he is enthusiastic about Onyx taking the reigns of the new therapy dog position because Pit Bulls have always been his favorite breed.
“We want to increase exposure of the good personality of Pit Bull Terriers,” Brand said. “So often the media has portrayed them as vicious, and they’re not. The breed is extremely sensitive, empathic and intelligent.”
Onyx is not alone as a new pet adopted by the shelter, however. They’ve also adopted a new cat, who they call Libby.
Onyx is the star of the show and she knows it, happily standing on her back legs and hanging on the edge of the reception counter to see any new people who come into the shelter to visit or adopt one of the many cats and dogs who call Caring Hands home for the time being.
“We have really high hopes that she’ll be able to do a lot of good,” Brand said.
For more information, call Caring Hands at (316) 283-0839 or visit www.caringhandshs.org.
SEE MORE PHOTOS THIS EVENING IN THE KANSAN'S ONLINE PHOTO GALLERY.
Caring Hands Humane Society in Newton has taken in a new service dog to be trained as a “therapy dog.”
Her name is Onyx, and she’s an American Pit Bull Terrier, a little over a year old, said Jack Brand of Caring Hands, and she will be the first new in-house, shelter-owned, active service dog that the Humane Society has had in two years.
“She’s extremely social, as most Pit Bulls are,” said Brand. “Their outgoing nature and high confidence makes them good therapy dogs.”
Onyx came to the shelter as a stray, and was tracked through an identification microchip through three different former homes around the region, but none of those homes were able to continue to take care of her — so she was eventually adopted as a “house dog” by Caring Hands.
Training her to become a therapy dog won’t be easy, however.
“Everyone here at the shelter has taken some part in training her,” said Lori Smith, kennel manager and the shelter’s training and behavioral consultant. “She already knows at least 10 commands now, if not more.”
Onyx will go through specialized training, consisting of three separate, intensive training sessions before she takes a certification test. The primary goal of the shelter is to help Onyx become a “companion dog,” a type of therapy dog which will visit children in schools, and visit the elderly, hospital patients, or those who cannot have pets of their own.
“She’s already had her first experiences being around a lot of kids,” said Smith, citing some visits the shelter has already taken Onyx out on. “She wasn’t bothered by them at all. She’s very friendly.”
Caring Hands has not had an active therapy dog since the retirement of Sylvester, a Cairn Terrier, who is now in his late teens. Lucy, a Doberman Pinscher, was their other service dog. She died in 2008.
Brand says he is enthusiastic about Onyx taking the reigns of the new therapy dog position because Pit Bulls have always been his favorite breed.
“We want to increase exposure of the good personality of Pit Bull Terriers,” Brand said. “So often the media has portrayed them as vicious, and they’re not. The breed is extremely sensitive, empathic and intelligent.”
Onyx is not alone as a new pet adopted by the shelter, however. They’ve also adopted a new cat, who they call Libby.
Onyx is the star of the show and she knows it, happily standing on her back legs and hanging on the edge of the reception counter to see any new people who come into the shelter to visit or adopt one of the many cats and dogs who call Caring Hands home for the time being.
“We have really high hopes that she’ll be able to do a lot of good,” Brand said.
For more information, call Caring Hands at (316) 283-0839 or visit www.caringhandshs.org.
SEE MORE PHOTOS THIS EVENING IN THE KANSAN'S ONLINE PHOTO GALLERY.
