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>>Can anyone tell me

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what a Golden Doodle 
might be mixed with?

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>>A Golden Retriever 
and a Poodle.

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>>That's right.

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And Riddle is what we call at 
Green Dogs a Foster Success,

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which means that he 
was our foster dog

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and then we fell 
in love with him

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and we couldn't give him up,

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which is kind of one of the 
fantastic ways to get a dog.

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>>Today we're going to 
learn about an organization

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that focuses on 
rescuing, rehabilitating

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and training animals in 
need to provide therapy

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for people in need.

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Join us as we visit 
with Erica Proctor,

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Director of Green Dogs 
Unleashed. Come on.

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(dog barking)

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>>This is how you're always 
gonna greet another dog,

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you're never gonna have 
him greeting head on,

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we're never gonna 
have them face to face

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'cause that's very threatening.

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Green Dogs is a special 
needs animal rescue.

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We rescue deaf and 
blind, mostly, dogs.

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When we rescue them we 
bring them into our program,

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put them into foster homes,

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rehabilitate them, vet 
them and place them

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with loving forever families.

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We also are a therapy 
dog organization

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and the ones that 
come into our program

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that are suitable 
candidates for it

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will then go on to 
therapy dog training

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and then they give 
back to the community.

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>>What happens to the 
dogs that are adopted

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but then it turns out 
they're not really suitable

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to be therapy dogs?

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>>So, yeah we have 
a lot of those guys.

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It takes a very 
special personality

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and the dogs that aren't 
suitable candidates

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for our therapy program become 
beloved furry family members.

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So they get adopted 
into families

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where they're just gonna live 
out their life being a happy,

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well-loved cared for dog.

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We're very careful about 
where we place our animals,

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we screen, we have an 
extensive application process,

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home study, reference 
and vet checks.

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We really keep in touch.

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By the time a family adopts 
from us they're family.

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>>Oh, I love that.

48
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Talk about first, let's talk 
about the whole rescue mission.

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Tell us Riddle's story.

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>>Riddle has bone 
spurs on his shoulder

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so he had to have a 
major surgery last summer

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and he was on house 
arrest for nine months.

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He also has limited hearing 
which is due to ear infections.

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So he does not 
hear out of one ear

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and he only has limited 
hearing out of his other ear.

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>>Wow. So when you're 
rescuing the dogs

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where do they, where 
are they coming from?

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>>They come from all over 
the country and Canada.

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So what happens is a shelter

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or private individual 
might reach out to us

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and have a deaf or blind 
or a deaf and blind dog.

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Shelters typically 
won't adopt them out

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because they take, they require 
some specialized training

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and then once they contact us

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if they are a suitable 
candidate for our program

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then we work to transport them

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from all over the country here.

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We've had basically relays 
where people volunteer

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to drive a leg and a dog might 
go through 12 or 15 handlers.

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And then they get to us.

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>>How many dogs do you 
all rescue per year?

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>>Last year we had 
about 350 come through.

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>>My little dog here is Loki.

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He is our new family member.

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He is deaf. We hope to 
train him as a therapy dog.

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He's just doing the 
basic dog training 101.

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I did lose my sister 
and I do have PTSD

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so that would be something 
that would help me

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and we already have this bond

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that I don't think is breakable.

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And other people 
just love his face.

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I mean look at him. 
He's just so cute.

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>>Dogs are such wonderful 
creatures for people.

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They help them, they 
make them feel good

85
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and that's why I 
wanted a therapy dog.

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And the training, 
we learn as people

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what to expect from 
going into nursing homes,

88
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going into hospitals, 
going into schools

89
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and the dog learns not to 
be afraid of wheel chairs,

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knocking on door, something 
that's thrown down.

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And the other thing is you 
have to teach them to leave it,

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which means that if somebody 
drops a pill on the floor

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they're not gonna grab 
it and try to eat it.

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And so there's a lot 
of training involved.

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>>So when we 
approach the elevator

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we're gonna approach it 
just like we would any door.

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We're gonna have them 
right here next to us.

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We're gonna have a treat.

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We're gonna lure them on and 
then as soon as they get in

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we're going to turn them around

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so that their tail is facing 
the back of the elevator.

102
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That way we don't 
have an accident

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with the door grabbing 
onto their tail.

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So I'm gonna demonstrate 
it with Riddle.

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We're gonna walk, walk, walk, 
walk, walk into the elevator,

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turn around and sit.

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>>Tell us what the 
dogs have to go through

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and who works with them?

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>>The process takes 
about six months

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if they've already had 
basic obedience training

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and we get to know the 
handler as well as the dog.

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At Green Dogs we feel 
very strongly that 
it's a team effort.

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So it's not just the dog 
that needs to be suitable

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to be doing therapy work, 
it's also the human being.

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And we work as a team.

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>>So give us an example,

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sometimes they're on 
the Downtown Mall.

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>>Yup, sometimes we go 
to the Downtown Mall,

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last week we went to Lowe's.

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They were kind enough 
to open up to us.

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We teach them all about noises

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and things that might 
startle them, sounds,

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carts been pushed around.

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We take them to a power 
plant, the local power plant

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where we have sirens.

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We'll take them to the rescue 
squad in Fluvanna County,

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they've opened up to us and 
they'll turn on the sirens

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for fire trucks 
and rescue trucks.

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>>So they can adjust to that.

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>>They can adjust to the noises.

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We get them involved 
with the machine

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that would be beeping if 
we go into a hospital.

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At our training facility in Troy

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we work with wheelchairs 
and crutches,

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all kinds of things, IV 
poles that might fall.

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We also teach them that 
they need a command

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in order to take 
something from somebody

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because you never know.

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When we go to an 
assisted living facility

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people try to feed them 
things they shouldn't have.

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So we do advanced 
"leave it" training.

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And we do elevator training 
and escalator training.

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We work with the sliding doors, 
the automatic sliding doors,

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we teach them how to 
appropriately get up onto a bed.

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Some of them, our 
little ones are lifted

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onto a bed so they could 
snuggle with someone

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but dogs like Riddle are 
too big for us to pick up

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so they learn to get up 
onto a bed one paw at a time

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very, very slowly so as not 
to make too much commotion

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on the bed.

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>>Talk about who they're helping

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and how they're helping them.

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>>Well, we have a number 
of different programs.

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So, some of our dogs visit 
assisted living facilities

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where they might 
visit seniors, elders,

156
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some of them visit 
the hospitals,

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some of them visit schools.

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We have a reading program 
where kids can come in

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and sign up to read to the dogs.

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>>So that's Tales 
for Tails, right?

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>>That's Tales for 
tails. That's right.

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>>"It's hard to be a verb, 
my knees start itching,

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my toes start twitching, 
my skin gets jumpy,

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others get grumpy when it 
comes to sitting still."

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>>I think she loves all of us.

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she comes by and comes 
over to everybody

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and she wants to be petted

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and cuddled and 
she just loves it.

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And I think it's good 
for the residents to that

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'cause the dog seems 
to calm them down,

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makes them feel happy inside

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and they forget about 
their troubles and stuff.

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Just for a little while, while

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Noli's here

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and it's really good for them.

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>>I think it's fantastic 
that Noli comes

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and visits everybody.

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We all love her

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and we have a lot of 
fun when she comes here.

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>>I think it's a huge 
bright spot in Noli's day

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to come here.

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She's one of five 
dogs at our house.

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So her day is spent you 
know with other dogs

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and she loves human attention

185
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and this is just the 
most undiluted pure 
attention and love.

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She just takes it all in

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>>Somebody can have the 
worst day of their life

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and they smile 
when they see him.

189
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When we go into some of 
the memory care units

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it brings back memories,

191
00:08:38,518 --> 00:08:40,319
somebody could just 
be sitting there

192
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and all of a sudden 
they come alive

193
00:08:42,522 --> 00:08:44,590
and they may start 
talking about a dog

194
00:08:44,590 --> 00:08:48,027
that they had in the past 
where they don't talk normally

195
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so it's very rewarding to 
see the change in people

196
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and he loves it too.

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As soon as I get his 
backpack and his vest out

198
00:08:56,903 --> 00:09:00,873
he's like, "where are we 
going? I'm ready let's go."

199
00:09:00,873 --> 00:09:03,910
>>I always say that Riddle 
has to be a therapy dog

200
00:09:03,910 --> 00:09:06,379
because there's no way we 
could give him enough attention

201
00:09:06,379 --> 00:09:07,613
on our own.

202
00:09:07,613 --> 00:09:09,415
We have a saying that says,

203
00:09:09,415 --> 00:09:12,785
"a therapy dog is not made, 
a therapy dog is born."

204
00:09:12,785 --> 00:09:14,754
And it's a special personality

205
00:09:14,754 --> 00:09:17,623
that you can see 
usually from puppyhood;

206
00:09:17,623 --> 00:09:20,192
just a desire to really 
be close to people

207
00:09:20,192 --> 00:09:21,527
but not so over the top

208
00:09:21,527 --> 00:09:23,195
that they'd clear 
off a coffee table

209
00:09:23,195 --> 00:09:25,565
when they walk into the room.

210
00:09:25,565 --> 00:09:29,569
The people that we visit 
benefit tremendously.

211
00:09:29,569 --> 00:09:33,406
We also have a veterans program,

212
00:09:33,406 --> 00:09:36,709
our wounded warrior program 
where they visit veterans.

213
00:09:36,709 --> 00:09:39,278
And we also have started 
training with veterans

214
00:09:39,278 --> 00:09:43,416
with their own dogs to 
offer some therapy services.

215
00:09:43,416 --> 00:09:45,918
It's not the same 
as a service dog

216
00:09:45,918 --> 00:09:48,321
but they do offer some comfort;

217
00:09:48,321 --> 00:09:50,523
appropriate enough 
to help the veteran

218
00:09:50,523 --> 00:09:54,560
that they live with to 
lead a more fulfilled life.

219
00:09:54,560 --> 00:09:58,664
>>Completely separate you also 
have a transporting program.

220
00:09:58,664 --> 00:09:59,865
Tell us a little about that.

221
00:09:59,865 --> 00:10:03,035
>>So, we are small 
rescue and we recognize

222
00:10:03,035 --> 00:10:05,204
that we can't help 
as many animals

223
00:10:05,204 --> 00:10:07,673
through our program as 
we really would love to.

224
00:10:07,673 --> 00:10:11,110
So what we've done 
is we go to local,

225
00:10:11,110 --> 00:10:14,113
and sometimes not so local, 
but mostly local shelters,

226
00:10:14,113 --> 00:10:17,516
and we pull dogs that 
pass behavior evaluations,

227
00:10:17,516 --> 00:10:20,987
and get vetted and send 
them to other rescues.

228
00:10:20,987 --> 00:10:23,956
So we facilitate all 
of the logistics.

229
00:10:23,956 --> 00:10:25,558
And we have a van.

230
00:10:25,558 --> 00:10:28,694
And they all come 
to our facility in 
Troy on transport day

231
00:10:28,694 --> 00:10:32,798
and get loaded into the van 
and get taken to the rescues.

232
00:10:32,798 --> 00:10:36,035
And the majority of 
them have an average

233
00:10:36,035 --> 00:10:37,570
of seven day turnaround.

234
00:10:37,570 --> 00:10:40,539
So dogs that have been in 
shelters here for a year

235
00:10:40,539 --> 00:10:43,843
or two years, in one case 
three and a half years,

236
00:10:43,843 --> 00:10:45,645
have been adopted in three days.

237
00:10:45,645 --> 00:10:47,913
>>No so why is that?

238
00:10:47,913 --> 00:10:50,783
>>I think it's sometimes it's 
a matter of changing audience.

239
00:10:50,783 --> 00:10:52,585
Sometimes they sit in a shelter

240
00:10:52,585 --> 00:10:54,553
and people might be 
coming in and looking

241
00:10:54,553 --> 00:10:57,189
and just not seeing them.

242
00:10:57,189 --> 00:10:59,392
They also can get 
depressed in shelters

243
00:10:59,392 --> 00:11:01,594
so when they're sitting 
in a run for a while

244
00:11:02,928 --> 00:11:05,097
they have no desire anymore 
to come to the front

245
00:11:05,097 --> 00:11:06,565
and wag their tail.

246
00:11:06,565 --> 00:11:09,335
But another big reason, 
we send a lot of hounds

247
00:11:09,335 --> 00:11:13,472
and a lot of beagles to rescues 
in New Jersey and New York.

248
00:11:13,472 --> 00:11:17,843
And hounds and 
beagles are fantastic, 
fantastic family pets.

249
00:11:17,843 --> 00:11:21,647
And here I think a lot of 
them are used for hunting,

250
00:11:21,647 --> 00:11:23,182
as hunting tools.

251
00:11:23,182 --> 00:11:25,184
And when they stop hunting 
then they're given up.

252
00:11:25,184 --> 00:11:28,421
And all they wanna do is 
retire to be somebody's lap dog

253
00:11:28,421 --> 00:11:31,624
and house dog and beagles 
do fantastic in apartments.

254
00:11:31,624 --> 00:11:35,094
So the smaller spaces are 
looking for the smaller dogs

255
00:11:35,094 --> 00:11:38,330
and they go up and 
people line up and wait

256
00:11:38,330 --> 00:11:39,965
for our transports 
to get up there

257
00:11:39,965 --> 00:11:41,200
and the dogs go 
home the next day.

258
00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:44,537
>>Oh, see that is so 
great. That is so great.

259
00:11:44,537 --> 00:11:47,206
All right, so if people wanna 
get involved and either help

260
00:11:47,206 --> 00:11:51,343
or become a handler or adopt 
an animal what do they do?

261
00:11:51,343 --> 00:11:53,612
>>So, the best way to 
get in touch with us

262
00:11:53,612 --> 00:11:56,916
is to go on our website 
or on our Facebook page.

263
00:11:56,916 --> 00:11:59,819
The website is 
greendogsunleashed.com

264
00:11:59,819 --> 00:12:01,987
and it's Green Dogs 
Unleashed on FaceBook.

265
00:12:01,987 --> 00:12:04,657
And we're always looking 
for more volunteers,

266
00:12:04,657 --> 00:12:05,891
we're always looking 
for more people

267
00:12:05,891 --> 00:12:08,661
that have a dog the 
might be suitable

268
00:12:08,661 --> 00:12:11,931
because we always have need 
and we don't have enough,

269
00:12:11,931 --> 00:12:14,233
we never can have enough 
dogs to fill that need.

270
00:12:14,233 --> 00:12:17,636
so we'd love it. We'd love for 
more volunteers to come out.

271
00:12:17,636 --> 00:12:20,573
Here we go good job and Noli.

272
00:12:20,573 --> 00:12:23,676
(instrumental music)