‘There is a need’: Local non-profit gets funding to continue training service dogs

Jamie Billings is a professional service dog trainer with Meliora, and says the funding will go a long way in matching services dogs in the community.

“It’s great because now we have the ability to get more training aids,” says Billings. “If there’s someone that can’t afford a dog, we can go purchase one for them and start training that dog. It’s just going to help more people that need it.”

Billings says many participants in the program bring their own dog. The dog has to meet breed and age requirements, as well as have a vet report showing it is healthy. If those standards are met, Meliora does a series of tests to determine if the dog is the right fit to be a service dog.

Billings says it takes roughly two years of training for the dog to be ready for certification.

A test Meliora can now administer after being certified by the provincial government.

“Our test has every day drills in it,” explains Billings. “For example, in the cafeteria, a change room, a store, a washroom. If they pass that test… they’re automatically accredited with the Alberta government standard.”

Prior to Meliora’s arrival in southeastern Alberta, people who needed services dogs would have to travel to Calgary or Edmonton for a professional trainer.

“We have 27 dog teams now,” says Billings. “So it really showed me the need for dogs in the area.There is a need.”

The dogs being trained by Meliora support people ranging in age from eight to 70, and help people deal with issues like post tramatic stress disorder (PTSD), austism spectrum disorder (ASD), and diabetes.

Kristine Russell is training a 14-month old golden doodle, Griffey, to support her eight-year-old daughter, Ellie, who has a lengthy medical history and an autism diagnosis.

Griffey is being trained to comfort and ground Ellie during medical procedures and trips to the Alberta Children’s Hospital, and will notify her parents when she has breathing issues or seizures at night.

Russell says having access to service dog training so close to home has made supporting her daughter that much easier.

“It’s life changing,” says Russel. “Because the training and certification is so often in Calgary or Edmonton. For a family with a child that has medical PTSD, any sort of new environment is triggering for her.”

Griffey is also helping Ellie adjust to, and participate in, activities like birthday parties and class field trips.

“It’s been a slow process getting her used to coming somewhere that’s unknown for her,” says Russel. “Having the dog here is just really life changing.”

Kim Dirk is a Type 1 Diabetic and got her dog, Vesta, last summer. Vesta is trained in diabetic alert which Dirk says is essential since she is starting to lose the ability to feel her lows.

“I’m not scared to go to sleep anymore,” says Dirk. “She will wake me when my blood sugar is low.”

Service dogs trained in diabetic alert can recognize certain smells produced by a person experience hyper- or hypo-glycemia.

Dirk says having Vesta makes her feel calm and Vesta has started to learn how to pick things up that Dirk drops, since she has lost feeling in her hands.

“She just gives me that quality of life I didn’t have before,” says Dirk.

Both Dirk and Russell credit having local trainers offering their services free of charge has been instrumental in getting the support they need.

“Having a program like this in Medicine Hat is really opening doors and educating people on inclusivity and diversity in our community,” says Russell. “It’s allowing people to understand that individuals are different and some require more support than others. This is just one of those methods of support.”

by Meghan Cobb

‘There is a need’: Local non-profit gets funding to continue training service dogs

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