Directions:
Choose Two of the following stories to read and summarize.
Choice #1: Help Wanted: Dogs
By Kathiann M. Kowalski
Kowalski, Kathiann M. "Help Wanted: Dogs." YES Mag: Canada's Science Magazine for Kids (Victoria, Canada) Issue No. 69. Mar/Apr 2009: 20-21. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
Dogs are more than (hu)man's best friend. They make amazing workers, too. Different jobs demand special skills, stamina, and just the right attitude. Check out these canine careers.
Dog Stars
Sure, your dog is clever and adorable. But is he patient enough for animal acting? "Mostly what actor dogs do is wait," explains Shannon de Bruin at Arcticsun Siberian Huskies. Arcticsun dogs have starred in Snow Dogs, Snow Buddies, and Eight Below.
Actor dogs must relax until the cameras are ready to roll. Then a trainer cues the onscreen antics. "You may actually be very close to the dog, but the camera can't see you," says de Bruin. Afterward, dogs get an off-camera reward.
Round-Up Dogs
Collies, sheepdogs, and shepherds have strong herding instincts. Careful training teaches them how to help move animals.
Herding dogs can't get carried away, though. "You want to quietly move the animals from one area to another," de Bruin says. "What you don't want to do is stampede them and have them run out-of-control."
Search and Rescue Dogs
Search and rescue work requires dogs with drive, determination, and athletic ability. The job often involves scampering through rough terrain to find lost children, hikers, and even patients with medical problems.
When you're training these dogs, you make it a game so they enjoy it," explains Deb Drozda-Dirks of the all-volunteer British Columbia Search Dog Association. Her dog Fenwick tracks people by following scents on the ground. Her dog Ryka uses what's called the search profile: she picks up a scent in the air and works toward its strongest point. Both techniques help get lost people to safety.
Police Dogs
German Shepherds are the breed of choice for "multipurpose" work at the RCMP'S Police Dog Service Training Centre in Alberta. Multipurpose police dogs do important search and rescue work. "Thousands of people have been saved by these animals," says Lawrence Aimoe at the Police Dog Service Training Centre.
Multipurpose police dogs also find criminals and evidence, such as discarded weapons. When necessary, they can catch and detain criminals.
Other breeds, like Labrador and golden retrievers, are "specialty" dogs. They sniff out drugs or explosives. Multipurpose dogs also learn to detect either drugs or explosives. "The dogs are amazing," boasts Inspector Aimoe. "They can distinguish those scents from almost any kind of thing that criminals use to cover them."
Poop Pooches
You wouldn't want your dog looking for animal poop (scat). But that's how dogs help scientists at the University of Washington study wildlife. Scat finds show where animals wandered in the wild. Lab analysis on samples tells about animals' genetic profiles, diets, and more.
Conservation Canines began in 1998. Today its 18 dogs help study bears, jaguars, orcas, and other animals. Dogs can even distinguish individual animals' scat in the lab.
After finding scat, the dogs get to play ball. "To them this is play and this is all they want to do," says Heath Smith at the university's Center for Conservation Biology. His favourite dog is Gator, an Australian cattle dog.
Conservation Canines not only helps wildlife; it saves dogs' lives. All its dogs come from animal shelters.
Dog Guides
Guide dogs are the eyes, ears, or hands for people with disabilities. They must cope with many situations. Dog guides must also stay tuned into their human handlers to protect them.
"One of the great things that our dogs do is give people a sense of independence," says Ian Ashworth at the Lions Foundation's Dog Guides Canada program. The dogs help with tasks that most people take for granted: crossing the street, picking up dropped keys, getting through crowds, or summoning help. They also help people feel confident and safe.
"When they're dealing with people with disabilities, dogs treat everybody the same," adds Ashworth. "That's just a great lesson for everybody."
By Kathiann M. Kowalski
Kowalski, Kathiann M. "Help Wanted: Dogs." YES Mag: Canada's Science Magazine for Kids (Victoria, Canada) Issue No. 69. Mar/Apr 2009: 20-21. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
Dogs are more than (hu)man's best friend. They make amazing workers, too. Different jobs demand special skills, stamina, and just the right attitude. Check out these canine careers.
Dog Stars
Sure, your dog is clever and adorable. But is he patient enough for animal acting? "Mostly what actor dogs do is wait," explains Shannon de Bruin at Arcticsun Siberian Huskies. Arcticsun dogs have starred in Snow Dogs, Snow Buddies, and Eight Below.
Actor dogs must relax until the cameras are ready to roll. Then a trainer cues the onscreen antics. "You may actually be very close to the dog, but the camera can't see you," says de Bruin. Afterward, dogs get an off-camera reward.
Round-Up Dogs
Collies, sheepdogs, and shepherds have strong herding instincts. Careful training teaches them how to help move animals.
Herding dogs can't get carried away, though. "You want to quietly move the animals from one area to another," de Bruin says. "What you don't want to do is stampede them and have them run out-of-control."
Search and Rescue Dogs
Search and rescue work requires dogs with drive, determination, and athletic ability. The job often involves scampering through rough terrain to find lost children, hikers, and even patients with medical problems.
When you're training these dogs, you make it a game so they enjoy it," explains Deb Drozda-Dirks of the all-volunteer British Columbia Search Dog Association. Her dog Fenwick tracks people by following scents on the ground. Her dog Ryka uses what's called the search profile: she picks up a scent in the air and works toward its strongest point. Both techniques help get lost people to safety.
Police Dogs
German Shepherds are the breed of choice for "multipurpose" work at the RCMP'S Police Dog Service Training Centre in Alberta. Multipurpose police dogs do important search and rescue work. "Thousands of people have been saved by these animals," says Lawrence Aimoe at the Police Dog Service Training Centre.
Multipurpose police dogs also find criminals and evidence, such as discarded weapons. When necessary, they can catch and detain criminals.
Other breeds, like Labrador and golden retrievers, are "specialty" dogs. They sniff out drugs or explosives. Multipurpose dogs also learn to detect either drugs or explosives. "The dogs are amazing," boasts Inspector Aimoe. "They can distinguish those scents from almost any kind of thing that criminals use to cover them."
Poop Pooches
You wouldn't want your dog looking for animal poop (scat). But that's how dogs help scientists at the University of Washington study wildlife. Scat finds show where animals wandered in the wild. Lab analysis on samples tells about animals' genetic profiles, diets, and more.
Conservation Canines began in 1998. Today its 18 dogs help study bears, jaguars, orcas, and other animals. Dogs can even distinguish individual animals' scat in the lab.
After finding scat, the dogs get to play ball. "To them this is play and this is all they want to do," says Heath Smith at the university's Center for Conservation Biology. His favourite dog is Gator, an Australian cattle dog.
Conservation Canines not only helps wildlife; it saves dogs' lives. All its dogs come from animal shelters.
Dog Guides
Guide dogs are the eyes, ears, or hands for people with disabilities. They must cope with many situations. Dog guides must also stay tuned into their human handlers to protect them.
"One of the great things that our dogs do is give people a sense of independence," says Ian Ashworth at the Lions Foundation's Dog Guides Canada program. The dogs help with tasks that most people take for granted: crossing the street, picking up dropped keys, getting through crowds, or summoning help. They also help people feel confident and safe.
"When they're dealing with people with disabilities, dogs treat everybody the same," adds Ashworth. "That's just a great lesson for everybody."
Choice #2: FBI Working Dogs: Service Dogs
"FBI Working Dogs: Service Dogs." FBI Youth (U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation). Oct. 17 2001: n.p. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
A service dog is placed with an individual who has a physical disability and can work with his or her dog independently. Service dogs perform practical tasks, such as opening and closing doors for their handlers, turning light switches on and off, picking up things from the floor, pulling a wheelchair, and even carrying a purse or a bag. In addition, service dogs can be specifically trained to retrieve objects--like the phone! Service dogs can even be trained to take off a handler's socks or coat. Fremont
Hi, my name is Fremont and I'm a black Labrador Retriever mix who belongs to the Canine Companions for Independence organization. I was born July 30, 1998, in the State of California, but raised by Jane in New Jersey. My Team Leader is Mary and I stay close by her side all day, helping her whenever I can. I am the first Service Dog to work at the FBI. I help my leader carry things, pick things up off the floor, and open doors. I can go with my leader to work, the grocery store, shopping, restaurants, and just about anywhere else she goes. I like being with my leader all the time.
I was placed with my puppy raiser, Jane, when I was 8 weeks old. I started learning basic commands and social skills while I was with Jane. I loved her very much and will always remember her. When I was 15 months old I graduated from puppy training where I wore a yellow cape, to advanced training where I got to wear a blue vest.
Next, I moved to Farmingdale, New York, for advanced training. This training prepared me to assist a special person. I learned 50 basic commands, such as "jump on," "release," and "visit." When my trainer says, "jump on," I am supposed to jump up on an object, such as a chair or counter. When Mary says "release," I am free to roam and relax, and when she says, "visit," she wants me to put my chin on her lap. My commands are never accompanied by a physical gesture, so I must listen closely to what Mary says.
I met Mary when she came to Farmingdale for Team Training. In class we worked with several different partners, but Mary and I worked the best together. We graduated on May 13, 2000.
I have a friend at home named Fraiser. He is a Keeshond and we play tug-of-war and ball together. Off duty, I am just a regular dog. My most favorite thing in the whole world are bones from the butcher. Mary gets them special for me and my buddy Fraiser.
"FBI Working Dogs: Service Dogs." FBI Youth (U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation). Oct. 17 2001: n.p. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
A service dog is placed with an individual who has a physical disability and can work with his or her dog independently. Service dogs perform practical tasks, such as opening and closing doors for their handlers, turning light switches on and off, picking up things from the floor, pulling a wheelchair, and even carrying a purse or a bag. In addition, service dogs can be specifically trained to retrieve objects--like the phone! Service dogs can even be trained to take off a handler's socks or coat. Fremont
Hi, my name is Fremont and I'm a black Labrador Retriever mix who belongs to the Canine Companions for Independence organization. I was born July 30, 1998, in the State of California, but raised by Jane in New Jersey. My Team Leader is Mary and I stay close by her side all day, helping her whenever I can. I am the first Service Dog to work at the FBI. I help my leader carry things, pick things up off the floor, and open doors. I can go with my leader to work, the grocery store, shopping, restaurants, and just about anywhere else she goes. I like being with my leader all the time.
I was placed with my puppy raiser, Jane, when I was 8 weeks old. I started learning basic commands and social skills while I was with Jane. I loved her very much and will always remember her. When I was 15 months old I graduated from puppy training where I wore a yellow cape, to advanced training where I got to wear a blue vest.
Next, I moved to Farmingdale, New York, for advanced training. This training prepared me to assist a special person. I learned 50 basic commands, such as "jump on," "release," and "visit." When my trainer says, "jump on," I am supposed to jump up on an object, such as a chair or counter. When Mary says "release," I am free to roam and relax, and when she says, "visit," she wants me to put my chin on her lap. My commands are never accompanied by a physical gesture, so I must listen closely to what Mary says.
I met Mary when she came to Farmingdale for Team Training. In class we worked with several different partners, but Mary and I worked the best together. We graduated on May 13, 2000.
I have a friend at home named Fraiser. He is a Keeshond and we play tug-of-war and ball together. Off duty, I am just a regular dog. My most favorite thing in the whole world are bones from the butcher. Mary gets them special for me and my buddy Fraiser.
Choice #3: Healing Paws
"Healing Paws." Weekly Reader Senior Edition. Sept. 14 2001: 2+. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
With all the strength he can muster, Lucas Parks, 17, takes his frail arm and gives Willow, a 27-pound dog, a hug. The pooch snuggles quietly against Lucas and lets the boy gently stroke the top of her head. Lucas spends a lot of time in the hospital. He suffers from a deadly blood disorder that can turn minor scratches into gaping wounds and life-threatening infections. Lucas, from Crossville, Tenn., has battled the disease since he was 9 months old. He wants to be a normal teenager. Willow is helping. "Willow brightens his day," Lucas's dad, Steve Parks, said. "It puts a smile on his face."
Doggy ER
Willow is one of the several thousand "therapy dogs" who work at hospitals across the United States. From New York to California, "canine candy stripers" have been making many sick people feel better. In fact, if some doctors and nurses have their way, therapy dogs will one day be as common in hospitals as Jell-O. In some hospitals, doctors rely on therapy dogs to help patients recover from heart surgery. In Texas, hospitals use dogs to help young burn victims. At the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., Willow and 11 other dogs help patients like Lucas deal with their illnesses. "Willow makes it easier being away from home," Lucas said. "She makes the day go by faster." The Delta Society, a Seattle-based organization that screens dogs and other animals for work in hospitals, estimates that its 2,500 "pet partners" have helped 350,000 patients in 45 states.
Pet Partners
Some doctors have always known that pets made sick people feel better, although it wasn't clear why. Now scientists know that pets reduce stress in people. The less stress patients have, the better they feel, doctors said. One study reported that elderly people who owned pets needed fewer visits to a doctor. Another study said that pet owners had lower blood pressure and were less likely to have heart attacks than people who did not own pets. One researcher in the United States said her psychiatric patients "would start smiling" when a dog entered the room. Dogs aren't the only animals helping sick people. Horses are helping cerebral palsy patients. Cats are helping some sick elderly people living in nursing homes. The soft fur of chinchillas is especially popular with burn victims. "Animals relax people," said Alan Beck, a veterinarian at Purdue University in Indiana.
'My Friend'
Betty Walsh, a volunteer at the UCLA Medical Center, didn't need a study to tell her that Kolya, a 145-pound shaggy white dog, was just what the doctor ordered for one heart patient. The 65-year-old patient had not moved or opened her eyes in the days following her heart surgery. Her family became concerned that she might die.Then Kolya came into the room, looked at the woman, and nestled against her body. After five minutes, the woman's hand moved slowly. She began stroking Kolya's thick coat. The woman smiled and softly said, "So lovely...." "For half an hour, she kept petting him and calling him 'my friend,'" Walsh said. "The whole time, I watched the blood-pressure monitor go down."
"Healing Paws." Weekly Reader Senior Edition. Sept. 14 2001: 2+. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
With all the strength he can muster, Lucas Parks, 17, takes his frail arm and gives Willow, a 27-pound dog, a hug. The pooch snuggles quietly against Lucas and lets the boy gently stroke the top of her head. Lucas spends a lot of time in the hospital. He suffers from a deadly blood disorder that can turn minor scratches into gaping wounds and life-threatening infections. Lucas, from Crossville, Tenn., has battled the disease since he was 9 months old. He wants to be a normal teenager. Willow is helping. "Willow brightens his day," Lucas's dad, Steve Parks, said. "It puts a smile on his face."
Doggy ER
Willow is one of the several thousand "therapy dogs" who work at hospitals across the United States. From New York to California, "canine candy stripers" have been making many sick people feel better. In fact, if some doctors and nurses have their way, therapy dogs will one day be as common in hospitals as Jell-O. In some hospitals, doctors rely on therapy dogs to help patients recover from heart surgery. In Texas, hospitals use dogs to help young burn victims. At the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., Willow and 11 other dogs help patients like Lucas deal with their illnesses. "Willow makes it easier being away from home," Lucas said. "She makes the day go by faster." The Delta Society, a Seattle-based organization that screens dogs and other animals for work in hospitals, estimates that its 2,500 "pet partners" have helped 350,000 patients in 45 states.
Pet Partners
Some doctors have always known that pets made sick people feel better, although it wasn't clear why. Now scientists know that pets reduce stress in people. The less stress patients have, the better they feel, doctors said. One study reported that elderly people who owned pets needed fewer visits to a doctor. Another study said that pet owners had lower blood pressure and were less likely to have heart attacks than people who did not own pets. One researcher in the United States said her psychiatric patients "would start smiling" when a dog entered the room. Dogs aren't the only animals helping sick people. Horses are helping cerebral palsy patients. Cats are helping some sick elderly people living in nursing homes. The soft fur of chinchillas is especially popular with burn victims. "Animals relax people," said Alan Beck, a veterinarian at Purdue University in Indiana.
'My Friend'
Betty Walsh, a volunteer at the UCLA Medical Center, didn't need a study to tell her that Kolya, a 145-pound shaggy white dog, was just what the doctor ordered for one heart patient. The 65-year-old patient had not moved or opened her eyes in the days following her heart surgery. Her family became concerned that she might die.Then Kolya came into the room, looked at the woman, and nestled against her body. After five minutes, the woman's hand moved slowly. She began stroking Kolya's thick coat. The woman smiled and softly said, "So lovely...." "For half an hour, she kept petting him and calling him 'my friend,'" Walsh said. "The whole time, I watched the blood-pressure monitor go down."