Community #potlight

I am drawn to this work because I care about dogs. I want to educate people about dog behavior, positive training, and health care so that we can all make our dog's lives better.
ike so many who help animals, isa 3yatt keeps hersel! busy with work and volunteering. 0er day *obs include dog training at 4ducating +ido and assisting customers at "4AT !or Cats and -ogs. And this is *ust the beginning...

The Animal Community Talks

Lisa and her dog Maple visit a senior living facility.

isa gives much o! her time to helping "ultnomah County Animal #ervices, an open admission shelter with limited resources. #he leads their evel $ %pen &aw' training, teaching volunteers about dog behavior, dog body language, kennel stress, and training techni(ues using positive, lure)reward training. #he also acts as a volunteer !oster coordinator !or many o! the shelter's pit bull dogs, supporting !oster parents through one o! the hardest *obs in rescue. I treat our !osters like gold. They work so hard !or these dogs who otherwise might not have a chance at a normal home li!e. isa helps run the photo blog and +acebook page !or ,#helter -ogs %! &ortland,, which showcases dogs !rom &ortland's open intake shelters. #he and her dog "aple are registered with &et &artners'. They visit with the residents o! a senior living !acility every other week, and work with kids at a local *uvenile detention center every week. At the *uvenile detention center, she and "aple work in a class setting, talking about how dogs learn, dog behavior and body language, positive rein!orcement training, spay and neuter, and the history, myths, and media portrayals o! pit bulls. The kids get to pet and clicker train "aple. There are so many moving moments in this line o! work...but the most memorable moment !or me happened at .the *uvenile detention center/. The day be!ore my visit, a young man, with all hope lost, had attempted to take his own li!e. I worked one on one with him and "aple. I put the clicker in his hand, and instructed him with a hand targeting game. 0is !ace changed. 0e said he liked this game. I then told him to make it more challenging !or "aple, and I asked him to hold his hand up high by his shoulders. "aple got up on her hind legs and enthusiastically bumped his hand with her nose1 well, that made him smile. 0e !elt empowered and "aple was having so much !un. I'll never !orget that. I think the best advice I can give to other people wanting to work with animals in need is to thoroughly educate yourselves so that you can decide !or yoursel! in what capacity and !or which organi2ations you will support. astly, the absolute, most important thing anyone working in rescue must do is take time !or themselves, continue to do !un activities that don't involve animals, hang with !riends, and take breaks because compassion !atigue is very, very real.