Dogs, Handlers From South Jersey Offer Emotional Support Across US

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — The places that the dogs and handlers who volunteer their time with Crisis Response Canines have traveled to during the past few months align with stories that have made local and national news.

Levittown, Pennsylvania, where hundreds gathered for the funeral of a PA State Trooper killed in the line of duty. Pittsgrove, where two separate crashes this school year claimed at least three lives and left at least one other person seriously injured.

Buffalo, New York, where a gunman killed 10 people and wounded three others. Most recently, Ulvade, Texas, where 19 students and two teachers were shot to death.

The dogs and handlers of Crisis Response Canines — an organization that is based in Gloucester Township and has about 15 smaller groups under the same name across the United States — provided emotional assistance in the aftermath of these tragedies and other similar events across the United States, said Andrea Hering, its president and founder.

"We are there to support first responders, communities, individuals and families," she said. "Sometimes we are there to provide comfort, sometimes we are just checking in to say 'hi' or sometimes we provide support if there is an unfortunate outcome. Everyone can pet the dogs," she continued.

Hering said her most memorable experience with the organization was when she and her Golden Retriever mix Rusty headed to Sutherland, Texas, after a gunman killed 26 people and injured 23 others inside a church.

Listening to Hering describe the experience, it may be because that experience involved all three of those "sometimes" Hering alluded to earlier.

"I remember meeting a woman who witnessed the entire event," Hering said. "She came up to me because of my dog, and she started talking to me because of my dog and she said, 'There's so many people here. I don't trust anyone right now. I know they are here for good intentions, but I don't want to talk to anyone.'"

The woman began petting Hering's dog and within a few minutes, Hering and the woman were talking.

"That whole week I was there, she would seek out my dog," Hering continued. "I remember we were in a church service the following Sunday ... and on the way back, her face just lit up because she saw my dog and gave him this big hug in the church service. To this day, she has no idea who I was, but if I brought Rusty back, she would remember him."

Those who wish to volunteer their dog to become a Crisis Response Canine like Rusty must have a dog that is aged older than 1 year, can pass a temperament test and succeed in mandatory stress management training according to Hering. Volunteer handlers must also successfully undergo stress management training before being sent out in the field, according to Hering.

Although a dog and a handler do not necessarily have to have known each other before coming to Crisis Response Canines, usually such pairs approach the organization together, Hering continued. Other volunteer opportunities also exist within Crisis Response Canines, such as providing office and marketing support and handling dogs when they are not in training, Hering said.

Crisis Response Canines does not charge for its services and pays for its own transportation, lodging and meals when it is en route to and from assignments and thus, financial donations are also welcome, she added.

More information on Crisis Response Canines and how individuals and organizations can help can be found on the organization's Facebook page.

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