Nugent’s latest project is a German Shepherd named Charlie who was initially trained for seizure response work.
Charlie was picked up by a control officer in Christian County, and according to Nugent, was saved from the shelter’s death row list.
One of the officials at the shelter, who knew Nugent’s taste in dogs, called her immediately about the animal.
“She took him out and played with him, knew what I liked, and said that I would love him,” Nugent said joyfully. “He was pulled from the shelter, and lived with the control officer for two or three days. His demeanor did not change so I came and got him.”
Nugent added that Charlie had a collar on him, but no tags.
“It boils down to a lack of education with owners and their pets,” explained Nugent. “Either the owner was not educated to train where he went, or not trained enough to go about how to look for the dog when it left. It boils down to not knowing something that was needed to keep him at the residence.”
A couple out of York Pennsylvania visited with Charlie on September 29 to see if he was the right dog for them.
Debby Dettinger has had Rheumatoid Arthritis since she was six and has suffered a lot of joint damage, turning that into Osteoarthritis.
“I had a hip replacement and it is very hard for me to pick things up,” says Dettinger. “My gait is awkward to begin with, and it is becoming a little bit harder to get out on my feet.”
Dettinger tearfully added that she has found herself purposely not going places that are not familiar to her.
“I do not want to go to the grocery store now, and do not want to go to the mall anymore,” said Dettinger. “I am hoping that if I want to venture out and do something that he will give me the confidence to do that.”
Dettinger chose Charlie for two reasons, he had her father’s name and she had previously owned a German Shepherd, but it died in June. The animal was a seeing-eye dog.
She cried tearfully in saying her heart has been breaking ever since the loss of her dog.
“I have hardly been able to stand it,” tears Dettinger. “All I do is think about him, and I want him to come back. Not only am I hoping he would be able to fill a little bit of that void, but also help me to get back into the world again.”
Dettinger needed a dog that had great animal instincts. She went online at first and got a shepherd that was out of control and destroyed everything.
“The animal was fine until everyone left the house, and then he turned into a demon,” Dettinger said intently. “So we had to take him back within less than 24 hours, and that really upset me, but then I saw Charlie’s picture on the Internet. I saw he was a service dog. I showed the picture to my husband Greg. We called Tammy and the rest is history.”
“When she (Dettinger) picked Charlie he could only fetch one thing, the glucose meter,” explained Nugent. “Now he knows how to stay behind your back, roll you on your side, maintain your airway, get help, come back and stay behind you. I didn’t know if I could make mobility out of him or not. I told her to give me two weeks and I would call her back, and if not, we will find her another dog. I guess she prayed really hard because it worked.”
Before meeting Dettinger for the first time Nugent had to get Charlie back into working mode.
This meant showing him how to focus on his task at hand.
“We do this by taking a long walk, doing some sits, downs, and stays,” explains Nugent. “These are just some simple things.”
Nugent uses the term, “It is like bringing a kid back in from recess when they are in school.” What prides her about German Shepherds is how smart they are, and also because this type of dog is very low maintenance.
She remembers the state Charlie was in when she got him.
“He was five pounds under weight, not neutered, excited, did not know anything, and could not walk on a leash,” added Nugent. “He has been going with everywhere except for two places, one is to my mother’s house and the other is to church.”
Nugent can work with up to three or four dogs at once.
“I go out for a couple of hours with one, get another one, and then take it out a couple of hours,” said Nugent. “When it is cool weather I can fit two crates in the back of the Dodge Durango.”
What Nugent looks for certain characteristics between a patient and dog to see if the situation will work out.
Nugent said Dettinger’s personality put Charlie at ease from the start.
“He is confident with her and trusts her,” Nugent explains. “He is not jumping up on her, and he identifies with her.”
According to Nugent, the key thing to remember is to not get over excited with a new pet.
“It is very hard not to meet a dog and spaz out,” added Nugent. “If you are emotional when you meet a dog he recognizes it as a weakness. Your emotion goes all the way down to fingertips, and it displays weakness to the dog.“
Charlie, for example, cannot identify with Dettinger if she is emotional, and he is saying to himself that someone will have to take control of the situation.
The main key is to establish dominance ahead of time.
Nugent charges anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500, depending on the type of training the dog needs to accommodate their new owner.
Each stray dog is tailored to fit a person’s specific needs.
At first what is determined is what an individual needs in a dog.
Nugent urges, “It is not about window shopping and picking the dog you like the best. It is about telling me what you need, and how a dog can help you get here. You turn me loose to tell you who is the best match, then we go from there. We do not allow people to walk through the kennel and say they like the looks of that one.”
Nugent encourages people to write down any questions they have first before meeting a dog for the first time.
The customers and Nugent interview each other, and by time they get to the meeting, all the questions should be answered.
“If something needs to be added, during the internship, we do it then,” says Nugent. “Typically the individual will come back for full certification when it is all said and done, A copy of the test is given out ahead of time.”
Nugent knew from the first time she laid eyes on her first toy as a baby, that she had a special connection with dogs.
“I have always wanted to be a dog trainer,” explains Nugent. “But you what to know the hardest part of my job though? It is telling people when I am out working my dogs that they cannot pet my dog. I want so badly to let people bounce in and pet my dog, but I can’t, it just kills me to have to say no.”
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