Soul Touched by Dogs

Welcome to the Soul Touched by Dogs
Podcast, the show for dog lovers who

see dogs not as toys or tools, but
wise souls worth our respect and care.

I'm an Herrmann, and I'm your host.

I talk to poor some humans, people who
do great work for dogs and their people.

So come and join us for
today's conversation.

Anke: Hello and welcome, Kimmy.

I'm very excited to have you here.

Kimmy: Thank you.

I'm excited to be here.

Anke: Awesome.

Well, I always start out, uh,
wondering because I'm always fascinated

with where on earth people are.

And so my question to you, where on
in this lovely world are you based

and what's your business with dogs?

Kimmy: Yes, I am based in the United
States and, uh, in the state of Maine

and my business with dogs, well, there's
a couple of things I do, but, um,

the main thing that I do right now is
we are a canine first response team.

So what does that mean?

That means that I am deployed across the
United States when there is some sort

of critical incident situation, such as
a mass shooting, uh, natural disaster.

major accident that they will
call me into the situation and I

bring my canines, which are highly
trained for this type of work.

And when we go into these situations,
the dogs are requested to provide a sense

of safety and a sense of calm for people
going through a very difficult time.

Anke: I'm just thinking,
Jesus, that sounds tough.

So, I understand that correctly, that your
dogs are not the ones who are going to dig

through the gravel trying to find people.

Like, that's not their job, right?

Kimmy: No, they're not a search and
rescue dog, and, um, I get that a lot.

I get that a lot.

We work directly in collaboration
with other first responders.

So sometimes we will go into a
community with the police department.

Sometimes we collaborate
with the fire department.

Sometimes we're called in one on one
and we are specifically there to provide

people that are going through trauma.

support and have that one on
one connection with the canine.

Anke: Yeah.

And I, like, I think anybody who's
ever, you know, looked into the eyes of

a dog, like knows how they can provide
something that another human probably,

you know, has a hard time providing.

So now I'm, I'm My curiosity
goes in two directions, right?

So one is how, how did you get into that?

Like, what sparked your interest?

Like, you know, and it feels, you
know, it's also, it must be emotionally

quite tough work on you as well.

You get to see a lot of stuff
that You know, people wouldn't

normally rush to, um, to see.

And I'm also curious of about how does one
train a dog to be able to do that work?

Kimmy: Yes, very good question.

So I'll go to the first one.

So first of all, I just like to
say I'm in the unconditional love

business because that's what we do.

We're providing unconditional
love through a canine.

How I got into this business, I'll
just jump back about 10 years ago.

I started Um, as a therapy dog handler
10 years ago as a teacher in a school

district, and I got this amazing
puppy and I thought this dog is going

to be a great therapy dog, right?

So I actually got permission
from my superintendent to have

this dog trained in my classroom.

So my students trained
him to be a therapy dog.

And then going forward, he was accepted to
be part of the district to help children.

as they go through their academics,
you know, reading and writing.

And he grew up in the school district.

And I'm sharing this story,
number one, because when I had

this dog, his name is Campbell.

He's still with me today.

When I had him in the classroom,
literally miracles would happen.

Kids who refused to read read.

Kids who couldn't control their
behaviors were 100 percent perfect

when this dog was in this classroom.

When kids really struggled with math,
when they sat one on one with Campbell.

They tried their best, and I said,
there's something to this work, right?

Um, and I continued to do this type
of work and bring Campbell to school

for many, many years after that.

But, let me share my origin story and
how I got into Canine First Response.

My mom was a social worker for 25 years.

And she also collaborated with
FEMA and the American Disaster

Red Cross team as a volunteer.

So, going all the way back to 9 11 in
2001, my mom was deployed all around the

world when there was a tragic situation.

And as a social worker, she would go into
these communities to provide Counseling

services and lead counselors, um,
through, um, difficult situations, right?

And so I grew up seeing my mom do this
type of work and providing care for

people that were going through trauma.

And I always said to myself, I want to
do that someday, but I don't know how.

I'm not a counselor.

I'm a teacher.

Fast forward three years ago, my mom
has passed and she was my best friend.

And when she had passed, I said, I want
to carry the torch forward and continue

to do the work that my mom did in these
type of critical incident situations.

So, not only was this a passion of
mine, not only did I see this growing

up and how my mom had helped people,
But it was a commitment that I

wanted to make, um, to honor my mom.

So I upped my training, I upped my
therapy dogs training, and we got

certified as a canine first response team.

And that's how we got involved in
being deployed for tragic situations.

Anke: Wow.

What a story.

What a story.

And it's, that's like, oh god,

crying.

So how, how do, how do
you keep your sanity.

in those situations.

You know, because like everybody goes
through a trauma like once, right, you

know, and that's the big thing and people
get over the way they get over it, right.

But so for you to go into one
and another I mean, hopefully not

every day but you don't so you see.

More of those, like, how do you
manage to keep your own peace?

Kimmy: Yes, thank you.

Manage to keep my own peace.

Well, number one, I will share with
you that this work is remarkable.

So when I go into these situations
with my canines, it, it, it,

it's so gratifying to see.

See how people can start to heal through
the unconditional love of a canine.

So that is part of how I keep my peace,
because I'm passionate about this work.

This work works.

And many times we are, the
canine is a link for individuals

to get further mental health.

'cause many . People aren't ready to talk.

They are not ready to go get help,
but they will sit down with a dog and

they start to process their emotions
one on one with the dog with no words.

No words are needed.

And I always say, come to us just
as you are, because we are going to

love you no matter how you show up.

Right?

So that's number one.

I love the work that I do.

And it is, miracles happen, but
number two, it is taught, it is

all about self care for myself and
self care for the dogs as well.

So I limit the amount of
deployments that I go on.

I limit the amount of hours that we are
on site with the canines, and I always

make it a priority to do something fun.

Either after a critical situation when I
get home, um, something to fun, but the,

the dogs love to go get an ice cream at,
um, Dairy Queen and it's called a Pup Cup.

So I might get an ice cream
cone and I might have an ice

cream cone myself, right?

A little bit of self care
and it's always training.

I work out every single day and that
is another way that I am managed,

I'm able to manage the chaos and, and
some of the things that I've seen.

Anke: So how do you, well, okay, like
if I was to look at like say Miss

Leia, who's like two years old, you
know, she's, she's a big dog, but

she's very sweet and very good natured.

Um, how, what would be the path for her?

If I was to think like I want to turn her
into, you know, a canine first responder.

Kimmy: Yes, absolutely.

Well, the first path to take is
to get registered as a therapy dog

because it's really important to know
that the dogs want to do this work.

And that's the number one
thing that I say to people.

There are some dogs that like to work.

There are some dogs that like to play.

There are some dogs that like agility.

There are some dogs that just like to hang
out on the couch and that's who they are.

So.

Make, be sure that your dog enjoys
going out and doing work, number one.

Number two, obviously it's
going through the canine, um,

basic obedience test, right?

Then it's finding a local organization
and becoming a therapy dog team and

getting some experience under your belt.

Going to hospitals, going to schools,
getting Going to nursing homes, getting

that experience of being out in the public
with your dog and seeing how your dog

reacts in a busy hospital compared to a
quiet nursing home and really get a feel

of what your dog is comfortable doing in
the environment it's comfortable being in.

After you are registered, after you
have a couple years under your belt of

doing therapy dog work and you choose to
get into canine first response, number

one it's It's training on the handler.

It's getting, um, Red Cross training
under your belt, it's getting critical

incident training under your belt, and
then it's also getting training under

the dogs, more training under their belt.

And what does that mean?

It means before you become a
canine first response team, take

your dog out to busy situations.

Take your dogs out to communities
where there's a variety of

ethnicities, different nationalities.

See how they are.

See how they react.

Take your dogs where there's loud noises,
take your dog where there's a lot of

energy, because that is the type of dog
that needs to be able to do this work.

Take your dog on a plane.

Sometimes we're deployed, you
know, to a different state.

They need to be able to get on
a plane, um, on a, on a train.

So experiment, and if you find that
your dog has that type of personality

and can do this work, you know, enjoys
these type of, of challenges and

environments, then you would go forward
and you would go ahead and get certified

as a canine first response team.

And what that means is just
additional training on the handler,

additional training on the dog.

You both take a test.

If you pass, you're certified.

You are a canine first response team.

You

Anke: go, well, I mean, there's
obviously quite a bit to it, right?

So, so what's the core quality apart
from, you know, being able to handle

the stress, you know, to stay calm
under, you know, those, like, see Mr.

Mr.

Kai, this one here, he wouldn't
have, like, he was perhaps the most

sensitive dog, like he could, He would
know when you're coming down with

the flu, like even before you know,
like he would read you too, right?

Also, but that level of sensitivity
didn't make him very happy

in, in busy, higher energy.

He'd be like, you know, so
I, I can't see him doing.

that work well, even though he
has the sensitivity to really help

somebody, you know, he would, we
would always call him like Dr.

Kai, you know, when you kind of little
like whatever he'd know and he'd not

leave your side, like he was very
nurturing that way, but definitely a

little too sensitive, I think, for,
you know, taking him to places and

he'd be, you know, so what are the,
are there specific breeds that are

traditionally better suited or like,
how would you know, or how can you tell?

Well, you know, what parameters
would I use to even think about,

Ooh, Leia might be good for that.

Kimmy: Yeah.

Um, and your dog definitely
sounds like a pup that's very

attached to, to the family, right.

And the needs of the family
and in tune with that.

Um, when we were looking at
characteristics, I can't say a

specific breed is better than another
one, but you really have to look at.

breeds, what are the
characteristics of this dog breed?

Are they cattle dogs?

You know, are they, would
they rather herd, right?

Or, um, other breeds, you know,
are, are much more laid back.

Now, my breed of dog is Golden Doodles.

Or Golden Retriever, right?

So they have the
temperament, the personality.

If you look back into the
poodle line, they love to work.

Poodles love to work.

So with the Golden Doodle, um,
I've had high success with, with

the qualities in these dogs.

They, they like to be out.

They like to be among different people.

Um, they're also hypoallergenic is another
reason why I primarily go with the Doodle

because we do a lot of work in schools.

If a school gets a bomb threat.

Right?

We will be called into the district to
provide a sense of calm for the students.

So, but I'll just share one major
quality, whether it's a doodle, a golden

retriever, you know, a German shepherd,
You want a dog, when they're out in

public, they want to go up to people.

They want to go up and greet people.

And, and that's the biggest thing to
watch with your dog and say, Is this

dog going to be successful at this work?

It doesn't matter if someone sees it.

It doesn't matter of the age.

It doesn't matter of the energy.

If you take your dog out there and they're
constantly wanting to go up to people

and there is no stress sign in that dog.

Stress signs in dog is the head is
down, the tails between the legs.

Maybe they lean on the owner and they
don't really want to go over there.

We all were trained in looking at
stress signs for our dogs, right?

If that is not present and your dog is
continuing wanting to go up to other

people, regardless of the situation,
that is the number one characteristic

we look for, because that is saying that
they love the work that they are doing.

And they love being what
people, despite the energy or.

Whatever they may be sensing in the
room at that time, they are still

enjoying wanting to meet new people.

Anke: I love that.

I'm just thinking so, and would you, would
they have to have like a calm temperament

or is that something that can be trained?

Kimmy: Depends how old they are.

Um, it definitely cannot be trained.

I think the calm temperament is,
you know, they either have it

as they get older or they don't.

I know there's a couple of first
response dogs that are about

three years old, um, younger dogs.

And, um, I'll, I'll tell you what works
for these guys, because they are calm

overall, but they've got to get the
zoomies and the energy out, is that

when some of the responders get a call,
they'll take their dog out for an hour and

just play before they go on site, right?

Um, my dogs, I've got a 13 year old golden
doodle that's been doing this work for 13.

I've got a six year old golden doodle.

So.

They are pretty much calm and
the work is, the mental work is

what's kind of exhausts them.

But again, it, it's really,
you got to look at, at the, the

personality of the dog, right?

They all have energy, they all want
to play, but at the end of the day,

do you have a dog that really is kind
of mediocre, calm, can settle down?

Or is it a dog that always
wants to jump and be busy?

Um, and so it's just something
that, uh, it's the way they are

and, uh, it, it's, you just work
through it if there's a little bit

of the excitement in the beginning.

But generally that's what I do
because when I pick out my puppies

to do this work, I meet the breeder,
I meet the parents, and I really,

really Get to know the personality of
that puppy before I decide that they

would be the right fit for this work.

Anke: Because I'm just
thinking of here Mrs.

Ada like she's, she's like, she
approaches the world with like,

I'm cute and you know it, right?

So she's pretty much, you know,
and I'm very happy go lucky.

I'm, I'm still she's a big dog so in
the street I always like I don't want

her to go up to people because when she
gets excited she's big right so and I

don't you know like I don't want her
to get over excited you know so it's

just an interesting one to kind of scan
my own like look at what you've just

sort of described and think like okay
which of my dogs would be suitable not

suitable whatever so it's actually quite
fascinating do you find they need some

kind of Like, how much of what's going
on, because you mentioned like, you know,

school shootings and stuff like that,
and the trauma that they help people

through, how much of that is kind of,
are they taking that on, or are they

just like, nope, I'm in the moment,
and once the scene is over, I'm good?

Like, is that, is there something that
you need to help them to get through

afterwards, or can they just absorb that?

Kimmy: Oh no, they take it all in,
um, and they absorb it, and they

do need to release it afterwards.

They, they really do.

Um, it's not like they just go in,
because dogs are very intuitive, they're

very sensitive, and they do, they
take on our stress, they take on our

anxiety, they take on the depression.

So, um, I can tell, number one,
I'll watch body language, when

they have taken too much on, what
happens is they'll start to lay down.

They'll start to lay down, and that's
their sign to me, like, I'm done,

I'm maxed, I gotta go, and I set that
boundary, and when I see that, I say

very respectfully, I'm sorry, but
we're done, we'll be back tomorrow.

And then what I do is I take them
home and we always play with a toy.

I always do something to get them
moving, to get that energy out.

Right.

Um, and make something fun.

Um, so it's always,
always play afterwards.

Even, even if you think, well, God, you
know, are they, I think they're fine.

They're not, they've got.

to let it out.

And they also have to
know they did a good job.

Yeah.

And it's really important that
they continue to love this work.

And that's why I'm so in tune to their
body language and always rewarding after

going into a situation because I want
them to continue to enjoy the work.

And the day that they
don't, then they're retired.

Anke: Yeah, I love it.

I love that.

I love that.

I mean, that's and that's also I think
it does give a sense of purpose as well

like I would imagine like if the whole
situation doesn't sort of stress them out

it's it's very rewarding for them as well
that sense of like, you know, I know I

actually, you know, do work that matters.

You know, I know just like my
little Leia, like she's a, you

know, she's a Spanish Mastiff.

So her thing is like, I need to make sure
everybody's safe here at night, right?

And so you can see her with that sense
when she's sitting on the porch and like,

okay, I'm gonna, and then she comes in
and checks in on everyone's like, she

takes her work very seriously, right?

So it's kind of cute, but it's also
like, it's the, suddenly you can really

almost see in her face that satisfaction
of I've got work to do here, you know?

So I think it's really, it's
rewarding for them as well.

Very

Kimmy: much so.

Very much so.

And what's really interesting in the
fact is, you know, um, last year we had

a mass shooting here in Maine, right?

So there were all these critical
situa uh, critical, um, places that

we were deployed to that people
could go to for mental health or

just be supported by the community.

Here's my point in this, um, the
people would come up and they would

develop a relationship, let's say
with one of my dogs, Campbell.

The rewarding part for this for Campbell
is that the next day if that same

person came into this, uh, critical
center, um, He would find that person

out of 50 other people, he would find
that person and go up to that person.

And I know he remembered and he was
checking in to say, are you okay today?

And that's another area
where we know our dogs.

love the work that they do and they
want to make sure that we're okay.

Anke: Yeah.

So where can people find out more about
you and about the work you do and, you

know, come a little closer into your work?

Kimmy: Yes.

Come on closer into my world.

Yes.

You can find me.

My website is Kimberly
Helene, H E L E N E dot com.

Uh, you can find me on Facebook.

It's K 9 First Response.

Maine.

You can also find me on Instagram,
which is caninefirstresponsemaine.

And, um, reach out at any
time if you're interested.

I don't care if you're in
the United States or Spain.

If you're interested in getting into
this type of work, I am a trainer.

I work with handlers and dogs
that want to go out in the

field and do this type of work.

So contact me at any time, even
if you don't know how to start and

you're like, hey, um, I don't even
know the first thing what to do.

I can help you through the process.

I would love to talk to you and I'm here
to support you because my passion is

to get more dog handlers, teams, canine
first response teams, therapy teams out in

the world because this work makes a huge
difference in the lives of so many people.

Anke: I love that so much.

And I'm sort of, my mind is going, well,
actually, if they're the more teams there

are, you know, the, the less dramatic.

The incidents has to be right.

It's almost like, well, it could be in,
in schools for exams and, you know, like

a lot more situations where, where, where
this could help, you know, so I love that.

Kimmy: And I also work with professionals.

I work with, um, therapists that want
to bring their dog to work full time.

So my goal, and it's happening here in
the States, I don't know about Spain.

Dogs, dogs are now being trained
to go and work full time in school

districts and hospitals and courtrooms
and in mental health facilities.

So I support professionals
and how to do that as well.

Awesome.

Anke: Well, thank you so much.

This was eye opening and
it's got my mind spinning.

Oh yeah, that's wonderful.

Thank you so much for coming.

We're obviously going to pop the
links and you know, contact details in

the show notes and below this video,
so you're going to be easy to find.

So thank you so much.

Kimmy: Thank you.

It's been a pleasure.

And remember the unconditional
love of a dog heals all.

Thanks so much for listening.

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That's A N k E at Soul
touched by dogs.com.