Rating:

5.0 (3 votes)

FLORENCE - About a year ago, Tiffany Jasper was desperate to find some help for her Boston terrier, Lucy, who is deaf. She called Wind River Tails & Trails founder Carrie Hunt.

"It was nice to call and have somebody say, instantly, bring her on out," Jasper said. "I couldn't find a resource on the Internet, at the bookstores, anything."

Right away she knew she found someone who could help.

"In the first 15 minutes Carrie could get her to crate up like it was nothing and Kyle and I, my son, thought, 'Wait, that's a 25 minute ordeal every morning and it took her five minutes,'" Jasper said.

It wasn't luck; Hunt is very qualified. In fact, Wind River began as program for Karelian Bear Dogs and wildlife training. But when the economy tanked, the institute established its Tails & Trails division.

"The training, the day care, the boarding is taking the place of the grants that aren't coming anymore," Hunt said.

Humane Society of the United States chief innovation officer Holly Hazard and wildlife response senior director Dave Pauli spent Friday morning learning from Wind River clients like Jasper.

"I have been in love with Wind River for its Karelian bear dog activities for a decade but to see that knowledge and that expertise now applied to my other love, which is shelter dogs and domestic dog interactions was very exciting," Pauli said.

"You can look at these clients of hers and you recognize that these dogs, with all their problems, are real individuals," Hazard said. "And they need our help. And their human companions need our help so that we don't throw away a dog every time that we see there's a problem."

Tails & Trails business pays for about 60 percent of the Bear Institute expenses. Now Wind River hopes to get some help through donations to pay for things like food, vet bills and vehicles.

Humans are communicating with Lucy through sign language and she has become a regular client at Tails & Trails.