At Montezuma Community School District, we have a wonderful addition to the school counseling department, a therapy dog named Hazel. Hazel and her handler, Mrs. Horras our elementary school counselor, have created such a boost to our school and wellness culture. It was a process for Hazel to train and to become united with Mrs. Horras. Mrs. Horras chose to work with the CARES organization that is based in Concordia, KS. Hazel’s journey, however, started a bit sooner.
According to Mrs. Horras, “Hazel and her brother were donated to CARES as puppies, and Hazel's puppy training was at Leavenworth Correctional Facility. Her foster family, which continued her initial training and added a lot of socialization skills work, was located in Memphis, TN.”
Mrs. Horras and Hazel were matched and met in 2020 when Mrs. Horras attended a training in Concordia. While at the training, the trainers learned about the training their dogs received and the expectations to maintain their commands, routines, etc. Another interesting part was learning about “dog psychology, dog/owner relationships, healthcare, nutrition, handling distractions, grooming, and legal considerations.” They also got photos taken for their ID's, and completed Public Access Testing at the Salina Central Mall.
Other dogs and handlers that went through the program included service and therapy teams. These dogs could be used for specific illness, private practice settings, dogs that would be with their owners at work/school, and dogs that could assist their owners with tasks like opening/closing doors.
CARES-trained dogs can be found here in the states and internationally. Other schools in Iowa also have therapy dogs from CARES. Here at Montezuma, we are so incredibly lucky to have Hazel and Mrs. Horras!
