TulsaPets Magazine January 2022

36 TulsaPets • January/February 2022 work but also, ‘Where’s he going?,’ ‘What’s he doing?,’ ‘What’s he eating?,’” Goldstein explained. “He has to obey. If he doesn’t, he could run in front of a truck, he could run into traffic. We have to make sure he is good with people because we have visitors all the time.” Goldstein said the support from Anthem throughout the training process has been invaluable. “It’s been a lot more work than I initially expected, but Anthem has been awesome,” Goldstein continued. “Every single time I say, ‘This is the problem I’m having; what can I do?,’ they always have a fix for it.… There is so much that goes into it that you wouldn’t even think about.” Fahren joins Goldstein at the fire station five days a week and interacts with 15 to 20 people a day. In addition to his presence at the station, Fahren will make public appearances such as school visits and city hall meetings. But it is not just members of the public who are benefiting from his presence. Goldstein said Fahren recently joined a group of firefighters during a test to potentially promote some firefighters to lieutenants. “There were 16 of them in the room, and it is obviously nerve-racking. They were about to take a 100-question test, and he was in there with them. Everyone was like, ‘Is he in here to comfort us and calm us down?’ and I was like ‘Yes, definitely, that’s what he is here for!’” Goldstein exclaimed. “He walked around between all 16 of them, and he would curl up at their feet for a little while before the test started. Everyone was kind of loving on him, and you could see the stress of the room calm down. It was neat to see the project actually doing what it is supposed to do.” Friedl explained, “We live in an age of people feeling extremely anxious in social situations that may be related to mental or physical trauma. Dogs can bring both men- tal and physical assistance. For most peo- ple, interacting with a therapy dog releases serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine, which are our brain’s ‘feel-good’ hormones. This has a significant calming effect for humans before, during, or after a stressful event.” Since the Owasso Fire Department has added Fahren, Jenks Fire Department has inquired if it can do the same, which is “pretty exciting,” Goldstein said. “I hope it catches on.” Anthem Service Dogs Anthem Service Dogs is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that focuses on providing free service dogs to disabled individuals. The group was founded in 2018 and currently trains PTSD and mobility service dogs but plans to add other types of service dogs such as for diabetic alert. The group placed two working dogs in three years and will place two more beginning in 2022. Volunteers are taught to train the dogs, and the dogs live with the volunteers. They attend weekly group classes. Throughout the week, the dogs attend as many outings as possible, such as grocery shopping, restaurants, school, work, gymnasium, movies, sports games, and public events. Training a service dog takes about two years. To learn more about Anthem Service Dogs, visit anthemservicedogs.org. Want Tulsa Pets Magazine delivered right to your door? Subscriptions are available for $27 per year (6 issues). Send your check to: Tulsa Pets Magazine P.O. Box 14128 Tulsa, OK 74159-1128 and we’ll get you all fixed up! When the Owasso Fire Department received a $1,500 community grant from Walmart, it purchased carbon monoxide detectors wholesale from Lowes. Fahren is ready to help distribute the detectors.