TulsaPets Magazine March 2022

12 TulsaPets • March/April 2022 “Typically, we attract the high school to college-aged crowd because they are on that regular everyday schedule. They don’t always have a job that has them tied down after school. They have transportation, they are willing to learn, and they love dogs,” Friedl said. Volunteers with Anthem go through 12 hours of shadow training and have to com- plete a knowledge assessment to show that they understand the learning theory, be- havior communication, and body language. In addition, they must complete a written assessment covering the handbook, which includes policies and procedures, how to train certain things, what to train and not to train, dos and don’ts, and other aspects of the program. “There is a lot that we put into it,” Friedl said. “We want to make sure everyone is set up successfully.” Not every volunteer trains for two years; some train dogs for six months to a year, depending on their schedules. Anthem also has a range of volunteer opportunities other than training, such as puppy sitting, helping with events, demonstrations, and fund-raising. “It’s a struggle to find people who have time,” Friedl said. “It felt like we had a really good strong momentum until 2020 came along.” However, a shortage of volunteers is not going to stop Friedl. She and about 10 other volunteers continue to show up and put in the work. “We are here and doing everything we can to keep the operation going,” Friedl emphasized. “We always need donations; we love doing demos; we love taking our dogs places and showing off all the cool things they can do so people can get an inside look at what service dogs do.” Learn more about Anthem Service Dogs, apply to volunteer, donate, and watch videos of service dogs in action at anthemservicedogs.org . Chris and Benson are Anthem Service Dogs’ first graduate team. Benson is a three-year-old PTSD and mobility service dog.