TylertownMS

Six and half months after Hurricane Katrina there are still hundreds of pets in peril. Best Friends put
out a plea for trainers who would be willing to come down and offer help to these remaining pets
who suffer from a range of emotions and post traumatic syndrome. Deborah Walker heard their plea
and on the weekend of March 17th, 2006 we were on our way.

Upon arrival at the refuge there was a sense of sadness, for these dogs were truly lost emotionally.
You could see it in their eyes, the way they held their heads, and in their aggressive behavior. The
staff from Best Friends was hoping for a miracle to save the lives of these remaining dogs and they
saw that miracle arrive in the Pontiac Montana driven by our very own Deborah Walker armed with a
bag of dirty laundry full of scents and hope.
As the staff looked on in bewilderment Deborah stood at the van putting on t-shirt after t-shirt while
explaining her plan to evaluate each dog. Walking the line of cages she pulled off a t-shirt and gave
it to each dog. Some sniffed and rolled on them, others picked the t-shirts up and carried them off to
their dog houses. The noise from the barking was deafening and the dogs jumped at the cages
showing their teeth as we drew nearer. One dog actually took the shirt rubbed his head on it and
looked back up as if to say “thank you for the gift”. Once all the dogs had their “gift” the refuge fell
almost silent. And as we walked back to the van I looked back to see they were all enjoying in one-
way or another their shirts. “OK” Deborah said we will be back in a couple of hours for the next test.
We all loaded up in our cars and went off to have dinner.

When we arrived back at the refuge Deborah once again loaded herself down but this time it was
with liver pieces she had cooked up for each dog. There was a noticeable difference as we
approached each cage this time the noise level dropped and the dogs appeared calmer, more
trusting. The staff watched Deborah’s every move in total amazement of how she had made a
change in their behavior within hours of arriving. Once again the dogs responded to her and
gratefully accepted her next “gift”. Once again we all loaded up to leave the refuge to return the next
morning for yet another test.

When we all drove into the refuge the next day you could feel the dogs looking, as if they knew it was
her and the refuge was even more silent than the day before. Bags of Beggen strips and small
square treats were given to each dog however this time it was different. Every dog had to make a
choice to get his/her treat and take the treat from her mouth while looking into her eyes. One by one
you could see them watch her, thinking it through until they slowly approached the fence to get their
treat. It was the most amazing thing that most of us had ever seen including the staff of Best
Friends.

Over the course of the next eight weeks, Best Friends worked feverishly with the dogs following the
training tips Debbie had shown them and some of her other suggestions. As of May 4th when Best
Friends was preparing to close their refuge in MS and move back to their sanctuary in Utah only 7
dogs of the original 28 that Debbie evaluated in March remained. All others had improved enough
to foster out to other rescues for continued care and future adoption.

Written by: Jackie Spiker - The LaBest Times - April 2006

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