Tutor Serice Dogs & CCSAR

Tutor Service Dogs

Below: Cynthia L. Dodge, TSD founder, with her founding

service dog, "Indaca." Sadley, "Indaca" died Sept. 19,2007.

She was a 4-time hero & is missed by all who knew her.

Lest we never foreget what happened

9/11, and those who bravely serve us.

Welcome to our web site! This page introduces our not-for-profit service dog support group. Our site highlights important areas of how we serve communities and our disabled citizens.

We hope you'll find the information you need on this site, or you may click links to access other sites, where you may find more information that could assist you better. All sites provide people with much knowledge and service dog laws, or offer legal information for the disabled in need of such services.

Below is Fred Golba with his founding

search and rescue dog "Amo." Amo passed away 3-years after 9/11, and Fred has moved on to work with Missing and Exploited Children. He travels the country and world searching for our missing children through this wonderful organization.

Although we miss Fred, we're VERY proud of his accomplishments and will continue to post the below information about his work, while he was a part of TSD.

Good luck my friend and colleague.

It's been a pleasure to have worked

with you and your amazing dogs.

Below: Is Fred Golba with "Amo." Amo passed

away with 2,266 documented finds under his collar.

Fred is on page 98, with "Amo"

of this issue of Life Magazine

Fred and "Amo" are on page 56

of this Newsweek magazine

Below: In the wake of Hurrincane Mitch, 1998, this

silver award was presented to Fred by the Nicaraguan

President for his dedication in locating victims.

Above: Yankee Magazine presented TSD & Fred

with their Barnraiser Award for TSD's CCSAR Dept.

and Fred's bravery while searching for victims in NY,

during the wake of 9/11.

Above: Massachusetts Senate presented Fred

our State Citation for his 'Successful search

& recovery of victims in the wake of hurrincane

Mitch, Nicaragua, 1998.

Above: "Amo" & Fred crawling under fallen

debris searching for the missing, India, 2001.

FRED's QUALIFICATIONS:

National Association for Search and Rescue (SAR) Technician I, II & III, 1993-Present: navigation; man tracking; crime scene preservation; mechanical; non-mechanical and winter extraction techniques (including avalanche); and subject profiling. Underwater search, rescue and body recovery.

International SAR, 1993-2004: Nicaragua; Dominican Republic; Venezuel; Haiti, and India

Assisted various countries in developing their first SAR Departments: Presenting them with trained dogs or trained their available dogs on site; and furnished inoculations, as well as proper care tutelage.

American Heart Association – CPR and BLS – (Emergency Cardiovascular Care provider and Basic Life Support).

First allowed to be documented to search for victims at the WTC terrorist attacks, Sept. 11, 2001, New York, USA.

Massachusetts Fire Academy – Basic Water Rescue. Water rescue techniques for saving subjects.

Tracking/Air Scenting – Amo attended various training programs of NASAR in the following Massachusetts agencies: State Police; Parks and Forestry; Civil Air Patrol; State Guard; Fish & Game; and Environmental Police.

University of Massachusetts Schutzhund School Tracking/Air Scenting techniques under the tutelage of Mary Harris, Amherst, MA, USA.

2-Years of tracking, 1993-1995 before venturing into developing the worldwide renown CC K-9 SAR Department.

And MUCH, MUCH more!!

Two of Fred's search dogs, Amo, had over 2,266 documented finds throughout his life, as his Bloodhound, Gus, had 19, one water find, in just one year. Sadly, both Gus and Amo died. They are greatly missed by Fred and all who knew them.

Something to remember: Disabilities don't come in a FUN KIT! Be polite and ask how you can serve/help a disabled person. A person may have a hidden disability, like: seizures; cognative disorder; a servere back injury that doesn't require the person to need a wheelchair, etc. But don't feel bad if the person declines your well-intended aid. A disabled person likes to be as independant as possible. That's where their service animals come in. And always ask before petting, some people don't want their animals distracted.

But please give them that option. A service dog/animal may need to be VERY focussed on their disabled master. That person may be blind and the dog/animal is guiding them, or may have epalepsy and the animal must never be distracted because their master may go into a seizure. Whatever the reason, don't feel hurt if they say no, he's working.

Whatever the reason a person chooses having/obtaining a service animal, that animal was prescribed by a physicion. Never ask what their disability is, that's between their doctor (s) and them. It's against the law not to allow a person access into your business or services because a disabled person is accompanied by a service animal.

Don't question a persons integrity! It's their civil rights! After all, would you like your rights questioned? It's also against the law to ask to see certification of any such animal before allowing them entrance. Some people train their own service animals and may not have a picture ID. After all, just as it's your civil right to be able to train your dog/animal to heard sheep, hunt, retrieve a ball or stick, etc..... It's a disabled persons civil right to opt to train their own service dog.

Many disabled people have failed trying to train their own service dog/animal. This is why TSD was founded, to aid them in the proper way to train and give them the skills they need. Then again, there are many who've succeeded in training their own service animals.

REMEMBER A COUPLE OF THINGS:

It takes months (sometimes a few years) for a service animal and its disabled master to train together in order for them to become a good working teem (just as it takes a police dog and its officer handler a good 2-3 years to become a fine tuned working team). It's VERY costly (from $6,300 to $25,000) to obtain a service animal through a service animal program. There's usually 2-3 year waiting list before their name comes up for consideration and you may not be considered. If you are considered, then it will cost another $1,500 to $2,600 to stay at a hotel for the required two-three weeks near where the program is, traveling to and from home and to and from hotel and training center, and to purchase your meals during the transition and training time. And no matter what, it still costs approximately $1,600 to $2, 200 a year to properly maintane any service animal, regardless who trains it.

The exessive costs is why TSD was founded. We share our training experiences with new members and aid the disabled in finding the right dog to train. The TSD program is much more cost affective. Donations towards what it costs to find the right animal and do all the proper testing, paper work, ID's, printing and traveling is the only cost the disabled person is asked to contribute/pledge.

So all-in-all, there are choices to make and it all depends on if you can train your service dog/animal with the help from a program like TSD, or should acquire a service animal already trained. Of course it will be much more costly to acquire one that's already trained, but it's all up to the disabled person to make those choices. As it is always ones choice to train their dogs/animals the way that suits their way of life. As long as it isn't to be aggressive, of course unless you're a police officer and it's a K-9 police dog that's being trained.

Below: Is "Gus" Fred's search and rescue dog,

sadley "Gus" died 1-year after 9/11. He was a hero!

Below: is Ms. Dodge's new service dog, his name in

German is "Freiheit," meaning Freedom, "Frei" for short

Above: Is Ms. Dodge with "Indaca" at the White House.

"Indaca became the first service dog allowed to tour the

White House, Feb. 5,2000.

Tutor Service Dogs

c/o C. L. Dodge

75A Wells St. #110

Greenfield, MA 01301

Phone: (413)772-1983 (v)

Fax: (413)774-7252

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Want to learn more about our program and how we may help you or a loved one?

Wrtie, call, use our Home page form, or e-mail us at:

Local Lions Club link: Massachusetts Lions District 33Y. TSD is on their "Important Lions Links" page.