Animal Events

Meet Past Praise for Pets Honorees!

The Colorado Veterinary Medical Foundation’s Praise for Pets program recognizes some very special animals by presenting the animals with an award and owners with an opportunity to share their special stories!  Previous “Praise” honorees include:

Praise for Pets 2006 Award Winners
On Oct. 18., 2006, hundreds of animal lovers attended the Colorado Veterinary Medical Foundation’s Praise for Pets event to celebrate the special bond humans and animals share and to raise funds to benefit the Colorado Veterinary Medical Foundation. The Foundation expresses its deep appreciation to VPI Pet Insurance, title sponsor, and 9News, media sponsor, for their support of Praise for Pets 2006.

Gretchen Gordon, Youth Animal Advocate Award Winner

Our first Praise for Pets 2006 winner was so impressive she inspired judges to form a new award category – Youth Animal Advocate. Gretchen is just 10 years old and has been giving of herself and her time for the “Care for Stray’s” program at Care Animal Hospital in Arvada. The program allows for medical and surgical treatment to animals that have no owners and otherwise would not be treated. After treatment, they find new suitable homes for the animals.

Gretchen fell in love with the program and she took it upon herself to put together three different proposals to present to the board to see if she could help raise money for them. She approached them in true business fashion and, of course, was warmly accepted by the staff and encouraged to help out. Gretchen has received donations by canvassing door to door to over 300 homes, at her large dance recitals, church, soccer, school, friends and family. She has held large lemonade stands this summer and fills her home with aluminum cans for recycling. Gretchen struggles with her mom because she wants to donate her weekly allowance to the program. When she feels like she has raised enough money she turns it over to the hospital, usually in $100 increments.

Gretchen is a straight A student who skipped from the 4th grade to the 6th grade, and she participates in dance, soccer, and band. In her mother’s nomination letter she stated: “I know that along with being a hero for a couple of animals at Care Animal Hospital, Gretchen has become one of mine.”

Dr. Robin Starr, Human Hero Award Winner

Dr. Robin Starr has truly touched the lives of both animals and humans over the course of her life and especially with her extreme dedication to Freedom Service Dogs, the animals she saves and the people she helps by enabling them to live a more full life with a companion animal. Dr. Starr has been involved with virtually every aspect of Freedom Service Dogs since 1999. Initially a volunteer, Robin’s background in veterinary medicine and in team building were immediately drawn upon and continue to be invaluable to the FSD program. She became a member of the Board of Directors in October 1999 and was named Acting Executive Director of FSD in December 2000.

Robin has demonstrated her commitment with her involvement in every facet of the program. Whether conducting educational demonstrations, fund raising, or training activities, she is dynamic and motivating, she is a knowledgeable medical advisor, a published author in veterinary medicine and education, and has professional relationships across the animal welfare industry.

"We’re constantly asking how we can provide the gift of independence to more people in our community," she says. "By judiciously broadening our service criteria, we are able to place more dogs with more clients."

Dr. Starr has been a hero to every graduate of the FSD program in so many countless ways. Through Freedom Service Dogs, Dr. Starr has not only given these dogs a second chance at life, she has equipped them with the skills to be productive members of society. But this impact pales in comparison to the difference she has made in the lives of the people who have been matched with FSD graduates. Not only do these people have a chance to live a more full life than they did before and perform tasks that they couldn’t do on their own, more importantly they get to experience the incredible power of the human-animal bond day in and day out.

Kinsey, Service Award Winner

Our next award winner is Kinsey - an 11-year-old Golden Retriever with a bigger following than your favorite movie star. Kinsey, owned by Nan Stuart, is well regarded among thousands of animal control and humane society personnel, veterinarians, firefighters, law enforcement officers and other public safety individuals, as well as hotel staff and other people met along the way. Kinsey is a canine ambassador for Code 3 Associates, Inc which is an organization that provides quality training to public safety personnel and provides disaster relief for animals. She has helped train over 3,000 students in various aspects of animal cruelty investigations as well as technical animal rescue work.

Kinsey is also certified in Swift Water Rescue, Ice Rescue, is nationally certified for Animal Assisted Therapy and Activities as a Delta Pet Partner, and doubles as a service dog for her owner’s father, a stroke victim. She not only performs rescues on ice and in water, she also can serve as a victim to teach animal control or other rescue personnel how to rescue an animal. She understands how to be cooperative with her rescuer or how not to help, but remains immobile as an injured animal would be. In fact, if the person rescuing her does not handle her correctly, she cries as if being hurt (all the while winking at Nan knowingly).

Her intuition is uncanny in that she seems to always know who needs her most. During a class she kept going to a gentleman and finally went outside with him. Nan subsequently discovered he was blind and that Kinsey was serving as his guide. This past year she also spent 4 weeks in the hospital with Nan’s father as he suffered a stroke, was diagnosed with colon cancer and endured cancer surgery. Kinsey remained with her “patient” nearly around the clock and filled a void of his recently lost dog enabling him to recover from his trauma.

Kinsey is certainly an extraordinary example of the way companion animals can have such a tremendous impact on our lives.

Splash, Human/Animal Bond Award Winner

Splash is an 8 year old Aussie/Border Collie mix that heals with her heart and helps with her exuberance for life. It’s all about her eyes really. They draw you in, they can calm your spirit, they can sympathize with your pain or sparkle with your joy. Splash stands with you in moments of despair, and sits with you when you need comfort. She wordlessly knows where she is needed and fills her day with interactions, special moments that bond her to those around her and those she meets.

Splash started her life abused and mistreated but she was rescued and given another chance. Her ministry is to serve, to comfort, to engage, to support and to love.

Splash’s résumé is one for the record books. Not only does she spend her time at Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center as an Animal Assisted Activities/Therapy Dog, she is also a Delta Society Pet Partner, a Reading Education Assistance Dog at local libraries and schools, she works at Judi’s House (a grieving center for children), and spends time educating the public on Service Dogs.

A prime example of Splash’s uncanny ability to touch those in need is a story about a trip to the waiting area of the hospital. Splash and her owner, Michelle, went to check on a volunteer placed in the surgery waiting area. Splash sensed another purpose in their visit, and went directly to a woman seated in the waiting area. She nudged the woman’s hands that were holding her head deep in sorrow. The woman looked up, saw Splash, started to stroke her silky ears and began to weep. She was heavily burdened, and Splash took some of her load from her. As she wept, Splash moved closer to her until this woman had enfolded her arms around Splash. All Michelle could say was “She found you.”

In a letter of thanks, the woman whom Splash befriended expressed her appreciation of having been touched by Splash, and for being given this safe opportunity to express her sorrow and pain. She noted at the end of her letter that she saw peace and caring in Splash.

Potter, Hero Award Winner

Potter the black lab is this year’s winner of the Hero award. Potter was rescued from the Longmont Humane Society and brought to Freedom Service Dogs to attempt service dog training. Potter was too afraid of crowds and noises to be a full Service Dog with public access, but he fell right into place as a skilled companion without public access rights. He may have flunked Service Dog School, but when it came to serving his owner in a time of need, he knew just what to do.

Sooner or later, everyone in a wheelchair, on crutches, or just plain wobbly, falls. The emotional distress and extreme discomfort is excruciating. Early this summer, Mary Kay Lee experienced such a fall. She fell sideways from her wheelchair onto her bed. She was stuck with her bottom half on the wheelchair and her top half on the bed, her waist completely bent to the side. The last time she fell this way she was stuck in that position for five hours with no way to call for help because her phone was entirely out of reach. She had to stick it out until her husband arrived home from work. It was a very long and miserable five hours. This time was different thanks to Potter, her hero service dog!

Potter is quite energetic, and Mary Kay keeps him busy a few times a day with short skill practicing sessions. Potter thinks “find the phone” is great fun so they practice it often. When she realized she was stuck, the first thing she thought of was to send Potter to get the phone. She hoped Potter would remember what to do, but she wasn’t sure. She asked him once to find the phone and she was overjoyed when he came running into the bedroom with it, stood up on the bed and put it right in her hand! Mary Kay was then able to call a neighbor with a key to come rescue her from her misery.