1st Facility Dog for ODHS.

*This is an independently funded pilot project benefitting The Oregon Department of Human Services, including: Child Welfare, Self Sufficiency and Aging and Disabilities. He is also used as a community support through the Children’s Center in Oregon City and has been in contact with the National Guard to help families in need of emotional support. This project has changed how ODHS can support their workers, children, and families by providing emotional support in a time of need. Raising money to keep this pup helping workers and families as well as creating a program with more pups to deploy across the state.

Duke has been in training for nearly 2-years. He has prepared his entire life to be a working dog. Through his time with Healing Hounds Service Dog's he has had public access rights which allows him to accompany his raiser/trainer in all environments and learn how to handle all environments. Duke has been exposed to children of all ages, people with disabilities, and others who face emotional challenges. He has a special talent for helping people through the toughest of times and just knows what to do; whether it's placing his head on their lap, gently nudging their face while they are crying, applying deep pressure therapy, or bringing them one of his toys to cheer them up. Along with this, Duke has undergone thousands of hours of basic and advanced obedience from the trainers at Healing Hounds Service Dogs.

All of this, and more, prepare Duke to join the Oregon Department of Human Services as a helping paw to help the workers, children, and families who are experiencing trauma. When deployed, Duke (Facility Dog) has made a huge impact in supporting our workers, youth, and their families in one of the most stressful environments, ODHS, by helping support the trauma which occurs on a daily basis. Both Duke and I have met accreditations over the past two years in training. I have deployed Duke to help support the first-hand traumas, as well as vicarious trauma which occurs to staff when assessing our youth and families. We are often working with children at the most vulnerable times of their lives, and I want to make sure their experience with Duke is as healing as possible.

Duke’s typical workday has varied, such as our social workday ebbs and flows. However, he has been involved in caseworker meetings, following up with workers when coming back from the field, attending unit meetings, comforting staff during their clinical supervision, group staffing’s, returning from a Termination Trial or difficult court hearing, or just dealing with a very difficult conversation with a parent and or youth. Duke is also providing emotional support and comfort in all the above settings, as well as once a week meeting with children in families at the Children's Center. He is there to support our community in so many different forms.