{"id":33760,"date":"2020-02-03T10:57:16","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T15:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=33760"},"modified":"2020-02-03T10:57:18","modified_gmt":"2020-02-03T15:57:18","slug":"tchs-students-learn-lessons-about-life-love-and-loss-while-caring-for-a-retired-k-9-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=33760","title":{"rendered":"TCHS students learn lessons about life, love and loss while caring for a retired K-9 dog"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Yukon, a retired police K-9, getting some time outside at TCHS Pennock\u2019s Bridge Campus.<\/p><\/div>\n

WEST GROVE \u2013 Throughout this school year, students in the Veterinary Science and Animal Science programs at the Technical College High School (TCHS) Pennock\u2019s Bridge Campus have learned that not all heroes wear capes. In fact, some heroes use a set of wheels to get around, love to play and enjoys eating treats. Yukon, a 10-year-old German Shepard, is a retired patrol and explosive detection K-9 dog that has had an incredible impact on the students, instructors and administrators at TCHS Pennock\u2019s Bridge Campus.<\/p>\n

Yukon was a member of the Chester County Sheriff\u2019s Office, where he served the citizens of Chester County faithfully for nine years with his partner, Corporal Brian Bolt. Yukon has completed explosive searches for federal, state and local municipalities during his tenure. Yukon, as a member of the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA), placed 2nd<\/sup> in a national explosive detection competition.<\/p>\n

When it was time for Yukon to retire as a K-9 in March 2019, Corporal Bolt and his wife Lauren made the decision to adopt Yukon. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t even a thought in my mind that Yukon wouldn\u2019t always be with me, he wouldn\u2019t go anywhere else if I had a say about it,\u201d said Bolt. However, shortly after Yukon\u2019s retirement, the Bolt family began to notice that something wasn\u2019t quite right. After an extensive medical evaluation, the Bolts were told that Yukon had degenerative myelopathy (DM), a genetic disease affecting the spinal cord, resulting in slowly progressive hind limb weakness and paralysis that ultimately results in death.<\/p>\n

Corporal Bolt and Lauren were shocked when they found out the diagnosis. \u201cIt was absolutely devastating. He is such a healthy dog that doesn\u2019t have many of the issues common to German Shepherds. We wanted to be able to fix it, but we couldn\u2019t. So, we wanted to give the best life we could in the time that he has left,\u201d said Lauren Bolt. As the Bolts were dealing with the news of Yukon\u2019s diagnosis, they also began to notice that he seemed to be depressed after he stopped working. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t really eating all that much and he seemed really lethargic, which is unusual since he was always so full of energy and life. We were really worried about him,\u201d said Lauren Bolt.<\/p>\n

Corporal Bolt, as it turns out, had conducted demonstrations with Yukon at TCHS Pennock\u2019s Bridge Campus for students in the Criminal Justice & Police Sciences program for a couple of years. Lauren had also known Joan Farwell, who is the Veterinary Science instructor at TCHS Pennock\u2019s Bridge Campus. When Yukon was displaying unusual behaviors, Farwell suggested that they bring Yukon to TCHS Pennock\u2019s Bridge Campus so that the students could take care of him during the day. Starting in August of 2019, the Bolts began to bring in Yukon to TCHS Pennock\u2019s Bridge Campus every day and immediately noticed a change.<\/p>\n

Once Yukon started to come to TCHS, students had the idea to begin taking him on a patrol of the building twice a day. \u201cYukon, as a retired K-9 dog, has put his life on the line to help keep all of us safe. Helping him now is the least we could do to say thank you. We help take care of him, but I think he believes that his job now is to take care of us. He brings his favorite ball with him on patrol, and the students, staff and administrators love seeing him everyday,\u201d said Farwell.<\/p>\n

Both Corporal Bolt and Lauren also noticed the change in Yukon. \u201cHe went to work every day for nine years, so he was confused at first when he wasn\u2019t working. But once we got him in the program at the school, he felt like he was being productive again,\u201d said Corporal Bolt. Lauren concurred with her husband that going to TCHS had a dramatic impact on Yukon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe absolutely noticed a change with him once he started going to TCHS. I pack all of his things in a backpack and so he now knows that when the backpack comes out, he is going to school. He acts as excited as he was when he would go on patrol,\u201d said Lauren Bolt.<\/p>\n

One of the initial challenges for the students was that, as a symptom of degenerative myelopathy (DM), Yukon lost mobility in his hind legs not long after coming to TCHS. As a result, he had to transition to using a set of wheels in order to get around, which was a real struggle for him.<\/p>\n

Aubrey Lonsinger, a senior in the Veterinary Science program from the Octorara Area School District, came up with a solution to help Yukon adjust to his wheels. \u201cHe was struggling to walk when he first got his wheels. I decided to experiment with booties that he was using to help give him more traction and after this adjustment, his mobility has really improved,\u201d said Lonsinger.<\/p>\n

On a typical day, the students brush Yukon, soak his paws in Epsom salt, play with him, take him on patrols around the school, help him into and out of his wheels, feed him and also make sure he has plenty of treats. As Courtney Cambria, an instructional assistant in the Veterinary Science program noted, \u201cYukon has become a part of not just our Veterinary and Animal Science families, but a part of our TCHS Pennock\u2019s Bridge family.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the most difficult aspects for students caring for Yukon is the knowledge that degenerative myelopathy (DM) is a progressive disease that will eventually claim his life. Fiona Broadway, a senior in the Veterinary Science program from the Oxford Area School District, noted the emotional impact of caring for Yukon. \u201cIt\u2019s sad to see him lose functions, but it makes me feel great that we can give him a job and help him be happy. Since he started coming here and doing his patrols, he has been constantly happy,\u201d said Broadway.<\/p>\n

For Farwell, this has been a valuable learning experience for her students as they seek to become veterinarians someday. \u201cThe students have learned so much about empathy and caring for a dog like Yukon, who is suffering from this progressive disease. This experience is helping students prepare for the difficult, emotional side of being a veterinarian, especially when having to work with animals who you know will pass away,\u201d said Farwell.<\/p>\n

While TCHS students have helped Yukon, Mia Savelloni, a junior in the Veterinary Science program from the Octorara Area School District, feels that Yukon has taught them all valuable lessons about how to live. \u201cSince we hope to work with animals in the veterinary field, it really helps us to work with a special dog like Yukon. As much as we may help him, he is helping us in so many more ways. He is really teaching us how to live in the moment, appreciate those around us and how important it is to really care for others,\u201d said Savelloni.<\/p>\n

Lauren Bolt is incredibly grateful for the impact that the students at TCHS have had on Yukon. \u201cIf he wasn\u2019t at TCHS now doing what he is doing, I don\u2019t know that he would still be with us. The program has changed his outcome. They have helped him thrive and there is no way we can ever put into words how grateful we are for the students and all they have done,\u201d said Bolt.<\/p>\n

Once Yukon retired, the Retired Police Canine Foundation stepped in to help the Bolts with some of his medical bills, and Dr. Justin Yesilonis, a member of the Elk Creek Veterinary Services team based out of Oxford, continues to sponsor some of his medical care. For those interested in learning more about how to help to support retired K-9 dogs, please visit https:\/\/www.policek9help.com\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more information about TCHS Pennock\u2019s Bridge Campus, please visit https:\/\/www.cciu.org\/TCHSPennocksBridge<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WEST GROVE \u2013 Throughout this school year, students in the Veterinary Science and Animal Science programs at the Technical College High School (TCHS) Pennock\u2019s Bridge Campus have learned that not all heroes wear capes. In fact, some heroes use a set of wheels to get around, love to play and enjoys eating treats. Yukon, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[398,6518,11854,6284,11855],"class_list":["post-33760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-cciu","tag-featured","tag-pennocks-bridge-campus","tag-tchs","tag-veterinary-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33760"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33761,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33760\/revisions\/33761"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}