Who's the therapy animal?

“They say that people or things come into your life for a reason,” Pam Schultz said. “I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m really glad that he came into my life. And I didn’t know that I needed him, but I needed him.”

Pam was talking about Bronco Schultz, the little dog who became a member of their family a couple of years ago. Bronco has brought the family through grief and a serious health condition.

It works both ways. Bronco himself has a neurological impairment that showed up during puppyhood — he runs into things and falls, but gets back up again.

And who brings him through each episode? His family, of course.

Different types of service and emotional-support animals help humans navigate issues. Even if a pet’s disability isn’t that obvious, aren’t we humans here to do the same thing for pets? They all have stories, just as we do.

Bronco’s story began out of grief and emotional generosity. Harley, the family dog, had died of cancer, and Pam especially was taking it hard.

“Just over a year ago this week, our family had returned home from a fantastic RV vacation,” she said. “We always took our German shepherd, Harley, who we had raised — we fostered a litter [of six] and the mother. He was one of the pups out of that litter — we’d had him since he was three weeks old.”

A couple of nights later, Harley was lying in their son JT’s bedroom when JT noticed that Harley was having trouble breathing. Pam and her husband, Jon, rushed Harley first to one emergency vet and then to another when the first vet didn’t have the proper equipment to diagnose a 110-pound dog.

“We learned later that evening that he was filled with cancer,” Pam said. “For his own sake, we had to put him down that night, and that leveled this family to the core. Short of losing my parents, there is nothing that has ever hit me that hard. That dog was my baby — he was my heart.”

A couple of weeks later, Jon said to Pam, “You know, we have a space in our home, a space in our hearts, and we need to fill that space. And there are animals out there that need that space.”

Jon’s words cut through Pam’s grief.

“He was absolutely right,” she said. “Even though my heart was not ready yet, I told Jon, go ahead, let’s start looking.”

The family visited Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS), but nothing felt like the right fit. Then, Jon found a mixed-breed puppy at the SEACCA shelter in Downey and applied to adopt him. The shelter called the next day and cleared the Schultzes for adoption for the following day.

When it rains, it pours, especially when it’s cats and dogs. That night, Jon was tagged in a Facebook post from someone who’d found a puppy on the street and asked if anyone could take care of it until they found the owner, if one came forward.

“And of course, there were people who said, oh, I'll take it, I'll take it, blah, blah, blah,” Pam said. “And Jon said, no, no, no, I'll take it to the shelter and have them put a blast out to find the owners of this beautiful puppy. He didn't hear back from the person.”

If you watch enough sitcoms, you know what happened next. Jon went to SEACCA to adopt the puppy, whom they named Bronco — for the car, not the horse.

“He had just pulled up to his shop [with Bronco] and this car pulled up,” Pam said. “Someone got out of it with a puppy and said, ‘OK, here you go. Thanks for taking care of this for me,’ and handed him another puppy. And Jon's like, wait, what’s happening right now? So, he called me at work and said, ‘Come by my shop when you get off work.’”

When Pam got to the shop, Jon and JT told her to sit down. They let Bronco loose, and he ran right up to Pam.

“He was sweet and adorable and just the cutest little baby,” Pam said. “While I'm sitting there loving him, Jon walks up behind me and puts another puppy on my shoulder. So, the upshot of it was that we had two puppies to take care of! While we knew that they would never replace Harley, we needed to love again.”

They named the surprise puppy Ranger. The dogs were neutered and vaxxed, and everything was good until the puppies were 3 months old when Bronco demonstrated symptoms of a neurological issue : uncontrolled movements when he walked and falling down. The Schultzes were afraid that Ranger, who was bigger than Bronco and liked to roughhouse, would injure him. Jon talked to the LBACS staff, and they had no trouble finding a home for a neutered, vaccinated and likely housebroken puppy. Now, the Schultz family could concentrate on being Bronco’s service humans.

Around this time, Pam found that she had breast cancer.

“I was stunned,” Pam said. “Jon, JT and I all kind of walked around for a couple of days because we didn't know what to do with this information — it was just so raw. There were a few days in the beginning where I would sit and have my little Pammy pity party, thinking, why me, what's going to happen, this is so unfair. And then, one day, there's Bronco trying to walk over to me from across the room, and he would fall or just tip over or not be able to control his actions. That moment snapped me into reality. My mom always told me that no matter how bad a day you're having, somebody is having a worse day somewhere.”

That was the moment that Bronco became more than just the family dog.

“He became, I guess, my kindred spirit,” Pam said. “He would look at me and say, even though he couldn't verbalize it, you're gonna be okay. Let’s just move through this. And so through my doctor's appointments, my surgery, my radiation, all of my aftercare, that dog has been a motivating factor for me.”

Pet rescuer Cynthia Lopez has a house full of pets with neurological issues, blindness and fewer than four limbs — you can read all about them here. Lopez has years of experience and communion with animals with physical and neurological issues, and she knows what Pam meant.

“I’m a true believer, when it comes to special-needs animals, that their cognitive state and emotional status are a huge part of their survival, their resilience, their quality of life,” Lopez said. “Having the energy that comes from love and positivity provides an animal that was born different with strength and determination for doing the things that their bodies hindered them from doing. A dog that’s fulfilled at an energetic and emotional level can thrive and do as much as any neurotypical dog can do. Having a human being that loves them so genuinely provides them with that energetic and emotional support and is their biggest cheerleader — that is the biggest reason for a dog to show their resilience.”

Pam has beaten the cancer into retreat, but the supreme moment for Bronco and his family came during the battle.

“Jon was doing triple duty around my surgery — he was running his business, he was taking care of the house because I wasn't able to do it, and he was taking care of me,” Pam said. “Between the two of them [Jon and JT], they were doing an amazing job. One day, Jon saw this this contest called Long Beach's Favorite Pet, and he said, ‘You know, that's got to be Bronco!’”

Pam said that Jon was so busy taking care of everything and she didn’t have a lot to do other than recover, so she completed the application and wrote Bronco’s story. Bronco was one of the finalists, and he strutted his stuff in his wobbly fashion on the Bandshell at Recreation Park, where Partners of Parks held the event.

“He came in third, but he's number one in our hearts,” Pam said.

Pam has beaten the cancer into retreat, and she feels that Bronco is as responsible for that as her human family and the doctors. Bronco is the main focus now, and Pam is still the dog’s main focus.

“Jon and JT and I all do as much for Bronco as he does for us,” Pam said. “We try to keep him active, but safe. We do stretching exercises with him to work with his tendons. He goes to work with Jon every day — and Jon has never taken a dog to work with him. He’s his little buddy. But when they get home, Bronco just wants to be by me. He does not leave my side. I think he's just making sure that I'm okay. And he's my hero because he does not let anything stop him. He doesn't let anything get him down. He doesn't let his disability win. He doesn’t even know that he has a disability.”

YOURS DROOLY

Like all animals, human included, every dog has its own story, and some of them need some editing and tweaking to boost the chances of a happy ending. K9 Kismet Dog Rescue’s hard work and focus on individual dogs work to create these good outcomes for vulnerable dogs through rescue, community-outreach programs, and collaborative shelter initiatives. The DIESEL Project is one of these initiatives. Created in loving memory of Diesel, a beloved rescue, the DIESEL Project supports shelter dogs who struggle in kennel environments, pairing them with professional trainers and structured guidance to help them build confidence and move forward toward adoption.

“Even dogs who once had support can struggle in the shelter environment,” K9 Kismet’s website states. “The noise, confinement, and constant stimulation can make it hard for them to show their best selves. The DIESEL Project gives these dogs the chance to step outside that stress, decompress, build confidence, and learn the skills that will help them thrive.”

On Saturday, Aug. 29, K9 Kismet will host an event that will put some needed cool into these extended dog days of summer (see Yours drooly). Tickets are available here, or you can just make a donation. At Paws, Paws and Piano Wars, you can put on the dog, howl to piano tunes, and most importantly, fund the good things that K9 Kismet does for the good of pups like these three. All of them are available at Long Beach Animal Care Services, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach at the entrance to El Dorado Park. As long as it remains August, you can take advantage of the Clear the Shelters promo The Choice Is Yours, which allows the adopter to choose their own adoption fee for dogs over 6 months old. They’re available to foster, too!

MR. WORLDWIDE (ID#A761120) is a 2-year-old neutered male American pit bull terrier. He’s an active, social dog who loves people, enjoys other dogs, and approaches life with plenty of enthusiasm. He was previously adopted but returned after a few days due to struggling with over-arousal in his adopter’s home, which could lead to jumping and mouthing when he became overly excited.

He recently had the opportunity to take a break from the shelter to spend two weeks with a trainer. During training, it became clear that Mr. Worldwide responds really well to direction. With structure, positive reinforcement, and work on impulse control, he made significant progress in managing his excitement and making better choices. Throughout training, he remained friendly, social and engaged. He has good leash manners, has done well with other dogs, and has successfully navigated busy public environments.

Mr. Worldwide has also done well with older children, though because of his enthusiasm, we recommend kids over 10 years old. He’s an incredibly handsome, smart, good-natured dog who will thrive with consistency, appropriate outlets for his energy, and people willing to continue reinforcing everything he’s learned.

SHEEBA (ID#A762142) is a 4-year-old spayed female American pit bull terrier. She’s a sweet, squishy, people-loving American bully with a head the size of a small appliance and a personality guaranteed to make you smile. Sheeba is a medium-to-lower-energy kinda gal who enjoys a little fun followed by several hours of committed chilling. She’s done well with other dogs in playgroup at the shelter. She’s smart, snack-motivated and affectionate; enjoys the water; and is always down for some quality belly time.

But Sheeba’s best quality is the pure joy she brings everywhere she goes. Everyone who meets her falls in love, and she’s built herself quite the fan club! Now she just needs someone to make it official and give this perfect potato a home of her own.

TALLULAH (ID#A755826) is a 3-year-old spayed female American pit bull terrier. She’s a perfectly petite 3-year-old pittie with a big personality and possibly the quickest paw game in Long Beach. Seriously, this girl hands out paws like Oprah handed out cars. Everybody gets one! When she’s not showing off her signature move, Tallulah loves splashing in the kiddie pool, chasing the hose, and soaking up affection from her people.

She came to the shelter as a stray, still lactating but with no puppies to be found, and despite everything she’s been through, she continues to greet people with a sweet, trusting heart. Shelter life can be overwhelming for Tallulah, particularly around other stressed, barking dogs, but some recent time away from the shelter with a trainer gave her the opportunity to decompress and work on feeling more comfortable around other dogs. She think she would still prefer to be your one and only in at though. Tallulah is sweet, silly, people-loving, and ready for a home where she can finally relax, hand out unlimited paws, and be someone’s very best girl.

TAIL-WAGGIN' AND NOSE-BOOPIN' EVENTS

Cats in Comics art show

Cool Cat Collective, Long Beach’s gallery-cum-weird-boutique-cum-kitty rescue has curated a collection of amazing cat-themed comic strips for this latest exhibit. Also, you’ll learn a little cat-comic-strip history!

The Cats in Comics art show opens Friday, Aug. 28, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. at Cool Cat Collective, 2741 E. 4th St., C, Long Beach. Free to view

Paws, Pours & Piano Wars

Celebrate 11 years of rescue with K9 Kismet! Enjoy an evening spent making a difference for rescue dogs, featuring delicious food, cocktails, raffles and performances by the incredible Killer Dueling Pianos. Every ticket purchased helps K9 Kismet continue to save homeless dogs and give them the second chance they deserve. Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance, so get yours here!

Paws, Paws and Piano Wars takes place Saturday, Aug. 29, 6 p.m.–9 p.m., At the Top, 105 West Broadway, Long Beach. Tickets $75, donations welcome

Frost Fund’s Annual Fall Festival Fundraiser

Pull on your Western boots, button up your flannels, gallop across the county line, and celebrate autumn with Frost Fund at Chapman Crafted Beer! Enjoy an evening of yummy food, line dancing, local brews, raffle prizes, autumn-themed games and local vendors. Your doggy can dress up, too, and enter the costume contest, and children are more than welcome. Strollers are fine, too, but watch out for paws and wagging tails.

Through social and news media, Frost Fund finds placement in local and out-of-state rescues, sanctuaries and forever homes for dogs and cats in dire need of rescue. Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS) pets have been beneficiaries of their volunteer efforts. Like many small nonprofits, Frost Fund is financed through donations and fundraisers like this one, so purchase tickets here. Early bird tickets are on sale until Aug. 23. If you’re currently a student, use code YOUTH at checkout for a discount, and bring your student ID at the event.

The Fall Festival Fundraiser takes place Oct. 24, 4 p.m.–8 p.m. at Chapman Crafted Beer, 123 N. Cypress St., Orange. Ticket prices vary.

Need a low-cost veterinarian, information about trapping community cats, places to volunteer, pet food, veterinary assistance, rescues and shelters to adopt from — anything pet related? Follow this link for resources. Please add your own ideas in the Comments section.