Through a Dog's Eyes
a story about the extraordinary bond between humans and dogs
In this audio story, two Denison students, Nicole Landa '23 and Zoe Hines '24 explain their relationships with their emotional support animals, Cassie and Bentley, who, at times, kept them alive. And a special bonus from Jim Brand, who brings his pup Bailey to campus every week to provide therapy to students.
paws
Nicole and Cassie with their favorite flower.
(photo by Nicole Landa)
Cassie enjoying the snowfall.
(photo by Nicole Landa)
Zoe and Bentley in front of Taylor House, where they live at Denison University.
(photo by Zoe Meyer)
Jim and Bailey waiting for students to pass by on one of Denison's most traveled paths.
(photo by Zoe Meyer)
How much do we truly understand the wide-reaching impact of our four-legged companions?
In this mini-doc, enter the mind of a dog. Learn more about Buckeye Paws, a program made up of certified therapy dog-handler teams, focused on helping students and faculty at the Ohio State University and staff at the Wexner Medical Center. And beyond.
a story of abuse, rehabilitation, and hope
Rocky was strictly an outside dog at his previous home in Kentucky. He was tied up, left out in the snow, and shot at for chasing cows around the farm.
After his keeper signed over the surrender form, Rocky was treated for severe frostbite, eye and ear infections, and three different types of intestinal parasites. He was 55 pounds when he was rescued, now he’s 75.
Original Facebook post (Rocky to the left)
Original Facebook post (Rocky to the left)
Jeannette Elum saw a photo of Rocky, formerly known as Scooby, up on the Facebook page of Canine Castaways Rescue, an independently operated, non-profit facility dedicated to saving dogs that have been tossed aside. Pulling from kill shelters in the nick of time, CCR allows dogs another shot at life. Rescued canine castaways are then evaluated, rehabilitated, and sent through an extensive adoption process to find a permanent home worthy of them.
Jeannette knew it was her job to turn Rocky’s life around. He looked exactly like her childhood pup. She picked up her phone and texted her mom, her thumbs moving at warp speed, “Mom! I found a dog who looks just like Duke.”
On a frigid Wednesday in March after work, Jeannette and her mom drove from Columbus to Indiana. The roads were empty. It was as if they had been cleared just for them. And Rocky was waiting.
The whole ride back home Rocky stood, immovable, assessing his surroundings. Trusting no one.
“In the first months we had some serious struggles. I knew he was acting out because of where he had come from, but I also had hope for where he could go,” Jeannette said. “Giving him up wasn’t an option. And giving up on him wasn’t an option.”
His first night home with Jeannette, Rocky was afraid of the elevator and wouldn’t even look in the direction of the stairs. Every new turn sounded an alarm in his mind.
Jeannette swept Rocky up and carried him into the elevator. She plopped down on the floor and cradled him the entire ride up to the third floor.
Rocky was offered a dog bed but chose the confines of a crate instead. So Jeannette curled up right next to him in her one bedroom apartment, dozing off to the sounds of his whimpers. She placed her hand to the side of his crate, hoping he’d sense her.
After months of no success in connecting with Rocky, Jeannette decided to take him to Tranquil Pax dog training.
He was placed in a 3 week board and train program where he lived and breathed trust-building training. Owner and trainer of Tranquil Pax, Elizabeth Liss has over a decade of experience in handling dogs and training owners and their canine partners how to effectively communicate to a level they never thought possible.
Trainers worked with Rocky to slowly introduce him to other dogs and people until he finally came to the revelation that he was in safe hands (and paws).
“He came back a completely different dog,” Jeannette said. “When I went to pick him up he sprinted into my arms.”
Rocky was no longer afraid to play or bark or approach a man. It’s as if his memory had been wiped. The trainers at Tranquil Pax discovered his reset button.
Rocky and Jeannette (photo by Jeannette Elum)
Rocky and Jeannette (photo by Jeannette Elum)
After saving Rocky, Jeanette decided to join the board of Canine Castaways Rescue. One of the very first cases she faced was a house full of thousands of receipts, a fridge stocked with rotting food, boxes filled to the brim with cracked picture frames, and 92 dogs. A hoarding case. She couldn’t believe the conditions these dogs had survived.
“I see Facebook messages and people every single day say, ‘I'm moving, I can't take my dog. I’m this, I’m that, I can’t take my dog.’ I've cried so many nights over it,” Jeannette said.
Jeannette’s eight-year-old companion, Rocky, 87.5% Boxer and 12.5% Beagle, is proof of Canine Castaways Rescue’s extraordinary helping hand. And Rocky’s story has helped other dogs at CCR get adopted.
On top of volunteering at Canine Castaways, Jeannette has worked in the medical field as an Assistant Administrator in the Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck surgery at OSU Wexner Medical Center for the past four years. COVID hit her hard. In the earlier months of the pandemic, Jeannette leaned heavily on Rocky.
“He’s my best friend. I can’t imagine life without him. He makes every day happy and beautiful, and if I come home anxious or exhausted from a rough day at work, he’s right there to love me into a happy place again,” Jeannette said. “And when I walk in the door now, he bends practically in half with wiggles at the sight of me.”
When she heard of a program called Buckeye Paws and its mission of supporting the mental and emotional health of staff at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center through highly trained, certified therapy dog-handler teams, Jeannette realized Rocky could help others like he’s helped her.
Rocky's profile photo on the Buckeye Paws website.
(photo by Jeannette Elum)
One day at work Jeannette walked into her office to find one of her doctors waiting for her. And there Rocky was, sitting right next to him eating half of a ham sandwich. “He looked hungry,” the doctor said.
Rocky visited a man in the ICU one afternoon shortly before he passed away. “I miss my dogs so much, I’m so thankful that I could pet him,” he said.
Another nurse, during the peak of COVID, hugged Rocky into her chest and just started weeping.
Jeannette and her boyfriend take Rocky and Raven to the beach. Rocky doesn’t much prefer the water but loves watching the birds soar. He runs alongside them, believing he might at some point sprout wings.
Rocky and Raven at the beach (photo by Jeannette Elum)
Rocky and Raven at the beach (photo by Jeannette Elum)
Fact is, Rocky had forgotten how to be a dog.
