Volunteer Makes Canines Smiles

by Natascha Bruckner

From time to time, FETCH highlights a person who exemplifies what it means to "make a difference" in the lives of our pets. Get to know these inspiring individuals though their own words. Know someone who is making a difference in their own way? Tell FETCH, and we’ll consider them for a future issue. Send an email to editors@fetchthepaper.com.

Mike Ossenbeck is a hero, but he wouldn’t want you to call him that. His volunteer work with dogs and their trainers has earned him the admiration of people throughout Sonoma County. Mike says it’s simple; he’s just doing what needs to be done.

Mike is a gentle, unassuming man with an easy laugh. His quiet manner and steady tone reveal what he’s learned from dogs: patience. He’s trusted by humans and canines alike and it’s easy to see why.

"We call him the dog whisperer," says Belinda Meadows, adoption counselor and office manager at the Healdsburg Animal Shelter where Mike has volunteered his expert dog-training services for more than five years. "He’s one of those people doing in life exactly what he should be. He’s never turned down a dog in need." In addition to volunteering with dogs and trainers, Mike runs his own business, Common Ground Dog Training.

We call him the dog whisperer.

One of Mike’s students, Dick Bertapelle, who owns Haydon Street Inn in Healdsburg says “Mike’s class had everything from Pit Bulls to setters, all kinds of personalities. He made it work. He has a special way of communicating with dogs.”

Another student, Bill Paige of Healdsburg, seconded that, describing Mike as “kind, gentle, and understanding. He’s a natural with dogs.” FETCH interviewed Mike in the Healdsburg Plaza, down the road from the shelter where he spends so much time.

How did you develop a love for animals?

I did obedience training in the late 1970s and got a companion dog degree. In 1988 I got hired at Canine Companions for Independence. That was a great job; we got involved in all aspects, from the puppy program through the team trainings. I also went to seminars and learned from Karen Pryor, Lesley Nelson, and Ian Dunbar, who were introducing positive reinforcement.

What was better about positive reinforcement?

Dogs can learn when they’re being corrected, but I don’t think it’s the best way to teach them. If a dog is nervous and afraid, adding something more negative could do damage.

What inspired you to volunteer at the Healdsburg Animal Shelter?

We did a class for volunteers there, and I realized people don’t have a lot of time. I figured I’d better get in there and put some of my time in too. It feels like these are your dogs. You get to know them. If you don’t have time to get them all out, they look at you and bark. When people walk in the kennel and see a bunch of dogs barking and jumping at the gate, they pass them by. And it’s fun too. You see some of these dogs coming out of there for walks; they’ve got big grins on their faces, and they’re just happy to be out. The goal is to relieve the stress. The people are really nice, but it’s pretty stressful for a dog.

What other volunteer work have you done?

For two or three years, I volunteered at Washington School in Cloverdale, doing an after-school program for kindergarten through third grade. We showed them how to train and walk dogs, talked about nutrition, and baked biscuits. At the Rohnert Park shelter I volunteered at a summer camp with animals and kids. On occasion, if a dog is having trouble, I’ll go to people’s homes and volunteer a session too.

What are the biggest challenges in your work?

Trying to find how to motivate volunteers. Figuring out how to make volunteering work for people and dogs. You have to find out what people are interested in and let them design their own way to spend their time. If one likes to handle the dogs and brush them, that’s good. If another likes to play fetch, that’s good.
With dog training, you can’t go too far too fast. Trying to get people to slow down and watch or listen to the dogs and see what the dogs need is problematic. It’s a challenge when you go into a household and the wife wants to do something one way and the husband wants to do something another way. Every time I go into a home, it’s a different situation and I have to adapt. _ at makes it fun.

What do people need to know about dog training?

A lot of times people have to change their behavior in order to make things work. It takes a minimum of fifteen minutes a day to get conditioned responses or to change behaviors, so there has to be a time commitment. Any time you take up a new hobby, like a musical instrument, you have to put in the time doing the scales until it becomes second nature. Training is no different for dogs. It has to become a natural thing, then you have to get the people doing it.

What’s your advice for people who want to help animals?

Find your niche, and get in there and do it. People can walk the dogs so they get some mental stimulation, and teach them things that will make them more adoptable, very simple things. You can do a lot in a short time. Sometimes people aren’t aware that there is a need. That’s how I was too. I didn’t think about the shelter, just drove by on the way to appointments. Then I got in there and saw the dogs.

What have you learned?

Patience. Patience is one thing the dogs will teach us if we let them.