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  “We are so proud of Markus and his caring, hard working and outgoing demeanor,” writes principal Erin Merkley in the nomination submission for grade 4 student, Markus Suzky who is this year’s St. Mary/St. […]

We all strive to be the best we can be and over the past several weeks, seven area dog owners provided their ‘best buddies’ the opportunity to do the same.

The eight, together with their dogs, joined Canine Behaviour and Performance Consultant Jane Madigan for a nine hour workshop that ran over three sessions during the last three weeks in May.

Born and raised in Britain, Madigan has accumulated over 30 years of expertise empowering horses and dogs to reach their full potential.

“I trained as a guide dog ability instructor in the United Kingdom before coming to Canada where I carried on with Canadian Guide Dogs,” explained Madigan as the workshop wrapped up on Thursday, May 31.

During the 15 years working with dogs, Madigan studied different aspects of training technologies including Holistic Training of Guide Dogs, Sensory Enhanced Learning, The Feldenkrais Method, Tellington Touch and Cross Training.

She says she left her career with Guide Dogs 18 months ago, to set up a program in which she could benefit even more dogs. The result is her Inspiredk9s business which she founded in 2010, “to share her knowledge, to encourage ability, sitmulate agility and motivate performance for every dog.”

What she offers the dogs and their owners is “confidence training” as apposed to “obedience training”. In addition to Inspiredk9s business, Madigan volunteers for Hopeful Hearts, a dog rescue organization in Ottawa, where she applies her techniques to help the most physically and psychologically damaged canines back to a state of self confidence and trust in their adoptive owner and their world at large.

The workshop in Morrisburg came about through Madigan’s acquaintance with Paul and Judy Charette. The Charettes are involved with the Canadian Guide Dog program. 

The Morrisburg workshop was the first she has run over three weeks, and she was pleased with the results.

“I think it went really well. I saw great improvements with the dogs and their owners over the three sessions. They have all improved 100 per cent. The handling between the dogs and the owner has improved. I can see the clients now standing back and allowing the dogs to think more. The three weeks gave the people time to absorb and reflect. It’s worked really well.”

Madigan explained that her objective is to enhance a dog’s performance, to make a dog the best he/she can be. “I work at building up the relationship between the dog and the handler by empowering the person with the understanding of what the dog is saying to them.”

Friend and colleague Jade Hill, who worked with Madigan at Guide Dog, explains that, “Jane is enabling the owners to allow the dogs to make decisions by supporting them and guiding them in the right direction.”

“I think all dogs have issues,” says Madigan, “and it’s how to deal with these issues, to understand where the dog is coming from. It is my job to decipher what is going on.”

“The normal perspective of the everyday dog owner is to have control over the dog,” says Hill.

Benefiting from Madigan’s Morrisburg workshop were: Phoebe, a Wheaten Terrier and her owner Janeen Wagemans; Zoya and Zippy, Black Labs and their owner Judy Charette; Tiffany, a Schnauzer, with her owner Sue Nichols; Finnigan a Golden Retriever/Poodle Mix with his owner Jackie MacRae; Abby, a Lab-Bordie Collie mix with her owner Tracey Veinotte; Lily a poodle mix with owner Ree Graham; Mia an Australian Shepherd/hound mix with her handler Jane Domanko who was puppy-sitting for her son Mike and his family.

One of the main issues brought to the workshops by the owners was their dog’s fear of loud noises, in particular thunder. Other issues included fears in general and their inability to control their excitement.

Madigan points out, she does not do “quick fixes”. She works with a dog and its owner to understand what a dog is experiencing and feeling and then assists the dog by bringing it to a state of calm. 

Any dog can have issues whether it be a highly trained working or search and rescue dog or simply a family pet.

“It was very enlightening,” said Tracey Veinotte whose dog Abby is afraid of thunder. “The workshop made me stop and think. I didn’t know what to do to help Abby through a thunder storm.”

Veinotte recalled a recent thunder storm and how she applied both the physical and emotional suggestions learned in the workshop. “She sat on the couch and it didn’t fizz her. She was focused on something else.”

“The workshop has changed my perspective,” said Janeen Wagemans who owns Phoebe a Wheaten Terrier. “Instead of training a dog, you are communicating with your dog. I am no longer being assertive with Phoebe, but more cooperative. Now when Phoebe and I go walking we walk together. I am not walking my dog.”

Ree Graham claimed her best friend Lily, “was just about perfect when we came. However, we are communicating more now. I used to day dream during our walks, but now I have noticed that she watches me all the time.

Jane Domanko, who was babysitting her son’s 5.5 month old Australian Shepherd cross, Mia, said “we’ve had family dogs before, but we’ve never learned how to train a dog properly. I am much more aware now of how to do it.”

“This has been way life changing,” said Jacki MacRae of the changes she was seeing in Finnigan, a high strung retriever poodle mix, who was calmly enjoying the companionship of the other dogs and people. “When Finnigan was with just me and my husband, he was calm.  But he would go from zero to 100 when visitors arrived. This is surreal for Finnigan to be calm.” 

“My philosophy is empowerment,” said Madigan. It’s about giving empowerment to the owner to work with their dog. It’s about allowing the dog to be the best he/she can be. The dog is going to be much happier for it.”

Madigan is now considering a second workshop in the Morrisburg area. She says that while she likes to work with no more than eight dogs, she would welcome additional people to come and observe.

[…]

“This school has fantastic energy. I am deeply impressed with the staff keenness and relationships with the students,” said Kelty Grant, who has assumed her duties as the new principal of Iroquois Public School. “The children are really friendly. I go out in the yard and the kids are happy to see me and to talk to me. That stands out in my mind.”

For Grant, who grew up in Ingleside and attended Rothwell-Osnabruck, coming to Iroquois was a little bit like coming home. She is familiar with the area and with the Upper Canada District School Board for whom she has worked in teaching and administrative capacities since 1992.

Principal Grant received her B.A. at Queen’s University in Kingston, and took her teacher training at McGill University in Montreal. She began her career as an elementary/primary teacher. 

“My first five years in education were spent teaching at the Kanatakoa School, which is part of Awkwesasne, affiliated with UCDSB,” Grant said. “I taught kindergarten, grade three and grade five there and loved the experience. From there I went to Memorial Park, then to Morrisburg Public School where I taught part time.”

Later, Grant split her time between Vincent Massey and Viscount Alexander serving as a vice principal and an acting principal. She brings extensive classroom and administrative experience to her position at Iroquois.

Grant has a family with two children and two step-children and makes her home in Ingleside. 

Although she has only been principal since the late summer, Kelty Grant is delighted with the enthusiasm for teaching and for learning that she sees among teachers, students and parents.

She also praises the support of the custodial and secretarial staffs at the school. She laughed that custodians have already had to cope with wasps in the primary playground.

“IPS teachers have a deep focus on the curriculum,” she said. “They’re willing to experiment and to try different approaches to learning. I find that very progressive. I find they also have a lot of interesting ideas which they are very willing to share. That helps to move a school ahead.”

Grant is already looking forward to the first professional learning community at the school where the staff will examine EQAO results (out soon) and analyze on-going strategies for improvement. She is hoping that the school has succeeded in getting a PRO (Parents Reaching Out) grant  which will help set up a new program designed to help parents develop family literacy, to work with their children at home.

“I’m still getting to know the needs of the school, still discovering what teachers are seeing in their classrooms,” she said. “Then I will have a better idea in what directions to move.”

Grant is aware of some of the priorities at IPS, such as Take Home Reading Programs, the acquisition of more SmartBoards and the need for new playground equipment. Traditions like monthly assemblies, concerts and special events will continue. 

“The most important thing I believe is that every child can learn,” she said. “It’s my job to create an environment where that can happen. All subjects are important. You must develop the whole child.”

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