Community Corner

Military Dog Handlers Make A Difference At SPCA Tampa Bay

It is only Staff Sgt. Shannon Hutto's second day donating his time and expert dog training skills, and already SPCA Tampa Bay is seeing the benefit.

It is only Staff Sgt. Shannon Hutto's second day donating his time and expert dog training skills, and already SPCA Tampa Bay is seeing the benefit.

"One of the dogs they spent about an hour's worth of training time with was adopted within a couple hours after they left," said Meagan Montmeny, SPCA's behavior department manager. "The most recent report was that he understands sit and he understood down."

Hutto and Eddie, a military working dog who sniffed a bomb inches from Hutto's foot thus, saving his life while deployed in Afghanistan, received so much positive support since being nominated for this year's American Hero Dog of the Year Award, and now he and other handlers from MacDill Air Force Base are finding a way to give back. 

"They thought it would be cool if we can incorporate our job with our volunteer work," Hutto said. "This right here is just up our alley."

So Hutto contacted Montmeny at SPCA and she eagerly accepted their help. 

She said the military handlers' training training techniques were all positive. 

"It was directly aligned" with what she believes in, Montmeny said. "I thought, this is going to be fantastic." 

Because of their expertise, Montmeny is able to pick out certain dogs who need extra behavioral help.

On Friday, Hutto went with five Air Force handlers as part of regular volunteer time, which also doubles as extra training for the handlers, he said. And with the crew he brought with him, Hutto said they can typically work in a basic training session, teaching basic obedience and commands, for up to three dogs an hour. 

"They won't be fully trained," he said, because it's just one session. "They would need a lot more training" once they're adopted.

He hopes to inspire others to get involved.

"They do have limited people volunteering here helping them out," he said. "So just if anything, just coming out here and walking the dogs — you don't have to adopt one — is better than nothing."

Want to Volunteer?

Contact Nicole Bardell, SPCA Tampa Bay's volunteer program director, at nbardell@spcatampabay.org

Want to Vote for Eddie?

Eddie's campaign for American Hero Dog of the Year is being spearheaded by a Dunedin woman. Right now, Eddie, a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois, is in fifth place, Hutto said. Online voting runs through noon on July 30. (Vote for Eddie here, or follow him on Facebook.)

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