Meet “Apollo” - Soon to Be Full Time Resident at AMR
(Vancouver, Washington) – AMR Clark County has a special new resident - a four-month-old, chocolate brown Labradoodle! “Apollo” currently resides in the home of his Foster Puppy Parents, AMR Paramedics Scott and Kanessa Thompson and their 2 young daughters, Mikinley (7), and Harper (3). Around the time of his first birthday (December 23, 2019) Apollo will call Clark County Operations (at 409 NE 76th Street, Vancouver), his permanent home. Kanessa, Scott, and Clark County Paramedic Supervisor Andrew Cherry will be Apollo’s official permanent handlers. “He sleeps like a baby,” says Kanessa of the puppy’s sleep habits, “he needs about twelve hours of sleep a day!”
Apollo is a bundle of hypoallergenic fluff and joy! A vote by AMR Clark County employees determined the pup’s name. Apollo’s original name, “Alfred Hitchcock,” was from the breeders at Trail’s End Labradoodles. Check out Apollo and his former littermates at: www.trailsendlabradoodles.com. Apollo likes people and gets along well with Kanessa and Scott’s two yellow labs, Oakley and Maggie. At about 10 months old, he will receive his certification in obedience training, followed by therapy training. When full grown, Apollo will weigh in at around 50 – 70 pounds.
Event: Meet and Greet with Apollo, AMR Therapy Dog
Paramedics, Kanessa, and Scott Thompson, other AMR personnel
Date: April 24, 2019, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 pm
Location: AMR Clark County, 409 NE 76th Street, Vancouver, WA 98665
Apollo will be the first therapy dog at one of AMR’s EMS (Emergency Medical Services) West Coast Operations. Visits from a therapy dog can lower blood pressure and heart rate, reduce anxiety, increase levels of endorphins and oxytocin and have been widely used to relieve stress. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. The dogs have shown time and again how they can drastically relieve the stress of first responders. AMR now has thirteen therapy dogs nationwide. Two dogs are certified and eleven are in training.
Since his arrival, young Apollo has been going through exposure training – gently learning to be around people: in schools, fire and police stations, nursing homes, and people using wheelchairs and walkers. When he finishes his training and testing, and receives his credentials, Apollo will get his therapy dog certification patch and a vest embroidered with his name. “I think he is a really smart dog,” states Kanessa Thompson, “We taught him to shake hands in one day.” Apollo has also been visiting schools in classes with up to 30 kids at a time; he has shown no signs of being afraid.
Apollo has a wonderful career ahead of him and will have a big EMS family… he will have a regular schedule of meetings, school and community visits, and playing fetch in the ambulance bay. He will provide comfort for AMR personnel in Clark, Clackamas, and Multnomah Counties as needed, but will also be available to support AMR’s partners in the fire service and law enforcement.
When Apollo begins his next chapter as a full time resident at AMR Clark County, he will have a quiet space of his own - a place where he can relax and where the nighttime supervisor will put him to bed each night. (Bedtime story optional)
High on the list of Apollo’s training agenda, however, is teaching him not to eat Barbie dolls and socks…
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About American Medical Response
American Medical Response, Inc., America’s leading provider of medical transportation, provides services in 40 states and the District of Columbia. More than 28,000 AMR paramedics, EMTs, RNs and other professionals work together to transport more than 4.8 million patients nationwide each year in critical, emergency and non-emergency situations. AMR also provides fire services through Rural Metro Fire Department, www.ruralmetrofire.com, and managed transportation services through Access2Care, www.access2care.net. AMR is a subsidiary of Global Medical Response, www.GlobalMedicalResponse.com. For more information about AMR, visit www.amr.net and follow American Medical Response on Facebook @AMR_Social on Twitter and Instagram.