World, meet Tundra, a five-year-old border collie/mastiff born in a rescue facility and adopted by loving humans at ten weeks old.
Despite her difficult start in life, Tundra is a success story. She went from abandoned puppy to dog with an incredible mission in just a few short years.
Thanks to the dedication of her beloved human, Carey Hawkins of Niverville, Tundra is a certified therapy dog with St. John Ambulance (SJA). Since then, Tundra has become the deliverer of comfort and joy to the sick, the lonely, and those struggling with life’s hardships.
Tundra was born at the Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue (SAAR) along with nine sibling puppies. Her bedraggled mother, discovered by SAAR workers in the cold month of December, was aptly named Winter. Each of the ten puppies were likewise named for the chilly season in which they came into the world.
From the beginning, Hawkins was astounded by Tundra’s calm and gentle temperament.
“You can’t train temperament,” Hawkins says. “It’s either there or it isn’t.”
Even so, Hawkins enrolled her fur baby in obedience training classes as soon as the dog was ready.
“It was important to my husband and I that she be polite and well-mannered so that we could bring her wherever we went,” she says. “She’s not allowed to beg. She’s not allowed onto furniture unless she’s invited. She can’t pass through a doorway until we say go. That all led to her making a good therapy dog as well.”
Gentle and loving as Tundra may be, though, she’s part border collie, a breed with instincts for herding.
In Tundra’s case, she had a natural tendency to guide the people she met by gently grasping their arm with her jaw and leading them. This, too, had to be trained out of her. Now she carries a toy in her teeth when she feels the urge to herd.
It didn’t take long for others to be drawn in by Tundra’s sweet demeanour. It certainly didn’t hurt, either, that the dog with the shiny black coat is soft as silk to the touch.
“The joy that she brings to me and my husband and family and friends, I just wanted to share this with people.”
The final push for Hawkins to consider certifying Tundra for therapy, though, didn’t happen until a worker at the pet daycare which Tundra attended told Hawkins her story.
That day, the daycare worker had received bad news—and while she kept her emotion in check as best she could, Tundra sensed the worker’s angst and stuck to her side as comfort care.
That’s when Hawkins followed her gut and enrolled Tundra into the SJA pet therapy program.
Unfortunately, at that same time, the province was struck by COVID-19 and everything came to a standstill.
For the next two years, Hawkins stayed vigilant with Tundra’s training until December 2022 when Tundra finally received the SJA evaluation and passed with flying colours.
“I actually started crying when she passed because I was so proud of her,” Hawkins says.
Of course, Hawkins’s joy was completely justified. Not just any dog has the fortitude to pass the rigours of an SJA evaluation.
According to the SJA website, dogs and their handlers are subjected to a variety of situations, stressors, and challenges which could be encountered on a visit to any healthcare facility.
“This will test their temperament, sociability, and ability to follow the handler’s lead,” the SJA website states.
Throughout the test, the dog cannot demonstrate fearful or aggressive behaviour, regardless of the stress encountered. They must be friendly towards other dogs and strangers and be easy for the handler to control.
“A good therapy dog will beg for attention, using a quiet mannerly disposition,” the website continues. “The dog cannot show rejection, nor be too boisterous or assertive in its behaviour.”
Tundra and Hawkins eagerly began their voluntary service this February, starting with a visit to the residents of the Niverville Credit Union Manor. Since that time, the duo has been making weekly visits to the seniors in the facility who request it.
“It’s been very successful,” Hawkins says. “There was a bond [formed] very quickly with especially one woman. It’s really amazing to see.”
Since then, Hawkins and Tundra have also been dropping in at the monthly seniors breakfast, held at the Niverville Golden Friendship Centre.
“No one has yet to say no to having Tundra there. They’re all pretty smitten with her.”
And while Hawkins has every intention of continuing to deliver joy to local seniors, she’s got a couple more bucket list locations to hit.
This month, Hawkins fulfilled one of them when she visited the students at the University of Manitoba during exam week. When she and Tundra arrived, she says, they could barely get through the crowds of students to their posting.
“The amount of students that were there and loved on her, it was just incredible.”
Next on Hawkins to-do list is a visit to the Winnipeg International Airport, applying dog therapy to jittery and tired airport patrons.
Working a full-time job in Winnipeg doesn’t stop this Niverville resident from volunteering her time in this way. Hawkins works evenings and weekends if necessary to fit the volunteer visits in during the day.
“This has had such a positive impact on my life,” says Hawkins. “I feel less stressed myself… A part of me feels selfish in a way because this has been so rewarding for me. To be able to bring smiles to so many faces and see the impact she has on people everywhere she goes.”
In the past year, Hawkins has also become the event education coordinator for SAAR, and Tundra is the organization’s official education ambassador.
“Because Tundra’s from the rescue, we like to showcase that these dogs can still be wonderful pets, even though they’re not pure breeds.”
On May 12, Hawkins is excited to be invited, along with Tundra, to an assembly with all of the students at the Niverville Elementary School on behalf of SAAR.
As if all this wasn’t enough, Tundra has one more mission: to help animals in distress. Every few weeks, Tundra and a doggy pal also donate blood with the Canadian Animal Blood Bank.
To learn more about Tundra, visit her personal Instagram account at Rescued Tundra.