Testimonials
A man and his dog
At 3 years old and 102 pounds, Tundra is still a puppy
By Carol La Valley, Roundup staff reporter
Friday, February 1, 2008
Dare Harry Viezens to do something and he just might do it.
Harry Viezens with his service dog, Tundra.
That is, if his service dog, Tundra, lets him.
Harry is the tall, affable man wearing a big smile under his cowboy hat, holding on to the leash of a white Alaskan malamute.
Although Harry was born without the ability to hear, he refuses to let that interfere with the joy and business of living.
Deafness never stopped him from building a house, riding a horse or shaping iron.
"When I was a kid, I made up my mind not to feel sorry for myself, but to be answerable for, make the best of my life," Viezens said.
His parents sent him to "deaf oral" schools for the hearing-impaired.
In kindergarten, he learned to speak his second language, English, his first is German. He also learned to read lips.
Fast forward to adulthood.
Perhaps there was no better moment lip reading than when Marcia said yes to his marriage proposal on their second date.
When he decided to make his living in construction, people were afraid to hire him because of the liability.
"They needed extra proof that I could do the job," Viezens said.
Undaunted, he became an entrepreneur and a contractor, as well as taking care of the family farm.
Usually, there was a malamute, Marcia's canine breed of choice, wandering about the farm.
In 2002, the Viezens decided to semi-retire.
Several times, Harry had driven through Payson on business.
They sold their Midwest farm and relocated to the Rim Country.
In 2005, the Viezens brought a large, furry four-footed malamute puppy home.
They named her Tundra.
"I was walking with her in the woods one day and for some reason, Tundra got in front of me. She wouldn't let me go forward, right or left.
"I didn't know why, but she probably had a darn good reason," Harry said.
He wondered if Tundra could learn to become a service dog.
He had considered applying for a service dog in the past. The $8,000 cost, combined with a three- to four-year wait, kept him from it.
"And you don't have a choice of breed," Harry said.
At 6'3'' tall, Harry just could not see himself with a small dog, such as a beagle or a sheltie.
Tundra, at nearly 3 years old, is still a puppy. She tips the scale at 102 pounds.
After the incident in the woods, Tundra began dog training with Lori Chandler and Margie Mansell at Leader of the Pack.
Next was agility training with Jane Burlison.
Tundra is unusual in the service dog world for several reasons.
"She is smart, because this breed is used as sled dogs," Marcia said.
Malamutes are independent-thinking dogs. This does not make them great candidates as service dogs, Harry added.
While most service dogs answer to just one master, the Viezens have trained Tundra to answer to either of them.
They did not need the usual timers and buzzers people generally use to give commands to service dogs.
When Marcia commands "Bring Harry," Tundra's ears prick up and she turns Harry around.
"She's got quite a pull," Harry said.
It takes work to keep Tundra's training current, while at the same time allowing her time for just being a dog.
Before Harry takes Tundra with him, he has to make sure his energetic dog has had play-time, so she is prepared to focus on work.
He must groom Tundra, so she will be acceptable in businesses. Tundra needs to eat long enough before they leave to evacuate, so she doesn't get car sick or need to go at an inappropriate moment.
"We can't duplicate the distractions in public at home, so we get out in public at stores," Harry said.
Harry Viezens walks his service dog, Tundra.
"Dennis in produce at Safeway helps with distractions if they go to the store, and it happens to be his shift."
There is an etiquette for people's behavior around service dogs.
The fact that some people are oblivious to it drives the Viezens crazy.
"Please ignore her. She's working," is the answer to, "can I pet her?"
"And please, don't get mad when we say you can't pet her," Marcia said.
It is okay to say, ‘oh, pretty dog,' or some such in passing, but people should not stand and baby-talk or reach out to pet a service dog.
These things break a service dog's concentration and then the dog's master has to reset the focus to work.
At the end of the day, when they are ready to go home, is the time Harry might let people pet Tundra.
Off-duty, at home Tundra gets bossed around by Boy, the cat.
A squeaky spiked ball and a Kong doll with peanut butter in it are two of Tundra's favorite toys.
"Every morning she jumps in bed and hugs us with her paws," Marcia said.
"People are curious to know how the dog actually helps me," Harry said.
Tundra alerts Harry when someone is at the door. She warns him if she hears sirens when Harry is driving.
She points her nose in the direction of something she finds strange and stops Harry so he can assess the situation.
Tundra has quickly learned everything the Viezens have asked of her.
"If I could train a horse the way I've trained Tundra, I could jump to the moon," Harry said.
The tricks are constancy and keeping training fun," he said.
She has not flown on a plane yet, but the Viezens will be taking her on an Alaska cruise soon.
Tundra's impeccable manners have earned her a Good Citizenship award and she is certified as a Therapy Dog.
A letter to the editor from the Payson Roundup:
Dear Editor,
I am not sure where or if you will want to put this in your paper but I think it could be helpful to many people in the community, especially dog owners. And if they have a problem pet, this could make a difference in their quality of life.
I had a problem pet. A Jack Russell Terrier that has been aggressive to other dogs. Other wise a wonderful dog. The problem got so bad I began walking her with a muzzle over her mouth. While at the vet one day I saw a flyer on the bulletin board about BEHAVIOR CLASS’. I called and told them my problem. They said they felt sure they could help and gave me the information for the next scheduled class.
I have seen dog trainers on TV and thought how great it would be have them around to help. Well these ladies don’t have a TV show but they know what they are doing. And they are right here in Payson. I can’t give them enough credit for the wonderful work they do. My dog and I were in class with several others, each having their own special problem. It was amazing the difference after the first lesson. The hardest thing to accept was that the dog didn’t create the problem, I did.
Please don’t give up on your dog. The Humane Society in Payson already has a full house. If you don’t have any bad problems with your dog but just want to be able to walk it without being dragged down the street, I urge you to call them,” Leader of The Pack”. Lori Chandler 476-2633 or Margie Mansell 478-6489.
Kelly Gunderson and Trixie, Very satisfied customers.
Teik, my young Beauceron was having issues walking by other dogs or people without becoming almost aggressive. Well, I am proud to report....success. Teik is walking by dogs with almost no issue. I have regained faith and trust in our relationship.
Just the other day - while we were having windows replaced the woker left the gate open and all five dogs - took a walk together - ok, ok...they high tailed it right out of the gate. The good news is that Teik recalled without an issue. One of my neighbors was outside trying to help me round them up. I was so excited that Teik walked right past him without so much as a look. It was great!!
As you remember, one of the major incidents that contributed to my losing leadership with him occured last spring when while walking all five of my pack down the street, a neighbor and his two dogs passed. I ended up being literally dragged across the street by my arms. I had really lost faith in my self and avoided walking them at all together and only one at a time if it was really late at night. Well, I recently had a chance to watch the guy that had the two dogs walk around the neighborhood. Wow! what insight. I hadn't seen him since and he is not leading! His dogs are all over dragging and pulling . In retrospect, I must have not been really paying attention on the walk. My five, picked up on my lack of leadership and noticing the "threat" of his dogs - which in fact they really are and decided to be leaders. Well, I feel much better and just wanted to let you know. Thanks again.
Margaret