About HOPE AACR

Our Mission

The mission of HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response is to provide comfort and encouragement through animal-assisted support to responders and individuals affected by crises and disasters.

History
In May 1998, in Springfield, Oregon a tragic shooting by a Thurston High School student left 25 people injured and 4 dead. Survivors and witnesses struggled to cope with their horror and shock. In response to this horrible event, the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) deployed to the school along with two registered Delta Society Pet Partner teams, Sandi Arrington and her dog Garth, and Cindy Ehlers, and her dog Bear. These animal-assisted therapy teams went to work comforting the students. Mental health counselors watched in amazement as the teams helped students who were withdrawn and who were not responding to traditional methods of the human counselors. This tragic event eventually lead Cindy Ehlers to begin what later became know as HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response. Cindy Ehlers came away from the Thurston High School crisis with the realization that pet therapy animals can also bring comfort and support to people suffering from the effects of a critical incident or disaster. With this new insight and a powerful conviction, Cindy was determined to bring this awareness to others.		Cindy & Bear
In that same year, 1998, Ms. Ehlers became a Delta Society Pet Partner Team Evaluator.  Then, in 1999, she became a Pet Partner Instructor. In the fall of 1999, Ms. Ehlers founded HOPE Pets, an organization that offered animal-assisted activities and therapy as part of the Pet Partner program.  In order to ensure safe and effective animal-assisted therapy in crisis and disaster situations, Ms. Ehlers decided that registered Pet Partner teams, who wanted to respond in crisis situations, would need specialized training.  HOPE Pets held its first formal animal-assisted crisis response training in July 2000.  This first course was designed to prepare teams to assist at crisis and disaster scenes, with the emphasis on the canine part of the team. HOPE Pets held a second formal AACR training in June 2001.  Emotional trauma components were added to the training, and the dogs were taught to work and perform specific tasks during these higher levels of stress.  Cindy realized the added components were similar to that of SAR dogs who were classified as working dogs.  As a result of this, the word "pet" was dropped from the name HOPE Pets, and the name HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response was used. In September 2001, Josiah Whitaker and Hoss, Pat Dickinson and Kate, Pat and Bill Gartman and Uno, and Cindy Ehlers and Tikva were called by the American Red Cross to assist in New York City following the terrorists' attack on the World Trade Center.  These teams worked for two weeks in New York City helping people with the effects of this horrible event.  They, along with many other AAT teams, received praise and international recognition for the use of animals in comforting survivors, and for helping first responders and other workers relax and talk about their experiences. The magnitude and depth of this disaster response was hard on both the dogs and handlers. Cindy Ehlers and the other three teams agreed that the handlers would benefit from better crisis intervention and critical incident stress management skills, as well as a greater awareness of their dog's stress signs. The work in New York City proved that animal-assisted crisis response was needed and effective in brining comfort and support to those in need.  In November 2001, HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response was incorporated with Cindy Ehlers leading the organization as its first president and founder. Since November 2001, HOPE AACR has grown to have more than 85 certified crisis response teams in four regions that cover 22 states. Members of the organization have responded to all manner of crises, from major hurricanes, wildfires, train derailments, and school shootings.  The training and education program continues to evolve as teams encounter new challenges working in this much needed endevour.
Regions HOPE AACR has four geographic regions in the United States with certified response teams ready to deploy. Teams deploy within their region or anywhere in the United States. The following is a list of HOPE AACR regions and the states they cover:

About the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is an all-volunteer body of certified crisis response members, elected by and responsible to the membership. The Board of Directors establishes policies, oversees operations, finances, public relations, and the education and training for members. The Board of Directors currently has 11 members. The board selects four officers: president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer.  Each region has a regional director who is responsible for daily operations. The board has three directors-at-large.

Board of Directors:

Dave Valantine, CPDT - president

Amy Rideout - vice president

Eric Rynar - secretary

Bill Hatherley - treasurer

Georgia Whitlock - Pacific Southwest Regional Director

Jill Cucaz - Eastern United States Regional Director

Lori Jacobs - Rocky Mountain Regional Director

Richard Lowy - Pacific Northwest Regional Director

Taryn Hefler - Director-at-large (PSW region)

Vicki Lee - Director-at-large (RMR region)

Catherine Congleton - Director-at-large (PSW region)