Lassie and Rin Tin Tin won’t be saving hikers from disasters in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.But Ruth Ottiger of Akron is there — along with Roxy, her 6-year-old German shepherd.Ottiger and Roxy have been joined by 41 other human-dog teams to patrol the 33,000-acre federal park between Akron and Cleveland.Welcome to the Paw Patrol, a new volunteer group in the Cuyahoga Valley park.Training for volunteers includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first aid, radio use and learning about the park, its history, its resources and its operations.Volunteers have each pledged to work at least 40 hours a year. They can patrol trails of their choice whenever they choose.The dogs involved range from Chihuahuas and poodles to Dalmatians and Newfoundlands, organizers said.The patrols by the new park ambassadors began in late May.The volunteers wear khaki T-shirts, and their leashed dogs have matching bandannas. A few dogs have vests. The volunteers patrol in pairs on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail and on hiking trails. They answer questions and share park information with visitors. They are in contact with rangers if problems are discovered.Cuyahoga Valley is one of the first national park units in the country to form a volunteer-canine patrol group, and other parks are watching its development, said ranger Brady Bourquin.Cuyahoga Valley is also one of the few national parks that allow dogs on leashes on trails.Ottiger, a 51-year-old social worker, came up with the idea two years ago after park officials rebuffed her efforts to patrol trails with Roxy. “It’s my baby,” she said proudly of the new group.She admits she got teary when the 42 dogs and owners got together for the first Paw Patrol photo.When Ottiger initially inquired, she was told that dogs are not allowed to be part of the park’s Trailblazer program of volunteers, who have been described as additional eyes and ears to aid park rangers.Dog patrols are not part of the volunteer program, she was told back then.Roxy is “my best friend and my kid. We do everything together,” she said. “And I know plenty of people with dogs in the park. I knew I wasn’t alone.“We had to invent a program and we did.”She worked with ranger Mary Pat Doorley to develop a plan for the Paw Patrol that finally won approval of top park officials.It was, at times, a slow and frustrating process, Ottiger said. “I didn’t give up. I just kept at them.”An organizational meeting for the Paw Patrol was held in late February and drew 65 participants.The next step was screening owners and dogs and training the volunteers and their dogs.The dogs had to muster approval from Bourquin and Ottiger in a face-to-face meeting, as well as pass the American Kennel Club’s canine good-citizen test.The dogs have to be social, well behaved and trained, they said.The key to the program is having volunteers meeting park visitors, said Ottiger, who typically patrols with Roxy two or three times a week.“Animals and nature. That’s what I do. That’s my real calling,” she said.Being in the park with Roxy, a rescue dog, is part of a spiritual, healing process to overcome personal health problems, Ottiger said.Other volunteers are thrilled to be patrolling in the park with their pets.“It’s a fun way to be in the park, and it’s been a really good experience,” said Joanne Kazar, 67, of Strongsville, who typically patrols once a week with Avery, her 2-year-old Shetland sheepdog.“It’s fun exploring new sections of the park, too,” she said. “It’s a way to get involved and to get a little exercise.”Melissa Strefeler, 32, of Clinton, patrols with Mia, her Newfoundland, once or twice a week.“I love it. We’re out and we’re interacting with people,” she said. “We’re doing the thing we love to do.”The Paw Patrol’s initial results are very encouraging, Bourquin said.Nearly all of the Paw Patrol volunteers are new volunteers in the park, and that’s big, he said.The Paw Patrol could grow, if the interest is there, Bourquin said.The park and the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the friends-of-the-park group, will probably be seeking and training additional volunteers for the Paw Patrol early next year.For information about the program, contact the conservancy at 330-657-2142 or
volunteer@forcvnp.org.Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.