Jackie Allenbrand talks helping disabled farmers with our four-legged friends

Jackie Allenbrand started the PHARM Dog USA program in 2005.  PHARM stands for: Pets Helping Agriculture in Rural Missouri. She and her husband used dogs on their own farm to work the cattle and wondered if a dog could be trained for further farm use.  After meeting a farmer with a partial leg amputation and talking with him about his dog she decided to pursue the idea of training dogs for farmers dealing with an illness or injury.  

Since developing the program the group has placed several dogs with farmers with a disability or illness that need the help of a 4-legged farm hand.  The program uses Border Collies for herding purposes and Labs saved from shelters or rescues for service work. Opening gates and retrieving tools are a few things dogs can be trained to do on the farm. PHARM Dog USA became a not for profit in 2012.

Jackie and her husband Chris live on a farm in NW Missouri and have a cow/calf herd.

Find out more at www.PharmDog.org