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KSDS Assistance Dogs

Posted on by Pat Melgares
Corwin, an assistance dog, with girl in a wheelchair
Corwin, an assistance dog, with Angela

On a transatlantic flight to Europe, Éclair is arriving in Ireland. But this isn’t just another jet-lagged tourist: This is a four-legged traveler.

Éclair is a black lab puppy. She went to Europe as part of an exchange to help enhance the service dogs that assist people across the nation, and she was sent by an assistance dog service in rural Kansas.

Bryce Dolan is director of marketing and fundraising for KSDS Assistance Dogs Inc., which sent the puppy Éclair to Ireland as part of an international exchange.

KSDS had its beginnings through 4-H. In 1987, 4-H dog project members from Cloud, Riley and Washington counties began serving as puppy raisers for assistance dog organizations in Ohio and California.

When they realized that very few of these assistance dogs were being placed in the Midwest, they wanted an assistance dog training facility for people in the central U.S.

In 1990, the Kansas Specialty Dog Service (now known as KSDS) opened its doors in Washington, Kansas. KSDS is a non-profit organization that provides professionally trained guide and service dogs for people in need of a canine partner. KSDS is led by CEO Duane Toews and a board of volunteers.

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Donna Krug, bicycle trail

Posted on by Pat Melgares

“Due to the pandemic, it’s not been possible to travel and see the world. But now, the world has come to us.”

Man and woman riding tandem bike
John and Donna Krug

That’s a paraphrase of a sentiment expressed by one Kansan as he described the benefit of improvements made to the bicycle facilities in his community. These improvements have welcomed people from across the globe.

Last week we met Donna Krug, district director and family and consumer sciences agent for the K-State Research and Extension Cottonwood District in Barton and Ellis Counties. She and her husband John live in Great Bend.

Donna grew up on a farm near the rural community of Washington, population 1,131 people. Now, that’s rural. “We had a tandem (two-seater) bike when I was a kid,” Donna said. After she and John married and had kids of their own, they rode bikes as well.

“We had always been a biking family,” Donna said. In 2000, she and John purchased a tandem bike for themselves. Bicycling became a passion.

“We’ve put 75,000 miles on our tandem bike,” Donna said. “We’ve ridden in every Kansas county and every one of the contiguous 48 states,” she said. While it’s not possible to ride a bike across an ocean, Donna still has hopes of riding a bike in Hawaii.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Mark Nutsch

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Someone has to be the first. When the U.S. military enters an international conflict, some soldier has to be the first to lead his unit into combat. That soldier is like the tip of a dagger, bravely entering a life and death conflict. Today we’ll learn the

Mark Nutsch (center) and colleagues.

remarkable story of a young Kansas man who served his nation in this amazing way.

Mark Nutsch is the former commander of the first Green Beret unit which went in to Afghanistan after the bombing of 9-11. His harrowing and heroic true story would become a major motion picture.

Mark Nutsch grew up near Washington, Kansas. Today his family farms in Wabaunsee County near the rural community of Alma, population 783 people. Now, that’s rural.  Mark came to K-State where he joined the college rodeo team.

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