sparkles the fire safety dog

Posted by Barbara Techel

It is with sadness I share the passing of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog.  It was an honor to have met her in April 2010 when Sparkles, her brother Tango, and mom Firefighter Dayna stayed with my family. And an honor to have met a dog who helped save the lives of two families.

Sparkles and her mom visited Wisconsin this past April.  With Frankie and Sparkles, we visited the Elkhart Lake Fire Station where Sparkles showed us how fire fighters get ready for a fire and we rode in the fire truck with Sparkles as co-pilot.  We also visited Elkhart Lake Elementary School and did a visit via Skype with a school in Canada, helping teach kids about fire safety and encouraging them to help others know fire safety that may have special needs.

Sparkles showing Frankie the ropes at the Fire station

Sparkles was a kind, gentle, sweet soul… who always seemed to be smiling.  It is that smile that I will always remember.  Till we all meet again, Sparkles, know you will always have a special place in my heart, as well as Frankie’s.  Thank for being our friend.

Special note:  Sparkles and Frankie are both featured in the Winter issue of The American Dog magazine on most newsstands now (page 24 & 33).  Dayna and I had hoped that one day this would happen… forever united these two special dogs will always be.

 

Cesar’s Milan Magazine Features Our Friends Dayna Hilton & Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog

Posted by Barbara Techel

I’m so thrilled and happy for my and Frankie’s friend Dayna Hilton and her special dog, Sparkles.  If you remember, Frankie and I met them this past April when they stayed with us.  It was a whirlwind 4-days combining our messages and sharing them with Elkhart Lake Elementary School and then a school in Canada via Skype.

So we thought perhaps the dust would settle as we both eased our way back into our busy lives…well with some very much appreciated PR on how our two dogs met and their work ( thanks to Fido Friendly on line blog post and USA Today post) our message began to spread far and wide.

So drum roll please… this is where I say a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Dayna and Sparkles for their story being published in the very popular Cesar’s Way magazine, July 2010 issue!!


I had the opportunity to read it before any of you, thanks to my friend Dayna and her copy she received via the mail today.  It is truly a touching story, filled with the love of a dog and her Mom passionate about sharing the fire safety message.  Dayna has worked so hard, and continues to do all she can to keep kids safe from fires.  She recently started a foundation, Keep Kids Fire Safe to reach even more and save many more lives.

I have no doubt the story in Cesar’s Way will help save lives as well, and I especially love the fire safety tips included in the article that will be useful for families to clip out and put on their refrigerator to remind them to practice fire safety.

The last paragraph was a bit hard to get through because my eyes filled with tears. Anyone who does work with their dogs knows there will come a day to say goodbye. It is not easy with any dog we love, but those of us who work so close in contact with and in spirit with our dogs it seems that much harder…and so reflecting on my own life and the work I do with Frankie, my heart cringed with a bit of sadness as Dayna realizes the time of Sparkles moving on could come sooner, than later.  Sparkles is 11 years old, and not in the best of health, but keeping on in honor of her fire safety message… so reading part of the reason for the foundation had me choking back the tears, while my heart swelled with pride for all Dayna and Sparkles have accomplished.

Way to go you two- we are so proud of you!!

To read more about Sparkles and this exciting news visit her blog!

Using Skype in Classrooms

Posted by Barbara Techel

Skype visit with students in western Canada

Having just finished up a Skype visit with Firefighter Dayna Hilton and her dog, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog with a school in western canada, I wanted to share the experience because there are so many wonderful benefits.  This particular Skype visit was done at my home in Wisconsin so Dayna and I and the dogs were together for this session.  Future visits will have us using Skype from our own homes and hope to set up a 3-way Skype visit with classrooms across the US.  Having done Skype visits with Frankie before, I will continue to offer our presentation as well on a separate basis.

Karen Keys is the Digital Digital Literacy Teacher in western Canada. She involved her 4th grade students in the whole process so they could understand and learn about technology.  She had them as co-hosts of the special event, which I thought was a way for them to feel important, and helpful.  They were able to learn how Skype works in setting it up, being available during the call, and then signing off.

The co-hosts, which were four students, each welcomed us with a special message before we did our presentation.  Dayna and I then shared the fire safety message with them, along with helping those with special needs to make sure they have a plan to get out safe.  Interacting with the students via Skype helps them be a part of the presentation.  Dayna had two fire safety songs which we had the kids sing with us.

Karen also arranged for a fireman to be in the classroom during our presentation.  He stayed once we signed off of Skype to further educate the kids about fire safety.

There were select students who prepared questions ahead of time. Each approached the webcam one by one to ask their question after our presentation.  What a wonderful way for them to get comfortable with being on Skype, as well as conversing with authors!

After the questions were answered the co-hosts each had a thank you message for us before we signed off.  I was so impressed with how Karen involved her students with the whole process of using Skype.  So many valuable lessons in using technology, to meeting authors, to learning to be safe, to learning to stay positive, and helping others with special needs.

In a follow up to Karen to find out her thoughts about the experience she had this to say, “The Frankie and Sparkles buzz was everywhere at lunch! I got a great response from the teachers involved who thought it was a wonderful presentation! The kids LOVED IT!! My principal was very impressed with the whole event and so was Matthew the Fireman…. he couldn’t wait to go back to the firehall to tell all the other firemen about it.”

For me personally, I think using the internet and Skype is a win-win situation for all involved.  As we continue to face economic challenges it helps us to look for creative ways in which we can still reach out to others with our messages.  The ultimate winners in this case are the children.  Technology is our future, so what better way for kids to learn?  And they benefit from also learning positive and inspirational messages which instills in them that they can do anything they set their minds to do.

For further information on a Skype visit with Frankie or Frankie and Sparkles please feel free to visit my website or Frankie and Sparkles blog. Special pages on my website are set up for teachers and librarians to learn more about a Skype visit.

Related Links:

Dayna Hilton (Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog) talking about the experience on Firehouse.com

USA Today article on Sparkles and Frankie visiting via Skype with school in Canada

Frankie and Sparkles Skyping for the first time!