Two tragedies led to Frankie, the 22-month-old Golden Retriever.
The first, an Amtrak derailment in 2015.
It was after the derailment that Bob Corrigan, on-site with the Philadelphia Fire Department, met Wyatt, a Golden Retriever search dog sent to assist with the crash. Bob had always wanted a Golden since he was young, and he was impressed with Wyatt’s skill both when he searched for victims and afterwards when he comforted the firefighters. “He was a very sweet dog,” Bob shared. “It reminded me of my love for Golden Retrievers and I went home from that call, telling Laurie, we’ve got to think about a Golden Retriever.”
Bob and his wife, Laurie, had experienced family dogs as children, but not as adults. “It had been 30 years since either one of us had a dog,” Laurie explained. “When we got to the point in our life where we realized we could have a dog, he’d always wanted a Golden Retriever and I was in agreement with that, provided that it was a girl, so it’d be a little smaller than a boy, and if we were going to get a large dog, she would have to be well trained.”
And the second, the last large aircraft accident at Philadelphia International Airport in 1951.
A few years after assisting with the Amtrak derailment, Bob became the Fire Chief at Philadelphia International Airport. “Once there, he learned about the story of Mary Francis ‘Frankie’ Housley,” Laurie explained. “There is a memorial to her at the airport fire station. Frankie was the lone flight attendant on a flight that crashed at Philadelphia International Airport in 1951. She is credited with saving 10 passengers before going back into the burning plane to find a missing infant. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it out and was found with the infant in her arms. She was considered a brave hero for her actions. When it came time to select a name for our Golden, Bob really liked the idea of “Frankie.” Her AKC name is Golden Glory Hero Mary Francis.”
They researched reputable breeders and picked Golden Glory, visiting the breeder’s home and interacting with other families who had brought home puppies. “We were impressed with the temperament and good looks of all of their dogs,” Laurie shared. “We also liked that the breeder stays involved in all of their Goldens’ lives and is always available for questions and support.”
They brought Frankie home when she was eight weeks old. “It was pretty exciting as well as an emotional day,” Laurie shared. “We got to follow the litter as they grew up. We got to visit a couple of times. We didn’t know which puppy would be ours until the day before. They were all incredibly adorable. It was really exciting bringing her home. She was really nervous on the car ride, initially shaking. She sat in my husband’s daughter’s lap and that helped calm her down. She was a good girl on the hour ride home. She’s ended up being a good traveler and she’s great in the car on long distances. I remember filming when we brought her in the house and put her down. She immediately started running around and looking all over the place and was completely in control. She was like, “This is my place.”
Bob added, “That’s exactly how she was. She walked around and didn’t show any fear at all. She never cried at night for her siblings or her mother. She went to bed and got used to her new home. She fit right in.”
The couple started training immediately. “We had not heard of Philly Unleashed yet,” Laurie shared. “We did a puppy kindergarten with the breeder and a couple of her littermates. That covered a lot of the basics like sit, stay and go to your spot. We did a little recall. We worked on leave it.
They moved on to Obedience 1 with another organization before discovering Philly Unleashed through a friend. With a training location in Manayunk and a track for therapy certification, Laurie and Bob decided to give Philly Unleashed a try. “When we went to the orientation, immediately we saw it was a different kind of environment than the Obedience 1 class we had gone to,” Laurie shared. “The trainers talked about using positive reinforcement and how to communicate with your dog. We got the impression it would be educational AND fun.”
They’ve enjoyed the classes. “It’s been great for us,” Laurie continued. “We enjoy going, we love seeing Alicia and Dawn, and Frankie has come such a long way while we’ve been with Philly Unleashed. She seems to love going to Pet Friendly Dog Bakery. When we get her out of the car she just goes crazy running to the door to get there. She knows where she’s going.”
Bob added, “There’s a relationship with Alicia and Dawn. Frankie loves them and we love them and we can tell it’s a lot more fun. There’s a relationship there and we can’t say enough good things about the jobs that both of them do.”
And their relationship with Frankie has been changed by training as well. “I describe it as a growth,” Bob said. “We’ve always had a great relationship with her, but it almost feels like we’re growing together and understanding each other. It’s been a nice experience.”
They also spend time outside of classes working on their cues. “The time that we’ve invested in training is not just in the class,” Laurie explained. “We do a lot of reinforcement at home. It’s strengthened our bond. She looks at us more – she’s more responsive to us and I think that our relationship has become over time even more enjoyable. Some of the areas that we’ve worked on with her are her greetings with other people and being able to be a well-behaved dog not just at home but in public. The progress that we’ve made, and she’s made, has enabled us to bring her more places and it’s an enjoyable experience.”
The work they’ve done, which is also leading towards their goal of Frankie becoming a certified therapy dog, includes reducing her jumping. “She’s always been very enthusiastic,” Laurie shared. “She loves people and would get very excited when people would come to the house. She would jump on them. When she was a 15-pound puppy that was one thing but when she hit 40 – 50 – 60 pounds we couldn’t have her jumping. Alicia and Dawn have helped us with greetings and sitting when greeting people. She’s come a long way with that and it’s really unbelievable. This morning when she saw people during a walk, she immediately sat and looked at them and was like, ‘Please pet me.” Other people ask how old she is and say, ‘Oh, she’s so well behaved. She’s not jumping, my dog would be jumping all over other people.’ She doesn’t jump at all anymore. It helps us bring her places and she responds to people and people respond to her because she’s being so good.”
They have found Frankie to be both sweet and sassy. “I love her loyalty,” Bob shared. “The trust that she has in us. You can tell that she trusts us and we trust her. She’s just so smart.”
And she’s a fast learner. “It’s amazing to me how quickly she learns things,” Laurie shared. “Even as a puppy, within 24 hours of bringing her home, she knew where the front door was to go out. She’s really smart and she’s always happy. She seems to really enjoy life and loves being around people and meeting new people and new dogs.”
If she wants to meet a new person, however, she has to show off her manners. “We always reinforce the greetings and we look for opportunities for her to meet people in public,” Laurie said. “We leverage whoever we run into, whether neighbors or complete strangers. When they ask if they can pet her, we say yes, only if she’s sitting. If she gets up or gets excited, they have to pull their hands away. That helps her good behavior.”
These days, they’re working on Level 2, with talks to move into Level 3.
Laurie recommends taking advantage of professional dog trainers, especially as a first-time dog owner. “We read a lot of books before we brought her home and you think that’s going to be enough,” Laurie shared. “We watched a lot of YouTube videos on how to train a dog, but there’s nothing like being there with someone who can help you through. And start the training early. I think that’s helpful. Don’t wait until you have an adult dog who has become challenging. If you can, get started early and get yourself and the dog on a path to strong obedience skills. It benefits you and the dog. Regular, ongoing training has made such a difference for us and Frankie. We don’t see it as a short-term thing, but as something we plan to keep up throughout her life. There is always something to learn and reinforce. My advice is to be consistent, but to also be patient. I think being patient was initially hard for me and I sometimes got disappointed with our progress. Alicia and Dawn were quick to point out the progress that has been made and helped us to set realistic goals.”
