PUPs Headline Weekly Rotary Luncheon

 
(REDONDO BEACH, California) March 8, 2017 -- Luncheon speaker Heidi Huebner told us about the PUP  program at LAX Airport.  PUP stands for Pets Unstressing Passengers, and Huebner said LAX is one of 43 PUP programs nationwide, five in Canada, and two overseas.
 
PUP is a program whereby trained dogs and handlers roam the departure levels in the gate areas of each terminal, visiting passengers awaiting flights and providing comfort, as well as airport information. For example, about the LAndXt Capital Improvements projects and construction-related traffic impacts at the airport.
 

“These are basically therapy dogs,” Huebner explained. “The dogs and handlers can be easily identified as they are wearing red vests. They need to be friendly and love people.  These are basically family dogs, so they go home with their handler.”
 
"PUPs are available seven days a week.  Each dog and handler works one weekly shift of one to two hours at one assigned terminal. Dogs are carefully selected,” she said.  “The volunteer and dog are observed doing a walk through in a terminal to make sure it is a right fit for both. Observations are made on how they engage with the public.  In addition, the handlers are fingerprinted and badged.”
 
PUP volunteers staff booths scattered throughout the gate areas.
 
Heidi can be reached by email at hhuebner@lawa.org.
 
In other club business . . . .
 
Jim Stickler received a certificate from the Redondo Beach Police Department for his work coordinating club support for the departments domestic violence program.
 
Both Karen Weigel and Dr. Vicki Radel, PDG, talked about the symposium on Child Sex Trafficking at Loyola Marymount University last weekend.  ”Every 30 minutes a minor child is forced into child prostitution.  In fact 100,000 children, ages 12 to 13, are prostituted in our country annually and 70% of them are runaways. And don't think it doesn'thappened here," she added.
 
“Just last year, a French bakery in Torrance was closed down by the Torrance Police Department due to child sex trafficking. So its happening in our own community.  Don’t hesitate to report anything suspicious,” she said.
 
Meals-on-Wheels was provided by George Schane and Amy Zimmermann. Jim Chen led us in the flag salute and Rolando Andrade provided the inspiration.
 
Music for the luncheon was Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, The Rhensih.