NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Image above: Chuck Jackson with his two Great Danes, Blizzard and Typhoon. Credit: NASA/Sean Smith

Chuck Jackson has been working at NASA Langley for more than 35 years. Jackson serves the Center as an IT security specialist.

"I am responsible for vulnerability testing, patchlink administration, and PC administration within the IT Security group," said Jackson.

Jackson enjoys working at NASA Langley because of the people. He explained that "whether co-workers or customers, we have an interesting cross-section of people here at the Center."

Jackson coached Phoebus little league baseball for 22 years, but since then has thrown in the bats and gloves for a new kind of adventure. Jackson visits residents, patients and kids at nursing homes, retirement homes, hospitals and children's facilities with his sidekicks, Typhoon and Blizzard.

"I have two Great Dane therapy dogs that love to make these visits. Currently we make from 25 to 50 visits a month. The benefit of pet therapy has far exceeded my expectations. Both Danes are male harlequins and are very gentle giants," said Jackson.

Jackson has spent a lot of time with his Great Danes visiting places to cheer up those in need of a smile.

"Typhoon is the older and heavier of the two. He turns three years old in April and checks in at 145 pounds. He is the tender-hearted one. Blizzard turned two in February and is a playful puppy at 130 pounds. Blizzard is the tallest with a shoulder height of 35 inches. Therapy Dogs International acknowledges the number of visits that each dog makes. Since the official recording of his visits, Typhoon has more than 400 visits since January 2006. Blizzard has more than 300 visits since March of 2006 (the average for other therapy dogs in the group is 30 to 40 visits per year)," Jackson explained.

Jackson's youngest son, Kris Jackson, is following in his footsteps and has become a certified handler for both dogs as well.

Jackson said, "He has been the primary handler for Blizzard since September 2006 and has over 150 of the 300 visits. Kris is a 16-year-old junior at Phoebus High School."

Jackson also teaches dog obedience in his spare time.

"I specialize in behavior modification and rehabilitation. I have a talent for turning aggressive, biting, destructive or just plain stubborn dogs into obedient, loving pets. Although most of the time the problem is not with the dog, I bring dogs and owners to an understanding," said Jackson.

Have someone in mind that you'd like to see as a Center Snapshot? To nominate someone, send their name, phone number, and email address to researcher-news@larc.nasa.gov.

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Denise Adams
The Researcher News