Jun 29, 2009

“CCI Salutes Independence” – Open House for Veterans, Families, And Friends

Al , , , Service Dogs

Put this one on your calendar if you’re gonna be anywhere in Southern California on Saturday, July 11th. In fact, this event is so great, you might want to plan on making a special trip to SoCal for it, especially if you’re a veteran considering getting an assistance dog.

The Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) Southwest Regional Center in Oceanside, CA is hosting their second annual “CCI Salutes Independence” event, an open house for active duty military members, veterans, their families, and friends, from 11AM to 3PM on that date:

More details are available here: www.cci.org/salutes

Last year’s inaugural event was a HUGE success – around 400 people turned out for a day full of training demos, presentations from graduate teams, campus tours, and just plain old fun.  Beyond that, there were a number of applications from veterans and subsequent assistance dog placements that were a direct result of the event.

I’ll tell ya, my hat’s off to the Southwest Region staff, because they have really led the way within CCI in working the veterans initiative.  In the last year alone, for example, they’ve placed facility dogs at the Wounded Warrior Battalion – West at Camp Pendleton, the Oklahoma City VA hospital, and Naval Medical Center San Diego, Comprehensive Combat and Complex Casualty Care (C5) I know there are more individual veteran service dog placements on the way as well and I look forward to hearing and writing about those.

While the open house is targeted at military veterans, everyone is welcome, and it’s a tremendous opportunity to see the wonderful work that CCI does in a way you normally don’t get to see.

Don’t miss it!

Jun 23, 2009

Warrior Legacy Foundation: “Veterans make the community in which they live a better place.”

Al , Veterans

The Warrior Legacy Foundation is a brand new organization just launched on Memorial Day that deserves your attention.

wlf

WLF is “a non-partisan organization committed to the protection and promotion of the reputation and dignity of America’s Warriors” and is “a passionate advocate for the preservation and elevation of the hallowed legacy of the American Warrior Class.”  Their core tenets are:

I. Defend the Defenders
(Through advocacy and policy influence, we will enhance our warriors ability to fight and win)

II. Care for the Wounded
(We will never stop fighting for dignified and complete care of our wounded troops)

III. Honor the Sacrifices
(We will never forget the Fallen and we will honor the sacrifices made by military families)

Yeah, I know there’s a sea of “veterans groups” already, but I see this one as occupying a unique place, which I think will become apparent to you the more time you spend on the site and the more you read. For one thing, you don’t have to be a veteran to join.

Plus, the big thing that makes this one stand out for me is the people behind it, in particular Matt Burden and David Bellavia.  I don’t know them personally, but I know of them – they have stellar reputations and are “real deal” guys – and we do have some mutual friends.  Please make sure to read their bios and statements, and watch their videos:

Matt Burden:

http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/staff/details.asp?id=12218

http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/?page=History

David Bellavia:

http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/staff/details.asp?id=12216

http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/?page=ExecutiveDirMessage

So, please go to the site, check it out, and join if you are so inclined.

Jun 19, 2009

Places You Should Know: NEADS “Canines for Combat Veterans”

Al , , , Service Dogs

I explained the logic behind the Places You Should Know series a while ago in this introductory post (“Places You Should Know: Assistance Dogs International (ADI) Accredited Service Dog Organizations”) – please review it, but here’s the short version.

There’s a lotta confusion or just plain lack of knowledge about service dog organizations, what they offer, and which are the best ones, especially those that focus on serving returning OEF/OIF veterans. To top it off, there’s also a seemingly ever-increasing number of service dog places out there vying for your attention and help, some with some big name celebrity endorsements.

Before you dive in with your time, effort, and maybe even money, you need to know where your contributions will do the most good and what organizations you can be very comfortable in supporting. And if you’re someone who’s actually considering getting an assistance dog – a life-changing and lifelong relationship – that knowledge is absolutely critical.

It’s not so much that I’m down on some of the places I see getting so much press lately; I just think you can do better.

Now, the reality is that a little guy like me can’t do much about those places that aren’t so great or that I have questions about, especially when they have mega-celebrity endorsements. What I CAN do, though, is talk about the places that I’m comfortable recommending, and try to aim as many people as possible at those organizations.  Maybe they can’t serve you, but why wouldn’t you want to start with the very best first?

As I always say, you need to check things out for yourself, and I’ve given you the tools to do that (see Key Posts in the sidebar to the right), but I’m gonna start “naming names” and tell you places that I would look at if it were me.

No secret that I’m a big CCI supporter, but I think it’s only appropriate to lead off with NEADS because they can rightfully claim to have placed the first service dog with a returning OEF/OIF veteran back in Oct 2006, when Roland Paquette and Rainbow, the first team from the Canines for Combat Veterans program, graduated:

You can read tons about NEADS if you look around, but here’s the key points. NEADS is in Princeton, MA, has been around since 1976, and they’ve graduated over 1300 assistance dog teams. Sheila O’Brien is the Executive Director and the person behind NEADS – she’s been with them since 1978, has been very involved with ADI for many years to include occupying key leadership positions and performing accreditations, and has been responsible for starting many initiatives like the Prison Pup program. You name it, Sheila’s pretty much done it.

Sheila started Canines for Combat Veterans because, as she said, “The Iraq war is going to change the whole demographics of the disabled population in this country.” I don’t know if she was the first person to say that, but I do know she was saying it long before most seemed to have pegged it, and I give her big points for that. The program was also involved at Walter Reed very early on, and that involvement continues to this day – see this outstanding article for details: “Veterans Helped by Healing Paws”

NEADS just held their most recent graduation on Jun 14th at the Officers Club on Hanscom Air Force Base (which, of course, I thought was very cool) – you can read about it here on the blog of the wife of a NEADS graduate, and there are over 100 pictures at the NEADS site as well:

http://homeschoolgardener.blogspot.com/2009/06/hanscom-airforce-base-graduation.html

http://www.neads.org/graduation/photos/index.php?folder=/977-2009-Summer-Graduation/

Bottom line – NEADS is one of the “real deal” places, and someplace you should definitely check out if you’re looking for a service dog, especially if you’re an OEF/OIF vet.

Veterans Helped by Healing Paws

Jun 13, 2009

Do You Really Think The ADA Is Working When It Comes To Service Dogs?

Al Service Dogs

This story about a guy with a seizure alert dog in Madison, Wisconsin getting Tasered, pepper sprayed, and arrested when he refused to leave a McDonald’s has been getting a ton of publicity daily for some time now. You may already be familiar with it, but please read the latest:

“Madison man tussles with police over service dog”

I’ve written about this subject before (“How Do I Know If That’s Really a Service Dog?”) and, to me, this case is a classic example that the ADA is not working as currently written, things are messed up, and we need to do something different.

But forget what I think – let me just ask you…

No matter which side of this discussion you fall on or what your opinions are, does anybody out there really think that the ADA is actually working when it comes to service dogs, that things are OK like they are, and we don’t need to do anything different?

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments, especially if you are someone currently paired with a service dog.

Jun 11, 2009

The One and Only Veterinary Blog You Need to Read – Dolittler.com

Al Service Dogs

Don’t know about you, but I’ve got tons to read, and I’m always looking for smart ways to cut that back, especially by finding the proverbial “one-stop shop” where I can get what I need all at one shot.

Most of the time I don’t even come close, but here’s an exception:  Dolittler.com – the one and only veterinary site that I read, and the only one you need to read, too.

Dr. Patty Khuly, a veterinarian in Miami, FL runs it and writes not only about many common health issues but a lotta “inside” veterinarian things, too, many of which are controversial.  She pulls no punches, either, which I really like, and manages to do that while not being obnoxious at the same time – a tough trick most people don’t seem to manage (I wish I could do it as well as she does).  There’s probably been a few times I’ve disagreed with her about something, but must not be many because I can’t even remember one right now.

She provided a lot more background info about the site, why she created it, and so on, in this interview from a few months ago:

“The Benefits of Blogging: An Interview With Dr. Patty Khuly”

Definitely check it out – I’m willing to bet it will quickly become a must read place in your RSS feeds, just like it is in mine.

Jun 8, 2009

Canine Companions For Independence Benefactor Dean Koontz Interviewed

Al , Service Dogs

I think most people know that Dean Koontz is one of Canine Companions for Independence’s biggest supporters – if not the biggest.  He’s donated millions to CCI (last number I saw was $5.5 million); the Southwest Region campus in Oceanside, CA, is named after him, his wife Gerda, and their now-departed former CCI dog, Trixie; and the Koontzes have made CCI the primary beneficiary of their estate.

Dean Koontz, at home in Newport Beach, Calif., with his dog, Anna.
Dean Koontz, at home with his CCI release dog, Anna.

Brand new interview in today’s USA Today that’s definitely worth the read and will give you insights into his thinking and the kind of person he is.  I’ve never met him, but what I read in the article tracks with what those I know who have met him have said – a low-key, reserved, no-fanfare kinda guy

“Author Dean Koontz builds a dream home, dream career”

You can read more about him in the Winter 2009 issue of the Southwest Companion at CCI’s site, including the surprise million dollar check he wrote at their Nov 2008 graduation:

CCI Southwest Companion Winter 2009 Issue

Maybe I shouldn’t admit that I don’t read the books – just not my style – BUT I am very, very glad that so many people do, and that he’s been so willing to donate the millions of dollars he has to CCI.

Jun 5, 2009

Fort Carson Red Cross Station Manager Strongly Supports Wounded Warriors

Al , , , Veterans

Very nice article in the Fort Carson, Colorado Mountaineer newspaper today about my friend Susanne Harlandt, the American Red Cross Station Manager there.

Susanne Harlandt, Fort Carson Red Cross station manager, speaks with Sgt. Eddie Doyle, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, May 29.
Susanne Harlandt, Fort Carson Red Cross station manager, speaks with Sgt. Eddie Doyle,  1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

It’s a very personal interview where Susanne really lays out her feelings for the troops and where those feelings come from. Very enlightening, too, since I don’t know that most people understand that the Red Cross does the kinda things she talks about:

“Red Cross seeks customers, support”

Doesn’t mention it there, but she’s a very big supporter of service dogs for veterans as well as the new therapy dog program at Fort Carson – she’d been instrumental in the therapy dog program at Landstuhl before coming here.

As I said, a very personal interview, and, knowing Susanne some, I know that it’s dead on accurate – helping out wounded warriors is her life.  I give her big points for being so forthcoming – Susanne explains her reasons for doing that on her blog, One Life to Give:

“Red Cross in The Fort Carson Mountaineer”

Jun 3, 2009

Inspiring Story of How One Service Dog Family Deals With Muscular Dystrophy

Al , , , Service Dogs

This is a very tough story to read – at least it was for me – but it will give you an idea of some of the really difficult things that people with service dogs and their families deal with every day.

In this case, it happens to be a Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) graduate team – Heidi Miller, her son Mitch Ball, and their Skilled Companion Dog, Lynelle – who live in Citrus Heights, CA near Sacramento. Mitch is 24, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) with almost no ability to move his body, and, as such, requires constant care.

Tough as this story is, it’s also very inspirational in that it shows the lengths to which some will go to try and make life better for another person.

I also have to be honest and say that, if I seem pretty touchy about the term “service dog” and how loosely I see that term tossed around nowadays, these kind of stories are why I’m that way.  I realize that assistance dogs come in all shapes and sizes and perform many different types of valuable functions for all kinds of people, but when I see those with severe needs like this family has…well, read the article for yourself and I think you’ll understand:

“Mom’s home care of son confronts a harsh illness”

UPDATE:  Thanks to a fellow graduate from Mitch’s Team Training class, here’s the link to Mitch’s blog:

http://mitchballsworld.blogspot.com/

Jun 1, 2009

Air Force Coach Troy Calhoun Visits Wounded Warriors

Al , , Veterans

I don’t know Coach Calhoun personally (just missed him during his days as a cadet at the Academy), but I have a number of close friends who do, and this very much tracks with what they’ve told me about the kinda guy he is:

Air Force Coach Troy Calhoun (in blue) and Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel visit Henry Bautista at a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany on May 29th.

Air Force Coach Troy Calhoun (in blue) and Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel visit Henry Bautista at a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.

The visit is part of Coaches Tour 2009, where a number of NCAA coaches are visiting the troops – next stops are Turkey and Iraq. You can read more here:

“NCAA coaches visit wounded warriors in military hospital”