Help! Rescue A Service Dog For A Nashville Veteran With PTSD – That’s Music to Our Ears!
We are happy to announce that we have raised $22,000.00 – enough to cover TWO Veterans with PTSD in Nashville to receive service dogs from K9s For Warriors!
K9s for Warriors rescues dogs from shelters prior to being euthanized and trains them to be service dogs for veterans with PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury. We hope you can donate $10.00, $100.00 or what ever amount you can afford – 94% of every dollar will help a Veteran with PTSD in Nashville receive a service dog from K9s For Warriors.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder affects nearly 30% of all soldiers, with 184 new cases being diagnosed daily. Studies prove that dogs are very therapeutic and greatly beneficial in the treatment of PTSD and other military-related stresses. The K9s for Warriors Program take dogs from shelters prior to being euthanized and trains them to meet Canine Good Citizen standards. Upon completion, the dogs are paired with a veteran based on the special needs of the veteran and the special tasks the dog is most capable of performing. In this valiant effort, the program costs approximately $10,000 to graduate one veteran/canine pair. Wendy Diamond and K9s For Warriors hope to rescue at least one veteran and one canine at each stop of the Bark Business Breakfast 10 city tour!
In 1999, Wendy Diamond founded Animal Fair Media and is a pioneer in the pet industry; merging celebrity, pop culture and animal rescue. She changed the face of the pet market and animal rescue world forever. Since she launched Animal Fair Media, the number of animals euthanized annually has dropped by 58 percent, from 12 million to 4 million this past year.
After learning from Craigslist founder, Craig Newmark, the troubling statistic that every 65 minutes a veteran struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder commits suicide, Diamond made the decision to embark on a journey to help veterans suffering with PTSD and pair them with rescued service dogs. “Veterans have fought selflessly for our freedom and it’s time that the two and four legged roll over and fight for them.”
Wendy Diamond has dedicated her new book, How To Train Your Boss to Roll Over, to all the veterans who work tirelessly and selflessly defending our freedoms. The book is an entertaining and instructional manual threaded with Wendy’s trademark levity and wit that reinterprets successful dog-training strategies for the workplace. On the tour, Wendy will encourage everyone in the work world to engage in social good and make a difference by supporting our veterans and animals through K9s For Warriors.
Shari Duval (wife of PGA TOUR player Bobby Duval) was inspired by her son to start K9s For Warriors. She explained, “My son, Brett Simon, returned home from two tours in Iraq as a bomb dog handler. I didn’t even know what PTSD was. I only knew that my son came home a different person.”
Duval added, “Our family noticed that when he was with his canines he was better, more like the ‘old Brett.’ Our family had the resources to help Brett, but we know most do not. I spent two years researching service dog therapy and finally decided to open the K9s For Warrior Program/Rescue. These dogs provide more medical improvement for the warriors than all the drugs they have been placed on.”
Thanks to our generous sponsors, the tour will 100% benefit K9s For Warriors. Ellen DeGeneres’ pet food company, Halo, Purely for Pets knows that natural nutrition is imperative for service dogs (and all dogs) because it ensures a long, happy life with their parents, and are on board with supporting the K9s For Warriors Bark Breakfast Benefit Tour! American Express Open has partnered with us to empower and support Veteran small business owners. The pet-friendly Loews Vanderbilt Hotel is graciously providing the space for the Bark Business Breakfast, so we can gather, raise money, and get the bark out about K9s For Warriors!
K9s For Warriors, Animal Fair and Wendy Diamond will host the BARK BREAKFAST BENEFIT on July 24, 2013 in Nashville to celebrate our wounded veterans and rally to raise awareness and donations for our American heroes that have sacrificed selflessly for our country. Dogs are welcome at breakfast (we promise lots of Halo treats, too)! Your support will help us save a Veteran with PTSD and a dog from being euthanized!
In Nashville, we will honor Melissa, 40, who served within the US Army as an SPC for 8 years and graduated from K9s For Warriors in June 2012 when she was paired with Chauncey, a Golden Retriever. Chauncey was dumped at an animal shelter in Florida because his former family claimed they didn’t want him anymore when they decided to move back to Ohio. The shelter staff immediately knew he was a special dog and called K9s For Warriors. Chauncey is a big, lovable boy who helps Melissa with her PTSD and assists with her balance and mobility issues. Melissa was a performer in high school but due to PTSD, she had developed a stammer. When she and Chauncey were paired, she realized she no longer stammered! Melissa has overcome her stuttering and frequently gives speeches about the benefits of service dogs for PTSD! Melissa and Chauncey share a special bond – every time Chauncey senses Melissa is about to experience a panic attack, he rubs his big head up against her to remind her he’s there and that she can depend on him for comfort.
Please watch this video to understand the importance of your donation:)
The Bark Business Breakfast will visit Nashville on July 24, 2013 at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel from 8-10 AM.
2100 West End Ave
Nashville, TN 37203
For the Best that Pet Lifestyle and Animal Welfare has to offer follow Wendy Diamond on Facebook, Twitter, and right here at AnimalFair.com!
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