We recently partnered with Honoring America’s Warriors for our charity Christmas raffle. To support this great cause we had our drug reps donate lots of great goodies for pets as well as Danforth gathering supplies and services. Boehringer Ingelheim, Covetrus, Zoetis, Royal Canin, and many more were very generous with their donations to this great cause. Without these great sponsors we could not have offered such generous prizes. We raffled off tickets with 100% of the proceeds going to benefit Honoring America’s Warriors. Here is a little bit more about them and what they do for our veterans.
This organization was created to assist a family who upon the death of their loved one who has served our country, the opportunity to have augmented military honors. Unfortunately, there are many families of veterans who feel their loved one should receive the highest honors possible at the time of interment. They perform this mission with disabled veterans from all branches of service who want another mission to be back in service dress uniform to render final honors, and pay it forward. They also provide service dogs and training for our disabled veterans who cope with anxiety or depression that could lead to veteran suicide. Honoring America’s Warriors fulfills their mission by creating activities that allow these men and women to be with other veterans in a non-clinical environment peer to peer with other veterans who cope with the same issues on a daily basis. This goal is achieved through outdoor activities, family and couples gatherings, employment, and adaptive sports for veterans who are paralyzed or amputees. They also provide assistance to veterans who may need home repairs.
With our charity raffle money we were able to collect almost $800 to donate to this amazing cause. Dr. Mendy Laughlin and Jackie were able to go visit this group and got to witness the first training session with the veterans and their new service dogs. They are placed with a dog and then go thru a 6 month training period where they learn basic obedience and specific tasks for a person that he or she cannot do because of a disability. This program requires participation in their training program that will tailor the training for the exact requirements of the veteran. Honoring America’s Warriors provides the animal, training, emergency veterinary care for low income veterans, and service vests. This is at no cost to that participant. The program requires a commitment to training by the participant.
These service dogs can pick things up, guide a person with vision impairment, or help someone who falls or loses balance easily. For example, a service dog can help a blind person walk down the street, or get dangerous things out of the way when someone is having a seizure, detect irregular blood sugar levels, and post traumatic stress. Protecting someone, giving emotional support, or being a companion do not qualify a dog to be a service animal. To be a service animal, a dog must go through formal training.
Danforth Animal Hospital is happy to have partnered with them for this Christmas Charity raffle. We will try to return in a few months to see how these dogs are progressing. Donate or become involved.
