Save both Veterans and Rescued Dogs today!

Our tag line is "Four Paws, Two Feet, One Team". This quarter we've tested and certified six service dog teams who have fulfilled the terms of their contracts, signed on the day they were accepted into the program. It has not been an easy journey for any of these disabled men and women, but their dogs have helped them in ways thay could not imagine on that first day. In this particular group, there are 3 veterans from different eras and branches of the military, 2 non-veteran adults and 1 teenager. Their reasons for needing service dogs are as different as their dogs. But tthere are common threads, too. Each of them is a better communicator and a more empowered self-advocate than at the beginning of training. They are all stronger and more capable of coping with the challenges their disabilities present. They have all learned to pay attention to their dogs' alerts to help them manage their medical issues before they reach a critical level. At the other end of the leash, their dogs have learned to focus on that one person, and refined their ability to scent changes in their handlers' body chemistry. Tthanks to the support we receive from our donors, these teams have benefitted from a program that has allowed them to achieve goals and realize dreams that seemed out of reach. They will continue to participate in training to keep their skills sharp and stay in contact with their "OFP Family", but they have achieved the independence we all hoped for on that first day. Thank you for helping them!!

Links:

• 2019 Q1 Newsletter