Category Archives: Marine

Wounded Warrior Sonny with SDIT Colt

From our magnificent trainer, Cherry, who paired Wounded Warrior Sonny with SDIT, Colt. She is training them now. She sent the following:

“A wonderful and magical update from retired Marine, Sonny and his SDIT Colt, who was adopted from In Dog We Trust through Service Dog Express some weeks ago. Sonny and Colt are inseparable, and the bond between them is something very special. Sonny takes Colt almost everywhere with him, and Colt is always on his best behavior. Colt was found wandering the streets at just 3 months old, taken in by a kind lady and then fostered until Cherry took him into her rescue, In Dog We Trust. Just look at the magic of this picture.”

She also writes about their training session:

“Sonny and Colt, sounds like a song! Our training session went extremely well – the bond between these two is quite amazing. Colt always stayed close to Sonny, which of course is wonderful!

Sonny was concerned about the number of people wanting to pet Colt, so we practiced “Watch me “, which is a good tool to use so people can see Colt is working and it keeps Colt focused on Sonny and not on the person wanting to pet.

They did great. Colt has a perfect heel, and although it was far too cold and dark to train outside, we discussed a lot about training and practiced in the lounge. This SD team is going to go far!”

Unbelievable kindness

Unbelievable kindness. Ken, a Wounded Warrior who has Service Dog “Mozart”, does this amazing artwork. He is donating proceeds from the sale of it to help wounded warriors get funding for Service Dog training with Service Dog Express!!! THANK YOU KEN!!!!!

Helping Veterans suffering from PTSD the oppurtunity to adopt  service dogs to assist in their rehabilitation at no cost
Helping Veterans suffering from PTSD the opportunity to adopt service dogs to assist in their rehabilitation at no cost

Manakenn Art 2014

Look at this beautiful artwork done by former client, Wounded Warrior Ken, with SD Mozart!! For each sculpture he sells, a portion of the proceeds he will donate to our non-profit, In Dog We Trust!! THANK YOU AND BLESS YOU KEN!!!!

Helping Veterans suffering from PTSD the oppurtunity to adopt  service dogs to assist in their rehabilitation at no cost
Helping Veterans suffering from PTSD the opportunity to adopt service dogs to assist in their rehabilitation at no cost

Happy Day For Marc and Genevieve

A happy day for Marc, a Wounded Warrior who spent 20 years in the Marines and suffers from PTSD. He found a “battle buddy” in Genevieve!!! He drove down from Austin to first meet Nelly, whom Cherry Jenkins with In Dog We Trust graciously lent her time to see if it was a match, but it just wasn’t the “right” dog for Marc’s particular situation. It’s always important that each client feels completely secure in their choice of dog, and Nelly WILL find that special someone – thank you Cherry. However, then Marc met with Genevieve’s foster from S.A. Rocks, and they spent time together – Genevieve was quite shy at first, but after talking with Marc on his drive home to Ft. Worth, where he is a Nursing Student, the bond is beginning to grow. It was wonderful talking to him – he understood that Genevieve and he will learn and grow and train and bond together – making mistakes together, and having triumphs together. He said it was just like being in the Marines and learning with your actual battle buddies. I have no doubt that Marc and Genevieve will thrive with the help of trainer Candace. Please wish them the best of luck!!!

Sean the Marine…Semper Fi

From our trainer, Candace, in Fort Worth, who is working with the Morrison family. They have a very unique and special situation. Sean is a Wounded Warrior with PTSD, and they adopted a 3 – legged German Shepard. They were curious if her disability would disqualify her as a Service Dog. They will be looking at getting her a prosthetic leg as she was born missing her leg at the elbow, and has enough left for a prosthetic. The veterinarian said that she would be just fine as a Service Dog! She has the perfect temperament and trainability.

As a PTSD, service-related Marine, Sean struggles with thunderstorms, loud, sudden noises, and going out in public in general. The family were told by his psychologist that a service dog would help him greatly, and after looking into it and doing hours of research, they believed this would be most beneficial for him. It has been!! What a remarkable family they are to adopt this highly intelligent dog, and to do everything necessary to ensure that being a Service Dog will be healthy and productive for both the dog and Sean. They will constantly be reviewing progress with their veterinarian.

“I would like to introduce the newest member of the Service Dog Express family: The Morrison Clan. Yep, that’s right, Sean’s SDIT was born with just 3 legs! But, according to Sean, she is everything he needs. She will look around corners for him as they go down halls. She always remains on alert wherever they are. She passed her assessment with flying colors! The next step is working on their SDIT’s endurance and basic training. So far, she responds very well to Sean, and I think they will be a remarkable team.”

Ronnie and Roxy

From our new wonderful trainer, Kendra, in Houston, who is working with Ronnie, who was diagnosed with PTSD and depression. He served in the Marines for 12 years and has been rated at 60% disabled for various reasons. He has panic attacks when in public or crowded confined spaces, and suffers from depression.“I met with my wonderful client Ronnie and his SDIT Roxy this morning. I did an assessment on Roxy and she did AWESOME! She let me touch all parts of her body and mouth with no problems what so ever. She already knows sit, down, stay, leave it, heel, drop it, and hugs. She is so very smart and catches on very fast! We met at a very busy dog park and she was still was able to follow commands. Wounded warrior Ronnie is excellent at training and working with her!

After the assessment, we did a training session. Roxy does heel with the occasional pull which we will continue to work on that. We greeted some dogs along the way and she said hello perfectly, And was able to come when he called to continue the walk. We passed other people, a stroller with a baby and Roxy didn’t pay no mind to them. We practiced walking and randomly stopping to place Roxy in a sit. This way she can get better at sitting on command. They will continue practicing this. He placed Roxy in a down/stay and walked about 30 feet away and called her. She did wonderfully. We talked about how to do the watch me command and the importance of it. This will be the homework. We also talked about what commands he wants Roxy to perform for him. Roxy has already started to alert him to nightmares. (What a very good girl!!) Roxy also has naturally started to do covers. I shook a mason jar full of coins next to Roxy and she didn’t budge, She was not bothered. She went through the agility course at the park and was great at it.

Her focus is on Ronnie, always looking out for him. Their bond is inseparable!!!! We went over and covered so much! It was and is a absolute joy to work with this team!!! Our next session will be in the mall.”

WONDERFUL, POSITIVE TRAINING FOR RONNIE AND ROXY!!!!

 

Scott met Milo

What a bittersweet day for Wounded Warrior, Scott, and Audrey and Nathan Maurer! Scott met Milo in person for the first time at Laurel Ridge last Saturday, after almost a month of waiting for him to be his new SDIT!! Audrey and Nathan, Milo’s former owners, were there to witness the meeting – and just as we expected, it was love at first sight for Scott, who had been waiting for so long to meet his new battle buddy! Scott had already studied the training manual and knew the commands inside out – and Milo knows them, too – thanks to the amazing work done by Audrey and Nathan! They just knew how special Milo was and felt he was destined for higher things. Their compassion and selflessness defies belief. On Tuesday, we all met at Petsmart – Scott drove down from Austin (where he will be training with our SDE trainer) – and Nathan came with Milo. It was so hard for Nathan and Audrey – they shed tears of sadness but also of joy knowing that they were giving someone else a new lease on life. After Nathan said his goodbyes to Milo, Scott and I shopped in Petsmart and got all the goodies Milo needs – his favorite food, training treats, a training collar, a reflective 4 inch Kong leash and collar (red, of course!), bowls, some toys, and the Maurers gave Scott Milo’s bed – a wonderful thing to use as a transition object to help with any separation anxiety. Milo was SO perfectly behaved in Petsmart – Scott was able to get him to sit, down, heel, stay, watch me, leave it, load and unload, and do meet and greets with other dogs and people without a hitch! Words cannot express how much this beautiful exchange means. On her FB site, Audrey wrote, “Sweet baby Milo is moving on to bigger and better things. He will start training as a Service Dog today. Although we will miss him terribly, we know this is the perfect thing for him. Of course we celebrated Milo with a hamburger from McDonalds, his favorite!” Of course, Scott was like a kid in a candy store – he couldn’t stop hugging and giving Milo hugs and rubs and praise – such joy!!!!! We can’t wait to see their beautiful future unfold! Scott posted a picture of Milo on FB, with the caption, “Probably the best thing that has ever happened to me.” Scott is in uniform on the right.

 

5 dogs for 5 Wounded Warriors

We at Service Dog Express have had a quite eventful and absolutely fulfilling experience the past two Saturdays! It started over a month ago, when one of our clients with his SD was attending the inpatient Wounded Warrior PTSD clinic at Laurel Ridge Psychiatric Hospital here in San Antonio. So many of the other Wounded Warriors there were astounded by this client’s SD, that we started getting phonecalls from the inpatients asking if they could obtain SDs.

Coordinating it all was extremely difficult, but over two Saturdays we were able to bring together our trainers, various fosters, rescues from In Dog We Trust, and a TON of dogs onto the unit to meet and greet all the potential clients. It was a tremendous success!! I’m sure the front lobby wasn’t too happy with the parade of hair most likely left from all the dogs we brought, but I am SO pleased to say that we matched up 5 dogs with these Wounded Warriors!!!!! It was like a grand opening shopping event!

The most amazing thing was to see how each warrior’s countenance and demeanor changed when the dogs were brought into the unit. Their sad eyes brightened, they were excited, frowns turned to smiles, as they petted and met each of the dogs. Even the staff seemed happier! So, the 5 new adopters will receive their dogs once they are released from the inpatient unit – all papers were signed – and we will train with them once they are released.

I wish I could have taken pictures, but it is against Laurel Ridge policy. Thank you to everyone who participated in these monumental days – and five new dogs now will have forever homes!!!!!

UPDATE 10 AUG:

Regarding the post above about Laurel Ridge. Those of you who posted such incredibly negative postings were uninformed and unaware of how this process worked. I will not waste my time justifying your hatred, I will only present the facts so you can be a little bit more “educated” about how this process worked.

We were sent client submission forms from several of these Wounded Warriors who are in the TRANSITION unit at Laurel Ridge. The DOCTORS at Laurel Ridge who observed what a difference the SD, Sassy, had made with this one Wounded Warrior wrote PRESCRIPTIONS for these select Wounded Warriors for a Service Dog based upon what they observed in the healing process that took place between Sassy and his owner. They INVITED us to come. We did not initiate this. The warriors met the dogs on two separate occasions – which took hours and hours of work on behalf of our fosters, trainers, and the staff at Laurel Ridge. NONE of these inpatients received dogs while still inpatients. They were prescribed the dogs as part of the HEALING process when they are eventually released back into the civilian world. EVERY single dog that was chosen by a Wounded Warrior, again, with the ADVICE of their doctor or caseworker will not be receiving the dog until they are back home. Each Wounded Warrior who has chosen a dog has also been assigned a TRAINER from Service Dog Express to follow-up with them on training and helping them reintegrate into society just as we do any other Wounded Warrior who comes to us seeking the healing aid of a Service Dog. I don’t know where this term “contract” came up that many of you are referring to – the warriors simply chose a dog that they spent several hours with accompanied by a trainer to see if it were a good fit – and if they decided, again, along with their doctors or caseworkers that the match was well made, the ADOPTION papers were signed so that each warrior was properly matched with their dog. In addition, all dogs, no matter how far along in their Service Dog training they were (ALL now basic commands), were DONATED to these Wounded Warriors. No “money” was made off of this for any of us. We all did this out of the goodness of our hearts and because we, again, were INVITED by Laurel Ridge. In fact, we have been invited back AGAIN to work with some more Wounded Warriors in the female unit who will be transitioning back into civilian life because the DOCTORS and CASEWORKERS were so impressed with the high caliber of dogs we brought and how carefully we assessed each warrior and the dog they chose – again – ALL GIVEN PRESCRIPTIONS BY THEIR PHYSICIANS OR CASEWORKERS for this incredible experience to heal with a Service Dog by their sides. And I am NOT going to delete and ban all you naysayers until you have had a chance to read this – because you have ALL missed the point. What we have done at Service Dog Express by helping these Wounded Warriors is given them hope and joy – if you had been there to see the way their faces lighted up when they realized they could benefit from a Service Dog – the literal tears of joy – you would all be saying the exact OPPOSITE of what you posted and “shared”. These Service Dogs will, as always, be part of the healing process for these men and women who are now going back home, many alone, to civilian life – and their spirits have been uplifted by knowing that they will have a “Battle Buddy” by their side. Again, these dogs, who we normally charge adoption fees for because of the amount of training we have put into them, were given to these men and women for FREE. Maybe you all should be looking at the fact that more lives will be SAVED because of what we did – it was in all respects a labor of love for all of us involved – instead of focusing on the ridiculous comments that imply we did this to “make money” or to “prey on vulnerable people”. If you have issue with this, ask the doctors and caseworkers who finally thought “out of the box” and realized by actually SEEING the healing power of these dogs – and prescribed them for our amazing warriors to help them in their new lives. So, from what has been written below, it seems that everyone who posted such vulgar and uninformed posts would rather see our valiant men and women rely on drugs and get shoved out into the world back into loneliness and reliance upon drugs and other unhealthy methods to “cope” instead of knowing they will have a highly trained and continuously trained Service Dog to be by their sides. All I can say is shame on you. You care more about what you “think” Service Dog Express cares about – money, publicity, etc., than actually what we DO care about – and that is enhancing the lives of all of those who can benefit from a Service Dog. Shame on you.

Congressional Inquiry to the VA for SD costs

OK! THIS IS SERIOUS!!! What I need from as many Texas wounded warriors as possible is an email or documentation regarding any physicians, counselors, psychiatrist, etc., who have “recommended” that each of you would benefit from a Service Dog. Congressman Pete Gallego’s office is taking on this matter of the VA saying veterans can benefit from Service Dogs, but the VA refuses to pay for it. PLEASE take the time to send me the information so we can get this changed – even if you already have been through the training process, you deserve reimbursement. My direct email is [email protected]. If you are in the middle of the training process or about to begin, you deserve reimbursement. But I NEED YOUR HELP to make this work. Here is the latest email and phone call I received from Gallego’s office. Of course, I will be filling out the privacy release form for myself to go ahead with these inquiries today. This currently applies to Wounded Warriors living in Texas.

“Laurie,

I have attached a privacy release form for you to fill out yourself. I am going to send an inquiry to the VA as to why they do not pay for the dogs that they are prescribing to Veterans. On the second page of the form make sure you write in detail who it is that writes the prescriptions as well as who makes the decision that the Vet needs a service dog. If we can get the VA to pay for the dogs, it would really help these guys out and it would probably streamline the process and standardize it as well. If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to call me. On a personal note, as a Veteran I wanted to thank you for making this your life’s work!

Kind regards,

Joseph Van Kuiken
Caseworker
Office of Congressman Pete P. Gallego (TX 23)”

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