WCC Comms – Warrior Canine Connection

A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Volunteers

Dear Friends, There’s an adage that says, “One of the greatest gifts you can give is your time,” and I couldn’t agree more. Being that April marks Volunteer Appreciation Month, I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to all of you who have given so generously of your time and talents to help WCC […]

Boeing Employees Learn Service Dog Training Fundamentals

Close to a dozen Boeing staff members recently visited WCC’s Healing Quarters to better understand how service dog training works. Members of the organization attended a “Master Training” Class to get a firsthand perspective on how WCC uses its Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training as an intervention for Veterans with visible and invisible wounds. […]

Sugar-Coated Angel Making Life So Much Sweeter

Army Veteran Sandy Wilson and husband Nick have lived in their current neighborhood for 25 years. It wasn’t until last year that Sandy got to know her neighbors. That’s when she was paired with her service dog Barb, and they began walking together every morning. During one walk, a neighbor nicknamed Barb “Sugar-Coated Angel,” and […]

School Service Project Sparks Passion

What started as a school community service project has turned into a true passion for 16-year-old Shira Studley. She’s volunteered well over 50 hours at WCC puppy petting, cleaning kennels, handling administrative work and doing everything in between. Shira’s high school, Holton-Arms, requires all students to complete a community service project to graduate. The 50 […]

New Faces at WCC

Warrior Canine Connection is pleased to introduce you to two new team members. Please join us in welcoming… Sarah Olson is the new volunteer coordinator for WCC. Sarah works with all the different individuals and groups who help support WCC’s mission. In her role, she supports just about every WCC program through the recruitment, coordination […]

Sam and Rachael: Together Every Step of the Way

Retired Army Chemical Technician Samuel Smith can’t imagine his life without service dog Rachael, a four-year-old Golden Retriever. “She makes me more outgoing, more willing to talk to people,” says Sam. “I used to be a real introvert and didn’t want to be around people — was lost in my own head. Because she’s so […]

Rick Yount, WCC founder and ED, Presents at 3rd Annual West Virginia Conference on Trauma Brain Injury

March 6, 2019 – More than 200 survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI), their family members and caregivers, and service providers are gathered in Daniels, West Virginia for the 3rd Annual West Virginia Conference on TBI. Among the speakers on the agenda is Warrior Canine Connection Founder and Executive Director Rick Yount, who was invited […]

Be a Hero for a Hero Raise a Future Service Dog

March 5, 2019 – Interested in helping veterans who have sacrificed so much for all of us? One way is to volunteer as a puppy parent with Warrior Canine Connection, a local nonprofit that breeds, trains, and places much-needed service dogs with veterans with visible and invisible wounds. Find out about current volunteer opportunities featured […]

Spotlight on Excellence: Warrior Canine Connection

Special Edition 2019: If you work at the VA Central Office (VACO), you might have noticed some furry visitors in the lobby every third Friday of the month since last summer. These pups are part of Warrior Canine Connection (WCC), a nonprofit organization that enlists Veterans in a therapeutic mission of learning to train service […]

Warrior Canine Connection trains service dogs for veterans — and there’s a puppy cam

March 1, 2019 – Who better to train service dogs for veterans than other veterans? That’s exactly what Warrior Canine Connection does. Since the beginning of its mission in 2011, 4,000 service members — many struggling with symptoms of PTSD — have helped train puppies to eventually serve as service dogs. Read the complete story […]