BOYDS, Maryland – Viewers of the Warrior Canine Connection puppy cam on Explore.org will now notice a substantially enhanced viewing experience when they log-on. The site, which launched almost six years ago as the first of its kind, has added five upgraded high-definition cameras and increased perspectives and angles so WCC supporters and fans can follow the development of these service dogs in training.

Warrior Canine Connection is a nonprofit organization that utilizes therapeutic service dog training to help Veterans reconnect with life, their families, their communities and each other. Since its early beginning, Explore.org and the Annenberg Foundation have been strong partners in WCC’s work. This July, WCC will celebrate six years of having its popular puppy cam on the Explore.org platform. The foundation has also provided philanthropic support to fuel WCC’s mission, most recently with a generous gift of $125,000.

“Explore.org has been a tremendous partner to WCC, and we are honored that they’ve made this investment in our Healing Quarters,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, Warrior Canine Connection. “We are so appreciative of their commitment and support to raising awareness about the critical role service dogs play in the lives of our Veterans and for their help in delivering the healing power of service dogs to our viewers.”

The upgraded viewing platform includes three cameras inside the WCC Puppy Enrichment Center, including the whelping room, which features new puppies — Laura’s Legacy Litter — comprised of two female and two male Labrador Retrievers who were born on Sunday, April 8. The indoor cameras also feature the puppy petting pen, where volunteers can be seen helping to socialize the pups, and the night room, where puppies spend their evenings. The two outdoor cameras showcase the open-air puppy pen and the corral are where the larger dogs can often be found at play.

When the WCC site first launched on Dog Bless You on Explore.org, the livestream was a novel idea, but since then millions of people have tuned in to watch the development and adorable antics of 14 WCC litters.

The WCC Puppy Cam has been featured on national and local news outlets, as well as technology platforms at Veterans Administration hospitals across the country. The WCC Puppy Cam is even credited with inspiring the development of a devout group of followers called the Extreme Puppy Watchers (also known as the EPWs) who number in the thousands from all over the U.S. and who volunteer their time and services to the organization.

For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois, WCC, at beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org or 719-216-3206.

About Warrior Canine Connection
Warrior Canine Connection is a pioneering organization that utilizes a Mission Based Trauma Recovery model to empower returning combat Veterans who have sustained physical and psychological wounds while in service to our country. Based on the concept of Warriors helping Warriors, WCC’s therapeutic service dog training program is designed to mitigate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other challenges, while giving injured combat Veterans a sense of purpose, help in the reintegration back into their families and communities, and promote consideration of a potential career path as a service dog trainer. For more information, visit warriorcanineconnection.org.

About Explore.org
Explore.org is a philanthropic media organization founded by Charles Annenberg Weingarten, Director and Vice President of the Annenberg Foundation and graduate of the USC School of Cinema. Founded in 2004, Explore.org began as a photojournalism and documentary organization, focusing on diverse topics, championing the selfless acts of others, and inspiring lifelong learning.

Explore.org is home to 300 original films, some of which broadcast weekly on KCET/Link TV and have been featured at film festivals around the world. In 2008, Mr. Weingarten created Dog Bless You, a community that hosts nearly 3 million Facebook fans and takes the lead in funding the training of service dogs for U.S. war veterans. Dog Bless you celebrates the role that animals play as guardians of the human spirit, and the community celebrates their pets by participating in monthly photo contests. Dog Bless You partners with other nonprofit organizations to pair service dogs and war veterans who cope with PTSD.

Described by Jane Goodall as the future of zoos, Mr. Weingarten created Pearls of the Planet, a collection of live HD cameras which now comprise the largest live nature network in the world. The cameras utilize technology that allows people to connect up close and personal with nature and participate as citizen science pioneers. All of Mr. Weingarten’s projects are philanthropic and dedicated to improving humanity. Explore.org’s tagline is, “Never Stop Learning.”