WCC’s Virtual Graduation Gets Rave Reviews

Eight years running and Warrior Canine Connection’s graduation wouldn’t be what it is without the support from its Extreme Puppy Watchers, or “EPWs,” to which they’re most commonly referred.

The EPWs are a group of WCC supporters that number in the thousands and is made up of volunteers from all over the country. The group’s moniker grew out of their collective love for WCC’s puppies and the Veterans they grow up to support.

In a “normal” graduation year, the EPWs help with the annual event, including its organization and execution, even hosting a pre-graduation happy hour. But they do much more for WCC than just assist with its graduation ceremony; they also help to raise awareness, fundraise and provide support to the organization in numerous other ways throughout the entire year. 

Although there was some disappointment about not being able to see each other in-person at this year’s graduation, the EPWs also had many praises for this year’s event.

“It was a beautiful graduation and weekend. There were moments of tears and joy that touched my soul… it really was well done… next best thing to being together.”
– Sandi Rosenberg

“I watched it from beginning to end. I thought it was fantastic!”
– Robin Baus Artura

“My first attendance at a WCC graduation! Being in Australia, I would not have been able to attend in person. I love this virtual format. It was very touching. Great to have the veterans speak. As many have said, it was probably less stressful for them, which is good. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to put this all together. Very well done. Truly grateful.”
– Ming Ng

“It was a beautiful graduation. So many joyful moments, and so many moments where I needed a lot of Kleenex! The graduation touched my heart. I wish that we all could have been together, but I really enjoyed the whole event!”
– Leslie Shear

Typically, Veterans graduating with their service dogs participate in the ceremony during the ritual “leash passing” with their dog’s puppy parent who helped raise their dog. This year, due to the virtual format, we were able to hear from the Veterans up close and personal about their relationships with their newfound best friends. And judging by some of the EPW’s input, that was a welcome change.

“I especially loved hearing the veterans speak. They’re usually so overwhelmed by all the people at the in-person ceremony.”
– Julie Hansen

“I missed seeing everyone in person, but I enjoyed the virtual graduation ceremony. The national anthem was wonderful and brought me to tears. I really enjoyed hearing from the veterans and seeing the service dogs interacting with them and their families.”
– Taffy Zoab

“It was much better than I had anticipated! Kudos to all who helped put it together. I too think the veterans seemed more relaxed. Loved seeing Spencer, he did an awesome job hosting and hearing his story. I didn’t want it to end. I’ve re-watched it three times already!”
– Cheryl Cannone

“It was very well done. I LOVED seeing video of the veterans with their dogs and hearing them speak about the impact these dogs have on them. Keynote speaker was awesome as well. It was all great!
– Anna Middeke

“I found myself feeling depressed most of the weekend, just because I was missing all of my friends and our in-person visit. That being said, graduation was awesome. Thank goodness for the technology and the opportunity to still visit with friends and see our beloved WCC dogs graduate. The videos were an added plus as we got to know more about the puppy parents and about the veterans receiving the dogs. To have each veteran say a little something on video was an added bonus. I believe the veteran was comfortable addressing us in this manner and it added a real human component to our “WCC Family.”
– Sandy Goga

“I really LOVED graduation is this format. I thought hearing from the Veterans was so meaningful and really brings all the work preparing the dogs for their future full circle. It really put the focus on the Veterans.”
– Ericka Johanek

“I loved the pre-graduation posts about the dogs, veteran partners and Puppy Parents….it was fun to learn about them in advance. I missed being there, but I think this was a huge success for our very first virtual event. Fun Virtual Happy Hour! It was great getting to see folks and celebrate. Loved the concert by Josh Gallagher! I loved the playing of the National Anthem…made me put my hand on my heart. I really loved hearing all the veterans videos…I felt like I learned so much about each of them and the Puppy Parents. It was so nice to get to know them. The video that Alice made was stellar and such a great capture of the entire event! A treasured memory.”
– Cindy Meyers

“This was my 1st WCC graduation. It was wonderful. The keynote speaker, stories and phtoos about vets and parents were so moving. Thank you for making this happen.”
– Leila Collins

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s WCC graduation possible!

Fran Frazier: Puppy Photographer, Chocolate Chip-Cookie Maker and Standout Volunteer

Wednesdays are Fran Frazier’s favorite day of the week. Before the pandemic, that’s the day she would make the 45-minute drive from her home in Northern Virginia to the Warrior Canine Connection Healing Quarters in Boyds, Maryland to take photographs of the puppies on-site.

You know the ones — the adorable pics that chronicle the growth and development of the puppies each week, sometimes they even include sunglasses or some other holiday-related décor… they’re the photos that result in countless oohs and ahhs from WCC’s followers on Facebook and all of us, really.

“It fills the heart — you can’t help but be happy while you’re there, especially knowing they have such important jobs ahead, it’s thrilling to be part of their early stages,” said Fran.

Fran says she feels like an “imposter” photographing the puppies. That’s because she spent two years assisting Lori Marshall, the previous WCC volunteer photographer, with the weekly photos. Fran says she learned a lot from Lori, including setting up lights, the backdrop stand and advanced puppy cuddling techniques (Fran refers to Lori as “the puppy whisperer”). When Lori left, Fran and a couple other volunteers stepped in to give photography and puppy-wrangling a shot. That was more than a year ago now.

In fact, Fran’s been so inspired by the process that she upgraded her iPhone camera to a real one, although she confesses, shooting and editing photos is a process she’s still finetuning.

Fran won’t take all the photo credit, though; she’s quick to tell you that there are two-to-three volunteers who show up each week to take photos — notably, Paula McCorry, Kristen Durning and Sally Katz, and she says that the photos wouldn’t happen without them.

When you ask Fran about herself, take note not to use the word “retired” — that’s not a term in her vocabulary. As she will tell you, she “opened a new chapter” in her life several years ago, after decades of working in the nonprofit sector and with government and trade associations. She’ll tell you through a smile, this next chapter includes puppy photography and the pursuit of the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe — something that is also synonymous with Fran around WCC’s headquarters.

“She’s going to need to find a new hobby, because if you ask me, she’s ALREADY perfected her chocolate chip recipe,” Allison Pitcher, digital communications specialist, WCC. “We love her cookies but hate them at the same time — for those of us trying to watch our sugar intake.”

Not long after one new chapter began for Fran, another ended — this one, the unexpected, heartbreaking, life-changing kind: Fran’s husband, Tim Henline, who was also very involved in volunteering for WCC, passed away in November 2019.

Both Fran and Tim got involved with WCC in 2013 after seeing how important a friend’s service dog was to her. They knew they wanted to somehow get involved and discovered WCC. By sheer fluke, Fran says she found the WCC puppy cam on Explore.org and knew they had to get involved. The duo began puppy petting early on, which evolved into helping with the whelping box and other duties.

“Tim and I were/are so proud to help support the organization and its mission and grateful for the opportunity to do so,” said Fran. “WCC was so very supportive during Tim’s illness and passing…. it sure is an amazing group of people. And it continues to be a very important and supportive chapter for me. What began as puppy petting became such a special part of our lives, and having Mackie and Ann fill our hearts and home is a truly special gift,” said Fran.

Fran and Tim also became caretakers to breeder dog Ann, who has had three beautiful litters of pups. They were also delighted to welcome Mackie, a wonderful career-change Golden Retriever, into their home.

Fran says she can’t help but continue using the word “we” when sharing stories and information about her life. Since losing Tim, she says life has been an adjustment. But having Ann and Mackie is slowly but surely helping her round out her days.

“The opportunity, in any way possible, to support WCC’s mission to help recovering Warriors reconnect with life, their families, their communities, and each other is truly an honor and a privilege,” said Fran. “We are so very grateful to those who serve this Nation.”  

WCC’s on-site volunteer program has been halted since March, except for only mission-critical needs. Warrior Canine Connection is excited and hopeful about having our volunteers back on-site when it’s safe and responsible to do so.

Join us on Saturday, September 26th for Warrior Canine Connection’s 2020 Virtual Graduation

Be sure to tune-in to WCC’s Facebook page at 11 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, September 26th for Warrior Canine Connection’s eighth annual graduation. The ceremony will include this year’s graduating Veteran Service Dog Teams, as well as inspiring stories, special awards, shout-outs and more!

This year’s ceremony will mark WCC’s first virtual ceremony, and despite the format change, the event still promises to be one not-to-miss!

Simply log-on to WCC’s Facebook page here on Saturday at 11 a.m. E.T. to join the celebration! You can follow along with our WCC 2020 Graduation Program here.

We look forward to seeing you then!

WCC’s Dogfather

“If WCC had a Dogfather, it would be Tom Callinan,” says Rick Yount, founder and executive director, Warrior Canine Connection.

Tom Callinan (pictured in the photo on the righthand side), President of Pacific Union Development Company, served in Vietnam as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps. He championed this No-Fail mission from the beginning and has played a significant role in our success.

In fact, Tom helped secure the seed money to initially launch Rick’s idea with a pilot program at the Palo Alto VA’s Trauma Recovery Program in 2008. He serves on WCC’s Board of Advisors and has inspired many of his friends and colleagues to support WCC’s mission. From putting WCC staff up in his beautiful San Francisco hotel to arranging an incredible retreat for its Veterans at his camp near Lake Tahoe, Tom steps up in front to support the mission time and time again.

“Ever since I met Tom nearly 15 years ago, it’s been evident that he has his fellow Veterans at heart,” said Rick. “He’s been quite the advocate for WCC from the beginning; I really credit him for launching our program. Helping Veterans is personal to him and that comes through in everything he does. He’s such a good-hearted guy, and I am proud to call him a friend and mentor.”

With roots in San Francisco, Tom has been influential in establishing programs such as WCC’s site at the Menlo Park VA and the organization’s new partnership with Swords to Plowshares at the Presidio.

In fact, the America’s Heroes Charity Golf Tournament, hosted by the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation, one of the key annual fundraising events WCC has participated in for the past five years, has raised close to $1M for the nonprofit. And with Tom’s role… he made that happen. The tournament, coupled with other fundraisers in California, play a significant role in supporting WCC’s California operations.

Tom traces his connection to the organization back to meeting Rick and Molly at the Assistance Dog Institute before WCC was formed — well over a decade ago.

“I am such an advocate of WCC’s program because it really works,” said Tom. “The service dogs are a drug-free alternative to therapy. They teach the Veterans patience through the training and help with so many facets of their reintegration into society. They work well.”

You may be familiar with WCC’s Calli, who is Tom’s namesake. He and his wife, Marj, are proud to have WCC’s Howard under their roof as well.

“I have got to hand it to Rick and Molly, they’ve done a fabulous job,” said Tom.

New Trees Take Root at WCC

If you’ve ever been to Warrior Canine Connection’s Healing Quarters in Boyds, Maryland, you know it’s a sight to behold. Situated on 88-acres of Maryland state property, WCC leases a small portion of it which is surrounded by cornfields, a cattle-grazing easement and is anchored by an iconic dairy barn. Then, of course, there are the adorable service dogs in training who can be found hard at work, as well as at play in the outdoor corrals.

Built in 1938, the barn is under renovation and soon will be a haven for Warriors involved in WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery Program. As with any renovation plans, many man-hours have been spent on the design plans to accommodate training areas, kennels, office space, storage and more.

Julie Walters, WCC board member and supporter, says, landscaping is often the last item on a long list of “to-dos” on a project like this. That’s why she donated eight new trees and had them installed on the grounds in the spring.

“Well, I’m a bit impatient with this process, so I decided to jump ahead of the construction schedule,” said Julie. “We need shade trees now so the dogs and trainers can use all the beautiful areas our Healing Quarters offer. And trees are an item which you wish you had planted five years ago; with that in mind, I have only started with the planting of these eight native varieties on the property. I’m not done yet!”

The eight-foot, field-raised trees have taken root around the property and along the large outdoor corral. The generous donation includes several varieties comprised of three Tulip Poplars, White Swamp Oak, Princeton Elm, Red Sunset Maple, Black Gum Wildfire and a Willow Oak.

“Julie’s support of our organization runs so deep; from being our largest, private donor to everything in between, including helping to deliver furniture —her level of support knows no bounds,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, WCC. “She’s not afraid to roll up her sleeves, and is just so supportive and so attentive to detail, it is just amazing to me how humble, kind and caring of a person she is to our Veterans and this organization.”

Julie, who serves as president of WCC’s board of directors, got involved with the organization 10 years ago. A self-proclaimed animal lover, Julie says she has always had cats and dogs in her life and knows full well the benefits they have given her throughout both her childhood and adult life. That’s how she knew WCC was the perfect “fit” for her involvement.

“The greatest advantage to our location at Schaeffer Farm [WCC Healing Quarters] is the peace and quiet and beauty of the natural setting,” said Julie. “It’s not a hospital or a clinic or a government installation — it’s the Maryland countryside and a very peaceful backdrop for healing and bonding and recovery for the veterans who come into our programs. With a big barn and our wide-open spaces, WCC will expand further and continue to offer the best supportive environment for our mission.”

You can learn more about the history of WCC’s property, as well as check out the “construction cam” to track the renovation process here.

WCC’s Calli Gets Private Flight to Maryland from Volunteer Pilot

It’s not all that uncommon to see a service dog accompanying its owner on a flight. But it’s not every day that a dog gets its very own privately chartered flight. That’s precisely what WCC’s Calli recently got, thanks to a spectacular volunteer, Mark Horton. 
 
Calli, a WCC military family support dog from the Welcome Home Litter who was paired with his military family earlier this year, recently had some health issues that required some specialized medical care. The problem? He was in Memphis, Tennessee and WCC’s veterinary team is in Sandy Spring, Maryland. 
 
It just so happens Mark, who is a Veteran himself, lives next door to one of WCC’s team members who told him about the situation. That’s when Mark happily agreed to get Calli where he needed to be via his personal four-seater plane. 

“There are two types of pilots — a pilot who flies because it’s a good job and the others who fly because they love it,” said Mark. “I often look for an excuse to fly and this was a good one — it was a win-win for everybody.” 

A civilian pilot part of his career, Mark says he “got distracted” and ended up going to the military medical school as a naval officer and then he took a position with another commissioned uniformed service that took him to the Indian Health Service where spent 32 years as an eye surgeon. 
 
In his role, Mark often found himself in remote locations where Native Americans didn’t have access to specialty healthcare. He convinced his leadership team to start a small flight department so he could help get physicians and specialists in and out of the area to help provide medical services that otherwise wouldn’t be available.  

Mark served as the chief pilot of the flight department for 15 years and recently retired from medicine. Clearly, having spent most of his life helping others isn’t just a job for him, but a way of life.     

“I don’t need much excuse to go flying since I retired from my federal job,” said Mark. “Before this, I’ve been around service dogs only on commercial airlines. Calli was absolutely superb. In fact, he was far better than a lot of passengers I used to fly. He was great, he curled up and couldn’t be happier, I was very impressed.” 

Calli is back in Maryland, where he’s resting comfortably and in good hands with WCC’s medical team. 

We are continually amazed by all that our volunteers and supporters, like Mark, do to help our Veterans, dogs and our organization. Please join us in thanking Mark for going above and beyond to help Calli! 

 

WCC Unleashed

Warrior Canine Connection is pleased to announce a new video series, “WCC Unleashed.” Born out of the popularity and success of WCC’s virtual Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program, “Unleashed” is designed to teach Veterans how they can strengthen their bond with their pet dog while also learning about training from their own home.  
 
“There’s a real need for programming like this to help Veterans at home tap into the human-animal bond with their pets,” said Rick Yount. “We know not all Veterans need a service dog, but they can certainly learn time-tested methods for helping them improve their relationships, including communication, training and improving their bond with man’s best friend.” 

The first installment of WCC Unleashed, which covers training concepts and how Veterans can teach their own dogs different commands, can be viewed here. 
 
The series will focus on different topics in each episode — with all videos designed to help explain, improve and enhance the enjoyment of the bond between a Veteran and his/her four-legged friend. Future topics include grooming, the human-animal bond, stages of learning, among many others. 

“Unleashed” isn’t to prepare pups to become future service dogs, rather, it will help explain and, in some instances, decode the what and why of how your dog may be thinking, feeling and behaving. 
 
Subsequent “Unleashed” episodes will be released in the new feature — stay tuned! 

Harlem Kindergartners Take Virtual Field Trip to Warrior Canine Connection in Boyds, Maryland

Most of us know Warrior Canine Connection’s most recent puppies as Diamond’s Litter. After learning about the WCC puppy cam on Explore.org, kindergarteners at Harlem Village Academy in Harlem, N.Y. began watching them almost daily during their classes. They even created their own nickname for the litter: The Seven Dwarves. (Yes, Diamond’s Litter has seven puppies.)  

The Harlem Academy class of 25 has been, like most classrooms around the country, learning virtually for months now. Holding a kindergartener’s attention can be challenging under even the best of circumstances, so just imagine teaching more than two dozen kindergarteners virtually.  

That’s precisely what co-teachers Hannah Tejeda and Galila Ahmed at Harlem Village Academy have been doing since March. Both Hannah and Galila were in search of lessons that would capture their students’ attention span, be visually pleasing, fun and engaging. That’s when they stumbled on the WCC puppy cam on Explore.org and introduced it to the class. They posted links to the puppy cam on the students’ Google Classroom, where students and parents access their daily lessons. And now, it’s become part of their daily routine. 
 
“The first thing the kids do each morning is check on the puppy playroom and the nursery,” said Hannah. “It’s been really fun to take in their thoughts. Everything they say to me is very quirky and funny because of their age. When all the puppies are sleeping on top of each other, the kids always make comments like ‘get your foot out of my ear’, ‘how are you sleeping like that — isn’t that uncomfortable?”  

Hannah says watching the puppies isn’t just about fun and games, it’s also been a great lesson in age and development. 

“The class decided that when they first started watching the puppy cam, the puppies were in pre-school,” said Hannah. “After several weeks, they decided they look like third–graders. They make lots of comments on how quickly they’re growing.” 
 
Last week, each pup in Diamond’s Litter has since been placed with their new puppy parents, WCC volunteers who will care for them during their training for up to the next two years.  
 
Hanna says she is grateful that the puppy cam is available to help entertain, educate and touch the hearts of their students. She says they’re also looking forward to watching WCC litters in the future. 

“As an adult, my co-teacher and I really appreciate what the organization is doing,” said Hannah. “I’ve had service family members and I think it’s an awesome way to show what you’re doing by using the webcam. It’s really cool because it’s providing an inside look on something we normally wouldn’t have insight on.” 

A Round of A-Paws for WCC Volunteer Karen Chiu

Like most people across the United States, WCC puppy parent Karen Chiu has been working from home for almost three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s been observing the “stay at home” policy enacted in California, except for necessary trips for food, essential supplies and, of course, dog walks for Frank. 
 
A WCC service dog-in-training, Frank is a one-year-old Golden Retriever — the sixth WCC dog that Karen has helped train. And the sixth to capture her heart. 
 
“There’s just something about dogs…they’re loyal, they always have love for you, they’re always happy to see you and there’s never any judgment with dogs,” says Karen. “They see a human, they love them, and they are always there for them.” 

First came Jenny. Then Katie. Then Lisa, who was followed by Greg and then Tommy. And now, of course, Frank, or “Frankie” as Karen calls him. 

Like so many of WCC’s volunteers, Karen discovered WCC through the Explore.org puppy cam back in 2015. Shortly after, she found out about its Menlo Park location in California, started volunteering, and has been hooked ever since. 
 
“I love the work that WCC is doing here in Calif., where the dogs are working with Veterans almost daily,” said Karen. “It’s really awesome to hear their stories, even from those who help train the dogs. It’s so awesome to hear how these dogs are changing their lives and see the impact they’re having on them.” 

Besides helping to care, feed and train six dogs, Karen’s attached her name to numerous other events to help WCC, including past graduations and fundraising events. All WCC has to do is cite the need, and Karen’s name can be found on the list of those willing to help. 
 
“Karen is a great source of historical dog information and she plays a huge role in supporting the West Coast WCC site,” said Alexis Baker, California Program Manager. “She’s an incredibly experienced puppy parent, and willing to go the extra mile for her dogs in whatever ways they need. She’s also an amazing social media maven and has single–handedly fulfilled our Wishlist twice in the last 12 months. Because of her and her amazing skills, we have access to a lot of supplies for our dogs and veterans to use during training.”  

Together, Karen and Frank are continuing their WCC service dog training virtually. Although they attend their weekly classes via computer, Karen senses “Frankie” is missing his in-person interaction with the Veterans with which he regularly works. 
 
“He recognizes people on the calls — his ears perk up when he hears their voices,” says Karen. “He’s such a social fellow, there’s no doubt he’s missing that regular close connection he had with the Veterans.” 

Both Karen and Frank hope it’s just a matter of time until they’re able to return to in-person training but, in the meantime, they’re subscribing to their training schedule and enjoy sharing some of their new lessons, at-home adventures and antics on Frank’s Facebook page.  

Thank you, Karen, for sharing your time, talents and treasures with WCC! 

 
 

 

WCC Service Dog-in-Training Scores a Page in a Maryland Middle School Yearbook

This year’s St. Jude Regional Catholic School yearbook features a very special pupil — one with four legs, a wet nose and a tail. After spending several months attending classes at the school, students decided that Andrew, a service dog in training with Warrior Canine Connection (WCC), should be included in their 2019-2020 yearbook. 

Middle school teacher Pat O’Connell, who was a puppy parent to Andrew, meaning she was a volunteer who helped raise, train and care for him for several months, brought him to school every day from September – December 2019. 

“The kids took having Andrew in class very seriously,” said Pat. “They understood he was in training and some students already had experience with a service dog. Most did their best to ignore him, others couldn’t help but stare at him because he was so cute.” 

A yellow Labrador/Golden Retriever mix, Andrew, like all dogs in WCC’s training program, is being groomed to become a service dog to assist a Veteran who has visible and invisible wounds. 

Classes at St. Jude let out in December for the holiday break, and when students came back to school in January, they were sad to learn Andrew was not. 
 
Due to Andrew’s intelligence, eagerness to please and love of training, WCC service dog instructors decided he was best suited to continue his learning at WCC’s Denver, Colorado program location at the Marcus Institute for Brain Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where he spends his days learning and training with Service Members and Veterans who have traumatic brain injuries (TBI). On-site training has been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic but Andrew and other service dogs at MIBH are still participating in virtual classes online. 
 
Pat says students know Andrew moved on to train for a greater purpose, yet he made such an impact on them in the brief time he was there, that’s why they decided to include him as a highlight in their yearbook.  

“Everyone at the school knew of Andrew,” said Pat. “He was in our classroom, could be seen walking up and down the hallways by my side, at recess and at dismissal each day. He was so happy, well-mannered and lovable, and he managed to reach the hearts of everyone he met.” 

Contact Us

14934 Schaeffer Road
Boyds, MD 20841

(T) 301.260.1111
info@warriorcanineconnection.org


Warrior Canine Connection
is a 501(c)(3)
Nonprofit Organization
# 45-2981579