International Assistance Dog Week is August 7-13

Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) is proud to support International Assistance Dog Week, an upcoming observance created to celebrate assistance dog trainers, volunteers, puppy raisers and handlers all over the world during the week of August 7-13. 

“Everyone loves an assistance dog, and quite rightly the dogs tend to take center stage,” says Chris Diefenthaler, Executive Director of Assistance Dogs International (ADI). “International Assistance Dog Week is a chance for us to recognize and celebrate the people at the other end of the leash — those who devote their time and expertise to ensuring ADI certified assistance dogs are trained and work to the highest standards.” 

ADI is the world’s leading standards-setter and accreditation body for training assistance dogs. In 2021, ADI’s 144 member programs had more than 11,000 puppies in training and over 27,000 active teams, including guide dogs, hearing dogs, medical alert dogs, mobility service dogs, autism dogs, dementia dogs and PTSD dogs. Nearly 9,000 potential clients are on a waiting list for an ADI certified assistance dog. 

“Assistance Dogs International (ADI) members play a key role promoting disability rights and access to health and social care, employment, education, transport, hospitality and public spaces. Many are at the cutting edge of research and innovation in specialist fields such as behavioral science or genetics. None of that would be possible without the people at the other end of the leash,” says Diefenthaler.  

WCC is proud to be an accredited member of ADI. The nonprofit’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program enlists Service Members and Veterans who are in recovery to help train the dogs for their fellow Warriors. Anchored in performing a military support mission, the participants in WCC’s MBTR program concurrently benefit from the program while serving others. Program participants receive therapeutic benefits from skills development in communication, confidence building, accountability, emotional regulation, and patience to promote an act of service. 

To date, WCC has placed 114 assistance dogs with Service Members and Veterans, and Warriors have completed more than 6,000 MBTR hours. Besides pairing highly trained dogs with Veterans, it has helped create relationships that have positively impacted the lives of many Veterans, like Dian Smith, and many others.

An Air Force Veteran, Smith was paired with WCC service dog Chuck after post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) prevented her from living the life she wanted. She shared, “Because I have Chuck, using the tools I’ve learned from my doctors, coupled together is much more effective. When I’m stressed, he recognizes that and alerts me by nudging my hand with his nose. If I don’t react to that, he’ll jump up and let me know. We’re just so in-tune with each other.”

Air Force Veteran Ryan Garrison who has assistance dog Luke, says having an assistance dog significantly changed his life for the better. 

“I really can’t say enough about what Warrior Canine Connection and my service dog Luke have done for me,” said U.S. Staff Sergeant E5 Ryan Garrison. “Thanks to Luke, my anxiety is under control, I’ve significantly decreased the medication I take, and he’s really helped me with my mobility. It’s not just that though — since being matched with Luke, I have a whole different outlook on life — a positive one.” 

Garrison and Luke were bestowed the American Kennel Club’s (AKC) prestigious Award for Canine Excellence (ACE) for Luke’s support and their special relationship in 2020. 

Class of WCC 2019 graduates, Air Force Veteran Ryan Boyles and Tommy II, also benefit from a very special animal-canine bond. Boyles speaks openly about the many benefits his assistance dog, Tommy, has provided him.

“Tommy has given me my freedom back to go and do stuff outside of my home and with my family,” said Ryan. “I really struggle with crowds and feeling trapped, and Tommy really helps me out with that. Thanks to him, I’ve been able to travel with my wife and boys and I feel more comfortable in many different situations. I used to not be a pleasant person to be around. He helps to calm me and bring balance to my life. My wife has told me she noticed an immediate difference in my temperament once I got Tommy.”  

We hope you will share your support for assistance dogs and those who help make these special relationships possible for those in need the world over. Be on the lookout for hashtag #IADW2022 from August 7-13 on social channels to support this important observance! 

Teach kids about service dogs with WCC’s educational toolkit

Are you interested in learning more about Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) and how service dogs support our nation’s Service Members and Veterans? Our educational toolkit can help!

Whether it’s for your own information, to share with a classroom, community group or otherwise, we invite you to check out our toolkit resources designed to educate our youth about the important work WCC does, learn more about service dogs, and inspire them to support WCC in its life-changing mission.

The toolkit resources are geared toward students in kindergarten through 12th grade, and the materials can be used in classroom settings, for scouting badges, or with school-aged church and service groups.

As an accredited Service Dog Organization, WCC has its own breeding program—whelping approximately 10-12 litters of Golden and Labrador Retrievers each year at its national headquarters in Maryland. Purpose bred for health, temperament and longevity, WCC researches many generations of each dog’s pedigree to ensure their genetic potential to become a successful Service Dog.

You’ll find a pdf with video, puppy cam links, printable handouts, trading cards featuring WCC dogs, bookmarks, fundraising ideas, and more! Learn more and download the full WCC toolkit here.

Summer Paw Protection for Pets

Beat the Heat: Paw Protection Tips for your Pooch

When it’s hot outside, the pavement heats up quickly and its temperature usually exceeds the air temperature, which can mean harsh conditions for your pet’s paw pads. Knowing when it’s too hot is crucial to prevent burns for your pet.

Air vs. Pavement Temperature
The American Kennel Club (AKC) published this helpful guide to illustrate the difference in temperatures between the air and pavement.

 

Air Temperature vs. Pavement Temperature
77 degrees F 125 degrees F
87 degrees F 143 degrees F

As you can see, when the thermometer hits 85 degrees and stays elevated throughout the day, taking your dog everywhere you go or even for a short outing can lead to a serious injury.

“Pavement, like asphalt or artificial grass, can become incredibly hot and cause discomfort, blisters, and burn a dog’s paw pads,” says Jerry Klein, DVM, AKC’s Chief Veterinary Officer and an expert in veterinary emergency and critical care.

Here are some simple tips to keep your dog happy and his paw pads healthy.

Time your walks
Choose early mornings or later evenings after the sun has set to walk your dog. The air temperature and ground surfaces will both be much cooler. Also, consider taking a grassy or shady path.

Check the pavement before your walk.
Place your hand or bare foot on the pavement for five seconds. If it’s too hot for your skin, then it’s most likely too hot for your pet.

Paw Protection Products
There are many products available on the market, like all-terrain boots for dogs, which offer protection from hot surfaces. But there is a learning curve and adjustment period for many dogs to get used to wearing them.

Many veterinarians also recommend moisturizing products which can be applied to your dog’s paw pads, which can help prevent cracking from the heat. When paw pads are dry, they’re more susceptible to burns from hot surfaces. Be sure to choose a pet-friendly and veterinarian-approved product.

Regular Paw Check
One good habit to get into is to regularly check your dog’s paws since they may not always let you know that there’s an issue. Routinely making sure paw pads and healthy can go a long way from preventing future injury.

In case of injury
In the event your dog does burn his paw pads, veterinarians recommend bringing your dog inside right away to a dry, cool place—carry him if necessary. Flush the foot with cold water or use a cool compress, and refrain from letting him lick the injured area. And of course, consult with your veterinarian.

2022 WCC T-Shirt Artwork Design Contest

HOW TO SUBMIT A DESIGN
Be a part of Warrior Canine Connection’s graduation history by designing a limited edition t-shirt celebrating the Virtual Graduation Class of 2022! The contest is open to everyone of all ages and the winning designer will receive a FREE t-shirt featuring their artwork and bragging rights.

GUIDELINES
· Design should not exceed three ink colors
· Design for back of t-shirt only
· If submitting a hand drawing, please submit no larger than 8.5  x 11-inch size
· Multiple designs may be submitted

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: JULY 15, 2022
Design submissions can be emailed as an attachment to info@warriorcanineconnection.org. Hand-drawn submissions are accepted and can be scanned in and submitted as an email attachment.
Acceptable submission formats include *.jpg, *.png, *.ai, *.eps. If designed in Illustrator, Photoshop, or other software, we will request original artwork file if selected.

Once the submission date has closed, WCC will select the winning design and announce it on our Facebook page. We also look forward to sharing a gallery of everyone’s submissions this summer.

FINE PRINT
By submitting a design, the designer consents that his/her design is their own original artwork and that he/she has all the necessary rights and permissions to use included elements. Please do not use elements or designs created by someone else. Images that are not submitted in vector format will need to be recreated. Warrior Canine Connection reserves the right to make adjustments and alterations to the winning entry to ensure that the reproduction of the image is the best quality. The winning designer releases all exclusive rights to the artwork to be used for Virtual Graduation 2022 material. The winner will be rewarded with a WCC graduation t-shirt featuring his/her design.

The Paw-fect Summer Music Playlist

The dog days of summer are just around the corner! As the weather warms up, many of us enjoy spending more time outside with our four-legged friends. Whether it’s going on runs, long walks, or car rides, we built the paw-fect summer music playlist of songs all about dogs—using your recommendations!

That’s right, the playlist below was created based on the songs you shared with us on our Facebook page—special thanks to everyone who participated! Check out the complete list below and give it a listen on Spotify.

Paula N.
“Me and you and a dog named Boo – by Lobo, Maggie’s Song by Chris Stapleton, and Ole Red by Blake Shelton.”

Taff Z.
“Jimmy Buffet – Somethin’ ‘Bout a Boat”

Alice B.
“Luke Bryan – Little Boys Grow Up and Dogs Get Old. ”

Leigh W.
“The Beatles fan in me says Martha My Dear.”

Sarah W.
“My robotic dog Poo-Chi liked Sunny Afternoon by The Kinks. He used to bark along to only this song.”

Joyce T.
“Joy to the World – Three Dog Night, Beautiful by Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell Williams (clean version), and Old King by Neil Young.”

Suzi M.
“A Simple Song – by Chris Stapleton, “But I love my life man it’s something to see, it’s the kids and the dogs and you and me, it’s the way it’s alright when everything goes wrong. It’s the sound of a slow simple song.”

Sheila C.
“WCC Lucy likes Who Let the Dogs Out.”

Lynne H.
“Jingle Bells by the Singing Dogs! (Christmas in July?”)

Joy J.
“How Much is that Doggie in the Window by Pattie Paige.”

Robin M.
“Ol’Red by Blake Shelton.”

Kim R.
“Ahhh, Hound Dog by the King!!”

Carl-Lisa F.
“Cat Steven’s I Love My Dog.”

New Faces at WCC

We are excited to welcome a new member to the WCC pack! Cathlene Kirkpatrick joined our team last month as a service dog training instructor based at our Healing Quarters in Boyds, Maryland.

Cathlene brings several years of service dog training experience with her; she worked at another nonprofit for five years before joining WCC, noting that she wanted to support Veterans and WCC’s No-Fail Mission.

Cathlene grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of North Georgia. She says she set out to be a veterinarian but changed her major to focus on animal-assisted therapy. However, during her studies, she concentrated her degree on canine-assisted therapy, focusing on canine cognition and assisting people with disabilities.

Military service runs in Cathlene’s family; both of her grandfathers served, one in the Army, the other in the Navy; her brother is a Navy Chief, and her brother-in-law is in the Marine Corps.

In fact, it was while Cathlene was in high school that her brother, Michael, deployed to Afghanistan, that she says she fully understood the sacrifices and service our members of the military make. As a result, she became very passionate about finding ways to support our Veterans and their care and is thrilled to have joined the WCC team in May.

“It’s been a lot to take in, but I already love all the dogs, they’re incredibly well-bred, and I love the dedication all the Puppy Parents have — it’s really nice to see that,” said Cathlene. “Even though we’re ultimately training the dogs to serve a Veteran, they’re already having an impact through MBTR during the process. That’s very much what drew me in.”

Besides being new to WCC and the state of Maryland, Cathlene was also recently married (March) to her husband, Kevin. So Cathlene will be “Cathlene Holloran” in a couple of months after all the paperwork is finalized. They’re both dog lovers and have a Lab-Golden cross named Pax, 6.

When not working, Cathlene enjoys cooking (Italian is her favorite), gardening, and photography (especially taking photos of dogs).

Welcome, Cathlene!

New Faces at WCC

Please join us in welcoming two new members to our team!


Kristina Frick
Kristina is the latest service dog training instructor to join our pack. She is based at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE0) in Bethesda, where she meets with Service Members and Veterans and help run our Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program.

“Although I’m still settling in, I know this work is going to be absolutely rewarding and phenomenal,” said Kristina. “As a member of a military family and community, I’m excited to combine my passion for animals by providing support for Veterans.”

No stranger to the military, Kristina met and married a U.S. Army Foreign Area Officer, John, who gave her the opportunity to literally see the world. She moved 14 times in 24 years, but she was fortunate to enough earn her teaching certification in high school biology and taught off and on while stationed stateside.

Kristina graduated from Southern Illinois University with a bachelor’s in zoology. Her first job after graduation was as a zookeeper at the Houston Zoo. There, she led public animal shows with the birds of prey and educational demonstrations with Texas wildlife, exotic small mammals, nonvenomous reptiles and psittacine birds, and the general husbandry for the animals under her care.

She and her husband have two children, Isabella, 17, and Joshua, 14, and two Boasian street dogs that were rescued while their family was living in Sarajevo during one of John’s deployments.

Stacey Rogers
A Maryland native, Stacey joins WCC as a service dog training instructor from the Baltimore area. She started raising puppies for another organization (she is now raising her 10th puppy) and that’s what led to her interest in a career training dogs. Her experience as a puppy raiser gives her a unique perspective in her work with WCC and its amazing puppy parent volunteers.

“I completely understand what puppy parents go through when they pass the leash for advanced dog training,” said Stacey. “I was always the person bawling my eyes out before, and now I see it from the perspective of being the person taking the leash from the person crying on the other end. It’s helped me in my job to give advice and really relate to what they’re going through.”

Outside of puppy raising, Stacey worked at a dog daycare training facility in Columbia, Md., where she learned about dog behavior, body language and different play styles. Several years later, she began shadowing trainers and began leading group classes and doing 1:1 puppy training — experience that plays an instrumental role in her work teaching WCC’s “Boots” classes for puppies six months and under.

When not working, Stacey enjoys hiking with a combination of her four dogs, three of which are pets, and the puppy in training, which she is caring for until February 2023. She also enjoys participating in nose work with her Golden Retriever, Vito.

Warrior Canine Connection Holding 2021 Virtual Graduation Ceremony September 25

Class of 2021 expected to be WCC’s largest to-date

Mark your calendar for Saturday, September 25 to join Warrior Canine Connection in congratulating its 2021 class of Veteran Service Dog Teams! The virtual ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern Time and can be viewed on WCC’s Facebook page. 

The ninth annual graduation will feature WCC’s largest graduating class to date, with more than a dozen Veterans and dogs included in the announcement ceremony. The celebration will include powerful Veterans stories, adorable dog footage, awards, special acknowledgments, and more! 

“Honoring graduates through our commencement ceremony is one of WCC’s most important traditions,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, Warrior Canine Connection. “Even though they won’t physically be walking across the stage that day, we are privileged to share their stories and achievements with their families, friends, and colleagues, as well as WCC’s dedicated volunteers, supporters and extended pack thanks to modern-day technology.”  

Following the virtual graduation, WCC will host an in-person, post-graduation celebration at its Healing Quarters in Boyds, Maryland—set to begin at 12:30 p.m. E.T. 

Stay tuned to WCC’s social channels for additional information! 

Thank You, AmazonSmile!

Did you know you can support Warrior Canine Connection every time you shop on Amazon.com using AmazonSmile? 

AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to assist Warrior Canine Connection every time you shop, at no cost to you. You’ll find the exact same prices, selection and experience as on Amazon.com but AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to WCC. In fact, to date, AmazonSmile has generated $22,839 in support to WCC. 

To turn your shopping into a force for good, simply go to smile.amazon.com/ch/45-2981579 to elect WCC as your charity of choice. It’s just that easy! 

Thank you in advance for your support! And thank you to AmazonSmile for its commitment to supporting nonprofits! 

New Face at WCC: Brady Wilks

We would like to introduce you to a semi-new face here at Warrior Canine Connection: Brady Wilks. Brady joined the team as its new external relations manager back in November 2020, while most of us were working from home due to the pandemic.  

In his role, Brady is doing great things to lead the WCC communications team to help raise awareness of the organization’s mission and the impact of its programs on Veterans with visible and invisible wounds.

Brady has worked in the communications field for years and has vast experience in photography, design, communications, music, art, and education. Brady graduated from the Academy of Art in San Francisco with a master’s in photography and he earned his bachelor’s in graphics and photography from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. 

With family roots in the military, he is enthusiastic and passionate about WCC’s mission to serve our Service Members and Veterans. Brady has spent years honing his craft and artistic eye and says he is honored to put his experience to use at WCC. 

“When we tell WCC’s story and share the experience of our Veterans, staff, volunteers, and supporters, we are making a positive impact to improve the lives of so many,” said Brady. “I also feel like I am doing my part to engage and celebrate the dedication of our staff and volunteers to one of the most profound missions I’ve ever known.” 

For those who visit WCC’s Healing Quarters, you may see Brady walking Rossi to or from work. Rossi is a WCC Ambassador dog and quite often the “cover girl” for many of our social media videos.  

When not working at WCC, Brady can most often be found spending time with his wife, Laurie, and son, Soren. Together, they enjoy playing games, creating things, going on adventures, and finding ways to laugh together. 

“I hope that what I do goes beyond helping WCC and our organization’s goals but to also be a good model for my son,” said Brady. “It is my hope for him, the Veterans in my life, my ancestors, my family, friends, and peers to be proud of what I do.” 

We are honored to have Brady as a valued member of our WCC team. 

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