Warrior Canine Connection recently caught up with Courtney Huq, social media director for explore.org, the host site of WCC’s live puppy cam. We chatted with her about the partnership between the two nonprofits, how the puppy cam came to be, as well as some other fun tidbits.
explore.org’s mission is to bring people closer to nature and to champion the selfless acts of others. The platform currently boasts 166 live webcams and growing, seen across four continents (North America, Africa, Asia and Europe), along with 10+ million Facebook followers.
Below are some highlights from our conversation.
1. explore.org has been a great champion for WCC. Can you share a bit of the history of the organization’s support of Veterans?
Answer: Our founder, Charlie Annenberg, he’s always been a champion of Veteran-related causes dating back to when he was making documentaries tied to philanthropic initiatives. He also has a love of dogs and it all tied together. He thought training service dogs for Veterans was a beautiful and brilliant idea, and the idea was born.
2. When and why were WCC’s puppies added to explore.org? And how has it enriched your platform?
Answer: We first got connected with WCC through Rick Yount (WCC’s founder and executive director). At the time, Rick and Meg Olmert (WCC’s director of research) approached us and told us about WCC. The more we learned, the more we thought it was an amazing pairing of war Veterans who might be dealing with mental issues related to their military service with their pairing to service dogs. We got connected in 2011 and came online in 2012. WCC was the first puppy cam on explore.org.
There are currently six total puppy cams and three or four on and off with active litters on our platform.
3. We know puppies and all dogs, in general, are fantastic. But in your own words, what makes puppies so special and such a huge attraction on the puppy cam?
Answer: Aside from the fact that everybody loves a puppy—unless you’re a monster [laughs], you just automatically see them and go “aww.” I agreed with the first pitch Meg Olmert ever gave us—it’s an automatic chemical serotonin response, and I think that’s true of all the cameras we have; there’s just something about puppies that just comforts people and offers them a little bit of therapy.
4. Did you anticipate the reach the WCC puppy cam has had?
Answer: When we launched the puppy cam, we didn’t realize the reach. It was probably one of the more popular cameras immediately when we first started incorporating it, and it just grew from there and we continue to add cameras of organizations that we believe in.
5. What’s the coolest/most touching story you’ve heard from someone who watched the explore.org/WCC puppy cam?
Answer: There have been A LOT over the years. The most touching stories to me are when people approach us and say either ‘I have a terminal illness’ or ‘my close relative has a terminal illness and these puppy cameras are the only brightness of my day-to-day.’ That’s powerful. The joy the puppies bring is so meaningful … there’s been more than one situation; it’s not a one-off, it happens a lot.
6. What would you like people to know about explore.org that they may not already know from watching the live streams?
Answer: I’d like to think a lot of people know but we sort of tuck this in the background—that there is a philanthropic element to every single camera. We don’t just partner with organizations because we want to show a cute animal or a pretty landscape. There’s a reason behind everything. We want to make sure WCC and other organizations have funding to do their work; we have them on the website because we believe in their missions.
7. In your opinion, has there been a “favorite” litter to date or one that has stood out to you over others?
Answer: Definitely, I want to say the launch litters were the most popular, like Holly’s Half Dozen. Holly was an immensely popular dog and her puppies were such a big deal. They sort of looped everyone into this addiction of watching the joy and sharing the joy of watching puppies whenever you wanted to.
I was sorry to hear of Holly’s recent passing; her legacy left an impact on a lot of people, including the puppies of hers who were placed as service dogs.
8. Have you followed the progress/development of any of the puppies who’ve made appearances on the puppy cam?
Answer: A lot of them have Facebook pages, and I do like a lot of those pages. We run Dog Bless You, so we share stories there and enjoy seeing what the dogs are doing.
9. Is there anything we didn’t ask that you would like to share?
Answer: Only that we really value our partnership with WCC, and it’s been really inspiring over the years watching them grow as an organization. And it is well-deserved progress that they’ve made.
You can watch the WCC live puppy cam on explore.org here.
The Earthly Delights Podcast: Episode #68 Rick Yount, Warrior Canine Connection
September 2021 – In this episode of The Earthly Delights, Seb talks to Rick Yount, the founder and creator of the Warrior Canine Connection which is a pioneering organization that utilizes its Mission Based Trauma Recovery model to help wounded Warriors reconnect with life, their families, their communities, and each other. Listen in here.
Warrior Canine Connection Spreads Awareness During National Service Dog Month
September 15, 2021 – September marks National Service Dog Month, a time to celebrate and honor the extraordinary four-legged heroes that dedicate their lives to help human companions – something Warrior Canine Connection does all year round. Check out the full story by Jordan Lindsay, Montgomery Community Media, here.
Statement from Warrior Canine Connection on President Biden Signing PAWS Act into Law
New legislation modeled after Warrior Canine Connection’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery Service Dog Training Model
August 26, 2021
BOYDS, Md. – In July 2008, Warrior Canine Connection Executive Director and Founder Rick Yount piloted the first Therapeutic Service Dog Training Program for Veterans at the Palo Alto VA Medical Center’s inpatient PTSD program. The testimonies from the Veterans in Rick’s program inspired lawmakers so powerfully to the degree that they asked Yount and Veterans Affairs to help draft the original language for what would become the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act. After many challenges and 13-years later, on August 25, 2021, President Biden signed the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act into law.
Under the new law, the Department of Veterans Affairs will launch a five-year pilot program that provides service dog training to benefit Veterans diagnosed with PTSD. In addition to expanding Yount’s therapeutic service dog training model to five VA hospitals around the country, it is the first law that authorizes the VA to provide support for Veterans who utilize service dogs to help them mitigate their psychological injuries.
Rick Yount, Warrior Canine Connection, issued the following statement after yesterday’s signing.
“Thank you to the leadership at the Palo Alto VA, especially Recreation Therapy Services for its forward-thinking and willingness to explore a new way of caring for hospitalized Veterans,” said Rick Yount, executive director and founder, Warrior Canine Connection. “They put their faith in me, allowing me to bring four Golden Retrievers on a daily basis into a very intense clinical setting at their Menlo Park Trauma Recovery Program. This legislation has been a long time coming, and it validates the Mission Based Trauma Recovery training model that Warrior Canine Connection created to help our Warriors in recovery. Furthermore, it underscores the importance and power of the human-animal bond and will provide significant support and resources for Veterans who can benefit from their relationship with man’s best friend.”
The five-year pilot program will take effect on January 1, 2022.
Please direct any media inquiries to Beth Bourgeois, Warrior Canine Connection, at beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org or 719-216-3206.
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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, and help in reintegrating back into their families and communities. For more information, visit www.warriorcanineconnection.org.
Canine Can-Do: The Healing Power of Puppies
When Warrior Canine Connection Founder and Executive Director RickYount was gifted with Gabe, an eight-week-old golden retriever for Christmas, he had no idea his adorable new companion would change the trajectory of his life and thousands of others. Yount, a licensed social worker, often let Gabe tag along to work. One day, Yount was tasked with removing a child from an abusive home and placing him in foster care. It was a heartbreaking experience, Yount recalls. Read the full story on .org here.
Warrior Canine Connection to Celebrate Largest Class of Veteran Service Dog Teams with Virtual Commencement Ceremony
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 25, 2021
BOYDS, Maryland – Warrior Canine Connection will celebrate its 2021 Veteran Service Dog Team Graduation, its largest class to date, with a virtual commencement ceremony on Saturday, September 25. Family, friends, and WCC supporters can watch the program on WCC’s Facebook page.
The ceremony will feature a keynote address from Senator Elizabeth Dole, video introductions and announcements of each Veteran Service Dog Team, awards, and much more. The commencement ceremony will also pay honor to each of the namesake families; all WCC’s dogs are named after Veterans, both past and present.
“Honoring our graduates through our annual commencement ceremony is one of WCC’s most important traditions,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, WCC. “Our staff, Veterans’ families, puppy parents, sponsors, volunteers, and so many others will share in the ceremonial “passing of the leash,” which signifies the official start of these powerful, life-changing, human-animal relationships.”
All the graduating service dogs will have completed WCC’s intensive, Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training conducted by Warriors in recovery who learn to train mobility service dogs for fellow Warriors as a means of addressing their own symptoms of combat stress.
Pending changes in COVID-19 restrictions or guidelines, WCC will host an in-person, outdoor celebration at 12:30 p.m. at its Healing Quarters in Boyds, Maryland. Many of this year’s graduates, puppy parents, and volunteers will be in attendance.
Media interested in attending are asked to RSVP to Beth Bourgeois, WCC, at 719-216-3206 or beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org
# # #
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, and help in reintegrating back into their families and communities. For more information, visit www.warriorcanineconnection.org.
WCC Veteran Spotlight: Arodi Grullon Fernandez
Wounded Warrior Project & Warrior Canine Connection Instilling Sense of Community Among Veterans
Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) had the pleasure of meeting and working with Arodi Grullon Fernandez, a 12-year Veteran of the Marine Corps. He connected with WCC through a Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) event and continues to seek out WWP events and programs and encourages other Veterans to get involved.
Arodi Grullon Fernandez’s family immigrated from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico when he was just 5. The youngest of three brothers, after graduating from high school in 2002, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. His 12 years of service included one deployment to Iraq, two to Afghanistan, and several other duty stations, including Okinawa, Camp Pendleton, 29 Palms and Camp Lejeune.
During his service, Arodi trained as a refrigeration mechanic. As a junior Marine, he worked in maintenance and operations of the equipment, but after he became a non-commissioned officer, he performed duties of Platoon Sergeant and maintenance/operations. Due to service limitations, Arodi was honorably discharged on 2014.
“I was sad to leave the service,” said Arodi. “I credit the Marine Corps with giving me my leadership values, skills and camaraderie with my fellow Marines, but I am happy with how life worked out.”
And “worked out” it did. After leaving the Marine Corps, Arodi attended Craven Community College for two years for cyber security and network administration.
Still longing a connection with other Veterans, he got involved with Wounded Warrior Project. He got involved, attended several events, and learned about the Cisco Veteran Training Program, which led to his current job as a system administrator, where he’s been employed for three-plus years.
It was through WWP’s program that Arodi also learned about Warrior Canine Connection’s service dog training program, where Service Members and Veterans help train future service dogs for their fellow Warriors with visible and invisible wounds.
A dog lover and with allotted volunteer hours through Cisco, Arodi signed up.
“I thought it would be great a way to stay engaged with the Veteran community, and I never had any kind of training on how to work with my own dog, so it was interesting to me,” said Arodi.
He traveled to WCC once a week for 12 weeks. There, he assisted the service dog training instructors, and in the process learned training techniques, as well as other tasks such as proper grooming.
“It’s so rewarding to see small, incremental changes with the dogs,” said Arodi. “For me, I had no idea how much goes into training a service dog. It really opened my mind to how service dogs are used to help Veterans with PTSD and learn the triggers.”
He says the training helped him with his own communication with his dog, Lexi, a 4-year-old Australian Shepherd.
“It helped me put a lot of things in perspective with how I work with my own dog,” said Arodi. “I used to think I was the alpha male and yell/raise my voice to train mine. But I learned that, no, you just have to make it more interesting to them.”
Arodi only has one regret about his involvement in the programs.
“I wish I would have gotten involved with Wounded Warrior Project a little bit earlier,” said Arodi. “My connection to the military and the Marine Corps is very important, and Wounded Warrior Project and programs like Warrior Canine Connection’s service dog training program go a long way in helping me and others feel connected.”
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!
Q&A with explore.org
explore.org’s mission is to bring people closer to nature and to champion the selfless acts of others. The platform currently boasts 166 live webcams and growing, seen across four continents (North America, Africa, Asia and Europe), along with 10+ million Facebook followers.
Below are some highlights from our conversation.
1. explore.org has been a great champion for WCC. Can you share a bit of the history of the organization’s support of Veterans?
Answer: Our founder, Charlie Annenberg, he’s always been a champion of Veteran-related causes dating back to when he was making documentaries tied to philanthropic initiatives. He also has a love of dogs and it all tied together. He thought training service dogs for Veterans was a beautiful and brilliant idea, and the idea was born.
2. When and why were WCC’s puppies added to explore.org? And how has it enriched your platform?
Answer: We first got connected with WCC through Rick Yount (WCC’s founder and executive director). At the time, Rick and Meg Olmert (WCC’s director of research) approached us and told us about WCC. The more we learned, the more we thought it was an amazing pairing of war Veterans who might be dealing with mental issues related to their military service with their pairing to service dogs. We got connected in 2011 and came online in 2012. WCC was the first puppy cam on explore.org.
There are currently six total puppy cams and three or four on and off with active litters on our platform.
3. We know puppies and all dogs, in general, are fantastic. But in your own words, what makes puppies so special and such a huge attraction on the puppy cam?
Answer: Aside from the fact that everybody loves a puppy—unless you’re a monster [laughs], you just automatically see them and go “aww.” I agreed with the first pitch Meg Olmert ever gave us—it’s an automatic chemical serotonin response, and I think that’s true of all the cameras we have; there’s just something about puppies that just comforts people and offers them a little bit of therapy.
4. Did you anticipate the reach the WCC puppy cam has had?
Answer: When we launched the puppy cam, we didn’t realize the reach. It was probably one of the more popular cameras immediately when we first started incorporating it, and it just grew from there and we continue to add cameras of organizations that we believe in.
5. What’s the coolest/most touching story you’ve heard from someone who watched the explore.org/WCC puppy cam?
Answer: There have been A LOT over the years. The most touching stories to me are when people approach us and say either ‘I have a terminal illness’ or ‘my close relative has a terminal illness and these puppy cameras are the only brightness of my day-to-day.’ That’s powerful. The joy the puppies bring is so meaningful … there’s been more than one situation; it’s not a one-off, it happens a lot.
6. What would you like people to know about explore.org that they may not already know from watching the live streams?
Answer: I’d like to think a lot of people know but we sort of tuck this in the background—that there is a philanthropic element to every single camera. We don’t just partner with organizations because we want to show a cute animal or a pretty landscape. There’s a reason behind everything. We want to make sure WCC and other organizations have funding to do their work; we have them on the website because we believe in their missions.
7. In your opinion, has there been a “favorite” litter to date or one that has stood out to you over others?
Answer: Definitely, I want to say the launch litters were the most popular, like Holly’s Half Dozen. Holly was an immensely popular dog and her puppies were such a big deal. They sort of looped everyone into this addiction of watching the joy and sharing the joy of watching puppies whenever you wanted to.
I was sorry to hear of Holly’s recent passing; her legacy left an impact on a lot of people, including the puppies of hers who were placed as service dogs.
8. Have you followed the progress/development of any of the puppies who’ve made appearances on the puppy cam?
Answer: A lot of them have Facebook pages, and I do like a lot of those pages. We run Dog Bless You, so we share stories there and enjoy seeing what the dogs are doing.
9. Is there anything we didn’t ask that you would like to share?
Answer: Only that we really value our partnership with WCC, and it’s been really inspiring over the years watching them grow as an organization. And it is well-deserved progress that they’ve made.
You can watch the WCC live puppy cam on explore.org here.
Thank You, 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
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.