One Month Out: Warrior Canine Connection’s 2025 Graduation to Celebrate Courage, Companionship and Service on September 20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Celebrate National Service Dog Month with this year’s graduating service dogs and the Veterans, families and communities they serve

BOYDS, Md. — The countdown is on! In exactly one month, Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) will introduce its 2025 graduates — Veteran Service Dog Teams, Facility Dogs, Military Family Support Dogs and other assistance dogs who have made a meaningful difference in the lives of Warriors with visible and invisible wounds — during a virtual celebration on Saturday, September 20. The ceremony will be streamed on WCC’s YouTube channel. Everyone is welcome to watch, cheer and share.

“Graduation is our favorite day of the year because it’s where hope meets impact,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, Warrior Canine Connection. “You’ll hear moving stories from Veterans and families, and you’ll meet the extraordinary dogs who stand by their side through every challenge. It’s a celebration of resilience, service and the power of the human-canine bond.”

September is National Service Dog Month, making this year’s graduation the perfect time to recognize the extraordinary impact of these highly trained assistance dogs. WCC is an Assistance Dogs International (ADI)-accredited service dog organization, meeting the highest standards in training and care for both dogs and handlers.

Through WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery training model, each dog can positively impact dozens of Veterans during training. Through the program, Warriors learn to train service dogs for fellow Veterans as part of their own treatment for PTSD. In doing so, they gain therapeutic benefits including improved communication and reduced anxiety along the way.

What to expect on Sept. 20

• Powerful stories and first looks at this year’s graduates from across the country
• Namesake tributes honoring Veterans, both past and present, whose legacies live on through the names of these dogs
• Real-time celebration with the WCC community — supporters, Puppy Raisers, volunteers and friends nationwide

Join us

• Virtual Ceremony: Saturday, Sept. 20, 11 a.m. ET
  Watch on YouTube
• In-Person Celebration (following the virtual ceremony): Sept. 20 – 1 p.m. ET at
  14934 Schaeffer Road
  WCC’s Healing Quarters,
  Boyds, MD 20841
  Expect to see many of this year’s graduates, alumni teams, Puppy Raisers, volunteers, staff and supporters.
  RSVP/Details: https://warriorcanineconnection.tfaforms.net/5150918

Story Ideas:

• Graduates nationwide: Veterans and assistance dogs who hail from across the U.S. including Arkansas, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia will be in attendance.
• Namesakes: Several namesakes and their family members will be on hand to share the meaningful impact of having a service dog named in honor of them or a loved one.
• Puppy Raisers: Volunteers who have provided love, care, and support to these graduating dogs will be in attendance, including several who have raised more than a dozen dogs. WCC is always seeking more Puppy Raiser volunteers to help advance its No-Fail Mission.

Media:
Media are invited to attend the in-person celebration. Interviews, photos, b-roll, and story opportunities are available. For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois 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.