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Warrior Canine Connection enlists recovering Warriors in a therapeutic mission of learning to train service dogs for their fellow Veterans.
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The Art of Dog Training

May 12, 2021/0 Comments/in Stories of Impact, Warrior Stories /by WCC Comms

Since he was a kid, Nick has always loved art—painting, drawing, and he even did some professional tattoo work for a period. He loves finding beauty in unexpected places. And dog training is one of them.

In fact, Nick, a Marine Corps Veteran, just hit a huge milestone—he’s completed 250 Mission Based Trauma Recovery hours! Nick has been participating in Warrior Canine Connection’s service dog training program at its Asheville, N.C. location since March 2020. 

“It’s one of the best therapeutic methods I’ve ever encountered, and I’ve tried a lot of different things,” said Nick. “I’ve tried horticulture, sitting with therapists and psychiatrists, which I still do, but I really prefer going to see the dogs.” 

Nick enlisted in the Marine Corps and went to boot camp at age 17. Originally, he wanted to be an aircraft mechanic but soon found out he was color blind. He was drawn to journalism and photography and ended up attending the Defense Information School. 

“I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world,” says Nick. “I got to see parts of every other job, covered amazing stories, saw a lot of interesting things, and learned a lot from a lot of people through the Marine Corps. I also really valued the camaraderie.” 

Three and a half years into his service, his diagnosis restricted him from being able to re-enlist and he sought treatment.

“I don’t know what I’d do without the VA, honestly,” said Nick. “They help me with medication and really everything … they’ve been a huge help to me.” 

It was through the VA’s programs that Nick learned about WCC’s service dog training program. Once he got started, he was hooked.

“I set a goal to complete 100 sessions, then 150, and then 200,” said Nick. “Truth is, I don’t see myself stopping, I enjoy the sessions so much, and it’s helped me immensely with my anxiety and with learning about myself. I have also learned a lot about how to talk to the dogs, handle them, and training in general. Both you and the dog benefit so much when you know how to communicate with each other.” 

Nick balances the training sessions with his schoolwork; he’s studying business management at Asheville-Buncombe Community College, where he says he hopes to learn to one day combine his business skills with his passion for art.  

Amy Guidash, who runs WCC’s program in Asheville, says “Nick has come a long way since he started the program. He’s been so committed to it, that not only has he learned a lot about training and formed amazing relationships with the dogs, he’s also become a great resource and help to his fellow Veterans who are new to the program.” 

“When I first started, I was uncomfortable and wanted to stop,” said Nick. “My advice to others is to dip your toe in the pool … get outside of your comfort zone a bit, keep fighting to stay and it will get more comfortable. Talk to people, make friends, and bond with people in the program who have close to or some of the same experiences as you, so you are never alone.” 

Nick, who works a lot with WCC’s service dog in training, Danny, says he hopes to one day get his own service dog.  

“Dogs are powerful—knowing you have something living and breathing next to you, it’s true companionship,” said Nick. “They don’t judge you for anything at all. And they just have playful and compassionate souls … they look to you to help with a lot of things, too.” 

https://warriorcanineconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white.svg 0 0 WCC Comms https://warriorcanineconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white.svg WCC Comms2021-05-12 17:30:492021-05-14 16:52:19The Art of Dog Training

Warrior Canine Connection Receives $75,000 Grant from PetSmart Charities® to Bring the Healing Power of Pets to Veterans Through its Mission Based Trauma Recovery Program

December 4, 2018/in Press Releases /by WCC Comms

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4, 2018

BOYDS, Md. – Warrior Canine Connection knows that pets have the remarkable ability to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, improve our mood and bring us unconditional love. That’s why, with the help of a new $75,000 grant from PetSmart Charities, the organization is aiming to improve the quality of life for Veterans with combat wounds through its Mission Based Trauma Recovery Program (MBTR).

With this grant funding, Warrior Canine Connection will support its MBTR Program to enlist Service Members and Veterans to train service dogs for their fellow Veterans. The training model provides Veterans with a sense of purpose while they are in treatment at the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities and is designed to remediate their symptoms of combat stress, such as isolation, emotional numbness and re-experiencing. MBTR also harnesses the healing power of the Warrior Ethos in which Warriors train service dogs for fellow Veterans; through the process, they learn to focus on the dogs and their mission to help another Veteran.

“PetSmart Charities is a true leader and driver in support of the health and welfare of animals, and we are so grateful for their endorsement and support of our programs,” said Warrior Canine Connection Founder and Executive Director Rick Yount. “The emotional and physical support that service dogs provide to our Veterans is invaluable, and we’re excited to use this funding to help support our mission and to meet the growing need for Warrior support by training and providing highly skilled service dogs to our Veterans.”

Veterans who have participated in WCC’s unique form of canine-assisted therapy have reported that it has significantly improved their self-worth, peer relationships and family dynamics, among other positive attributes.

“As the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, we are committed to supporting programs that bring people and pets together,” said Sima Thakkar, regional relationship manager at PetSmart Charities. “The MBTR Program is a great example of how pets can enrich our lives and heal invisible and/or physical wounds. Thanks to our donor nationwide, we are proud to partner with the team at Warrior Canine Connection and support the expansion of this tremendous program that aims to improve the quality of life for so many Veterans.”

Last year alone, PetSmart Charities granted more than $1.8 million to support programs aimed at enhancing the quality of life for individuals through greater access to service animals and animal-assisted therapy programs. Funding from PetSmart Charities supports best practices that enhance the human-animal bond and finds forever homes and families for pets in need. For more information, visit www.PetSmartCharities.org.

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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, visitwww.warriorcanineconnection.org.   

About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is committed to finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities helps to find forever homes and families for more than 500,000 shelter pets each year.  PetSmart Charities also provides grant funding to nonprofits aligned with its mission under four key areas of support: Preventing Pet Homelessness; Helping Shelter Pets Thrive; Supporting the Bond Between People and Pets and Providing Emergency Relief and Disaster Support. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores.  In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting almost $340 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart Inc., PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, a third-party organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 15 years in a row – placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org.

Follow PetSmart Charities on Twitter: @PetSmartChariTs
Find PetSmart Charities on Facebook: 
Facebook.com/PetSmartCharities
See PetSmart Charities on YouTube: 
YouTube.com/PetSmartCharitiesInc

 

Media Contact:
Warrior Canine Connection                                                   24-Hour PetSmart Charities
Beth Bourgeois                                                                         Media Line:  623-587-2177
Media & Public Relations Officer719-216-3206
beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org

https://warriorcanineconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white.svg 0 0 WCC Comms https://warriorcanineconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white.svg WCC Comms2018-12-04 09:53:532021-04-02 02:02:40Warrior Canine Connection Receives $75,000 Grant from PetSmart Charities® to Bring the Healing Power of Pets to Veterans Through its Mission Based Trauma Recovery Program

Warrior Canine Connection Launches Program in Asheville Veterans Treatment Court

November 20, 2018/in Press Releases /by WCC Comms

Service Dog Training Program Helps Wounded Veterans Avoid Incarceration 

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Warrior Canine Connection is offering a new program to support the Veterans Treatment Court in Asheville, North Carolina. Working with the Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court, the WCC program utilizes service dog training as a community service option for Veterans involved with the criminal justice system.

“We are honored to be able to provide service dog training as a community service option in participation with the Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, Warrior Canine Connection. “Several Veteran participants have shared that they feel good about their volunteerism — helping to train the dogs but what they didn’t realize going in was just how much the training of the dogs would end up helping them. That’s a powerful testimonial to the impact these service dogs in training are having on our nation’s Veterans, and we’re thrilled to be providing this service in Asheville.”

The Asheville-based program marks the sixth WCC program working with Veteran Treatment Court programs, including four sites (Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) in California and in Baltimore. The VTC program utilizes WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) model in which Veterans work to overcome the stress of combat by training service dogs for their fellow Veterans.

One Asheville participant shared the following thoughts on his participation in the VTC program:
“I love working with Clifford. As a combat-wounded Veteran, I have struggled physically (32 surgeries) and emotionally; to make human connections and to find my tribe after the Marines has been difficult. I think this is because I just don’t feel safe in my own skin, let alone around others. Working with Clifford, I feel normal. I feel like a person again. Who knew that working with these dogs would help me feel more like a human. Because of the work we are doing in WCC, I am able to speak to other people [now]. The best way to put it — Clifford keeps me calm. He is always happy to see me. And he responds to my moods. I am learning that I can control how I feel. And instead of being alone with my thoughts, I am often focusing on Clifford.”

Veterans involved in the courts are often required to complete a set number of community service hours. The dog training — offered through WCC — is one of the options on the docket. Training takes place on a weekly basis at the courthouse and Veterans can participate within the WCC program for the duration of their VTC commitment.

“I am so excited to have the VTC working with the Warrior Canine Connection,” said Honorable Judge Marvin Pope. “WCC (Amy and Clifford) has brought a new sense of joy into the courtroom that directly mirrors our non-punitive and supportive approach. I am seeing Veterans that are otherwise isolated and reserved (from unaddressed PTSD symptomatology) coming to life. Through this new modality, Veterans are learning critical skills of self-regulation, pro-social development and self-soothing. While we are training the service animal, it is actually a mutual process of growth and healing.”

The program teaches Veterans how to work with service dogs in training which helps not only to meet their legal community service obligations but also fulfills a time-honored military tradition of Warriors helping Warriors. In doing so, the Veteran can also benefit from skills development in communication, confidence building, accountability, emotional regulation and patience to promote an act of service while receiving a therapeutic benefit.

Starting in 2008, states and counties in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs created a system of Veterans Treatment Courts throughout the nation. To date, these VTCs have used treatment to help rehabilitate more than 10,000 Veterans with mental health and/or substance dependence and legal issues. Despite these efforts, tens of thousands of Veterans continue to need similar assistance.

For some Veterans, symptoms of post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury can contribute to their misconduct, such as increased risk-taking, self-medication and other behavioral issues that result in their subsequent, and sometimes repeated, involvement in the criminal justice system.

The WCC VTC Program was developed and implemented thanks in part to a 2017 grant provided by the Bob Woodruff Foundation. The Foundation had provided a previous 2016 grant to WCC to oversee a feasibility plan to use service dogs as a community service option.

 

For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois, Warrior Canine Connection, 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 reintegrating back into their families and communities, and a potential career path as a service dog trainer. For more information, visit www.warriorcanineconnection.org.

About Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court
The mission of the Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) is to promote public safety through accountability and responsibility. The Veterans Treatment Court utilizes a non-adversarial, team approach to providing a host of mental health, addiction, trauma, behavioral, and psychosocial services and supports to veterans facing non-violent felony charges. We assist and support Veterans and their families as they move through a coordinated effort among the court and community-based Veteran services while improving their quality of life. Buncombe County is now on the cutting edge of recovery-based diversion court programs and serves as an example for criminal justice reform. Learn more by visiting www.buncombeveteranscourt.com. For more information, contact VTC Coordinator Kevin Rumley at (828) 259-6601.

 

https://warriorcanineconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white.svg 0 0 WCC Comms https://warriorcanineconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white.svg WCC Comms2018-11-20 10:04:372021-04-02 02:02:40Warrior Canine Connection Launches Program in Asheville Veterans Treatment Court

Warrior Canine Connection to offer Service Dog Training at the Marcus Institute for Brain Health in Denver Area

May 31, 2018/in Press Releases /by WCC Comms

New Partnership to Help Expand Breadth of Program Interventions for Veteran Patients

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 31, 2018

AURORA, Colorado – Today, Warrior Canine Connection announced that it is partnering with the Marcus Institute for Brain Health at the Anschutz Medical Campus to offer service dog training as part of its roster of MIBH’s interventions available to its patients.

This new Aurora-based location marks 10 program sites where WCC administers its Mission Based Trauma Recovery model, whereby Warriors recovering from post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries help train service dogs for their fellow Veterans.

“We are proud to partner with the Marcus Institute for Brain Health and thrilled to expand our programming to the Colorado Front Range area,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, Warrior Canine Connection. “MIBH is a premier service provider for our nation’s Veterans, and we consider it a privilege to offer service dog training as part of its extensive program offerings to help our Warriors heal and grow.”

The Marcus Institute for Brain Health (MIBH) provides specialty care for military Veterans and retired athletes struggling with mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries (including concussion) and co-morbid psychological health issues. MIBH offers comprehensive care for the physical, emotional and cognitive changes that can accompany trauma to the head. Emphasis is placed on detailed evaluation and treatment; each patient is treated as an individual with a personalized treatment plan.

“The Marcus Institute for Brain Health is delighted to have Warrior Canine Connection join us in partnership here on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus in caring for military Veterans with TBI and psychological health conditions,” said Dr. James Kelly, executive director, MIBH. “WCC’s Ann Spader and one-year-old Labrador Retriever “Joseph” have brought unique opportunities for health and wellness to our interdisciplinary treatment program. We are certain that involving our patients in service dog training adds a dimension of holistic well-being and social engagement that WCC has become renown for introducing to the care of those with the invisible wounds of war.”

Each service dog training session runs for a total of four weeks. “Joseph,” the resident service dog in training, will soon be accompanied by a second dog that will be added to the program in the coming weeks.

 For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois, Warrior Canine Connection, 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 Marcus Institute for Brain Health 
At the MIBH, our complete focus is to help you get better. People struggling with the persistent effects of mild to moderate brain injuries see changes in emotions, physical functioning, and thinking. These changes directly affect everyday life and impact how we see ourselves as well as relationships with family, friends, and co-workers.  At the MIBH, we believe in wellness for you and for your loved ones. We encourage your family to participate in your care. Health and wellness extend to all parts of your life, and we believe that with the right tools we can help make this your reality.

For many years, people struggled alone with mild to moderate brain injuries. Concussions have been misunderstood as “just a bump on the head.” Today we know differently. There are clear changes in brain functioning after injury and for many people there are long-term changes. This is the reality for military Veterans who may also struggle with PTS, depression, and anxiety. Our retired athletes are faced with the possibility of sport-related brain changes. We know that treatment for TBIs and changes in psychological health requires a sophisticated healthcare team. The MIBH exists to fill this critical need for comprehensive, customized care.

 

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0 0 WCC Comms https://warriorcanineconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white.svg WCC Comms2018-05-31 08:50:382021-04-02 02:02:40Warrior Canine Connection to offer Service Dog Training at the Marcus Institute for Brain Health in Denver Area

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