By LINDA F. HERSEY
WASHINGTON — Army veteran Bob Ouellette and Cooper, a 9-year-old golden retriever, were outside the Capitol on Wednesday to support a bill that would fund $10 million annually for grants to provide service dogs to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. Read the full Stars and Stripes article here.
We’re excited to announce our partnership with Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) as we sponsor the two-year training journey of a veteran’s future service dog! This sponsorship plays a pivotal role in the dog’s development, covering essential costs such as obedience and service training, pet supplies, and veterinary care.
What is Warrior Canine Connection?
WCC is a proud, accredited member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI), a global organization promoting excellence in assistance dog acquisition, training, and partnership. At WCC, service dogs are more than just assistance dogs—they’re partners for American veteran Warriors on a path to healing. Through its Mission Based Trauma Recovery model, WCC helps wounded Warriors reconnect with life, families, communities, and each other.
Every day, WCC commits to its service dog training program carefully designed to ensure each dog is fully equipped to assist a veteran in need. There are three main stages:
Additionally, we’ll be honoring another veteran by naming the sponsored puppy after them. This tribute will be featured in the WCC’s Hall of Heroes, where names and stories of veterans and service heroes are memorialized.
Together, We Can Make a Difference
At Dealer eProcess, supporting our community and honoring our veterans isn’t just something we do—it’s part of who we are. Our commitment to giving back has led us to participate in initiatives like the Honor and Educate Golf Tournament, and now, we’re taking that dedication even further.
“When we learned about Warrior Canine Connection (WCC), it felt like a perfect fit for us,” remarked our CEO, Joe Gillespie. “Sponsoring a puppy in training means we’re helping forge a life-changing bond between a veteran and their service dog.”
This sponsorship isn’t just about financial support—it’s about recognizing the profound impact of animal-human connections. Together, we can make a real impact on those who’ve served our country.
We invite you to learn more about Warrior Canine Connection by visiting their website.
At WCC, we’ve always believed the bond between humans and dogs goes far beyond companionship—it’s a connection built on love, trust and healing. A new study, “Behavioral and emotional co-modulation during dog–owner interaction measured by heart rate variability and activity,” reveals that during interactions, the hearts of dogs and their owners actually synchronize, beating in unison as if connected by an invisible thread of understanding.
This February, as we celebrate love and connection for Valentine’s Day, this discovery is a beautiful reminder of the power of the human-canine bond. For the veterans and Service Members we support, this heart-to-heart relationship with their service dogs is more than emotional—it’s transformative. Together, they show us how love, in its purest form, can truly heal and unite. Read more about the study in PsyPost.
For Veterans navigating life after military service, programs like Wounded Warrior Project’s (WWP) Project Odyssey provide critical tools for healing and resilience. Through outdoor activities and group-based skill-building, Project Odyssey helps Veterans build resiliency by reconnecting with themselves and others.
Project Odyssey is a 12-week program that helps strengthen coping and communication skills through group activities, outdoor experiences and a 5-day in-person workshop. Over the past three years, Warrior Canine Connection’s (WCC) Asheville team has supported several sessions, bringing their service dogs in training to interact with Veterans as part of WCC’s Mission-Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) program.
“Project Odyssey really aligns well with our Mission-Based Trauma Recovery curriculum,” says Amy Guidash, WCC’s program director. “We absolutely love working with Wounded Warrior Project—they’re fabulous partners. It’s another opportunity to bring the healing power of working with service dogs to a whole different group of Veterans. We’re able to show how the skills they’re learning in Project Odyssey—like clear communication, impulse control, and relationship building—connect directly to their work with the dogs.”
During in-person workshop, the goal is to challenge Warriors to get out of their comfort zones, learn new skills on how to approach different experiences and help with connecting the experience to improve their own coping skills and build resiliency to when challenging their own lives. Then, after they’ve left, the idea is to use the things they’ve learned during the program to adapt, cope and build a better life. For many participants, joining the program alone takes courage.
“It’s amazing to see Warriors come together for a week,” says Alex Jankowski, Project Odyssey Specialist, WWP. “Even just getting on a plane to attend can be a huge step. Watching them move out of their comfort zones, form connections and build camaraderie is incredible. That’s part of the magic—seeing their growth and the support networks they create.”
The program intentionally keeps the in-person activities under wraps until the last moment to challenge participants to stay present and adaptable, teaching them to apply those lessons to real-life scenarios.
WCC’s service dogs bring an added depth to these experiences, helping Veterans practice patience, communication and trust.
“It’s amazing how quickly Veterans connect with the dogs,” Guidash says. “There are so many lightbulb moments where they realize, ‘If I can communicate this effectively with a dog, I can do it in other areas of my life, too.’”
Guidash recalls one session where two female Veterans initially stayed on the sidelines due to their reservations about dogs.
“By the end, they were fully engaged—interacting with the dogs, laughing and even taking selfies with them,” she says. “It was incredible to witness that shift. In such a short time, the dogs helped build a positive connection, fostering trust and emotional breakthroughs.”
WWP values WCC’s contributions to Project Odyssey, seeing it as a meaningful addition.
“When we partnered with WCC, the excitement among participants was palpable,” Jankowski says. “Many of them have personal connections to dogs, so being part of the training process hit home. It added a new layer of connection to the experience.”
For WCC, the collaboration is equally impactful.
“We’re so grateful to be a small part of the work WWP is doing with Project Odyssey,” Guidash says. “The program is making such a meaningful impact on Veterans’ lives, and we’re honored to support that.”
For Veterans who attend Project Odyssey each year, time spent with WCC’s service dogs is more than just heartwarming—it’s transformative. These interactions teach valuable life skills and offer Veterans a new way to connect—with themselves, with others, and with the world around them.
Healing can take many forms—a peer’s encouragement, a mentor’s guidance or the wag of a dog’s tail. For these Veterans, every small step forward is a testament to their resilience and the life-changing power of programs like Project Odyssey. To learn more about WWP’s Project Odyssey program, visit https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/programs/project-odyssey.
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Rick Yount has been involved in animal-assisted therapy for the past 22 years. He combined his social work knowledge and service dog training background to develop a novel intervention to help servicemembers who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Learn more in this week’s episode of The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast here.
Funding to Support WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery Training Program
BOYDS, Maryland – Veterans Help Group (VHG) has generously donated $10,000 to Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) to help support placement of skilled service dogs with wounded Veterans, and the organization’s unique Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) program. The MBTR program enlists Service Members and Veterans to help train service dogs for fellow Warriors as part of their own treatment for invisible wounds of war.
“Veterans Help Group is a fantastic organization that is making a difference in the lives of Veterans,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, Warrior Canine Connection. “VHG is 100% dedicated to providing assistance, care and resources to our nation’s Veterans, and we are immensely thankful for their support.”
WCC’s MBTR program teaches Veterans how to work with service dogs in training, which 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.
Joe Waring, Board Member for Veterans Help Group, stated: “Warrior Canine is one of those charities that brings tears to your eyes because of how passionate their work is. We are privileged to help them serve other Veterans.”
Veterans Help Group was founded more than 15 years ago to advocate for disabled Veterans in securing their disability benefits.
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, and help in reintegrating back into their families and communities. For more information, visit www.warriorcanineconnection.org.
About Veterans Help Group
Veterans Help Group is committed to improving the quality of life for Veterans and their families by aggressively advocating for the favorable and timely resolution of their disability claims. The group is able to serve Veterans in all 50 States. For more information, visit www.veteranshelpgroup.com.
Program Made Possible Thanks to Funding from Team Foster
BOYDS, Maryland – The Perelman School of Medicine and its Veterans Care Excellence Program (VCEP) at the University of Pennsylvania is going to the dogs. Starting this month, Warrior Canine Connection (WCC), a nonprofit that breeds, trains and places highly skilled service dogs with Service Members and Veterans with physical and psychological trauma, will provide an on-site service dog training program for Penn Veteran students, staff and those served by the university.
The program will utilize WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training model, in which Veterans learn how to train service dogs for their fellow Warriors. The program fulfills a time-honored military tradition of Warriors helping Warriors, and in doing so, Veterans can also benefit from their own skills development in communication, confidence building, accountability, emotional regulation and patience.
The new program is made possible thanks to a generous $100,000 gift from Team Foster, a local Philadelphia-based Veteran support organization dedicated to serving disabled Veterans through community support, Veteran peers and highly trained service dogs.
“Fueled by the support of Team Foster, we are honored to partner with an educational institution of Penn’s distinction,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, Warrior Canine Connection. “To have a program like this accessible on campus is incredible—as it will allow Veteran students and staff to more actively engage and benefit from the program, while helping to serve other Veterans by helping to meet the incredible need for service dogs.”
VCEP at Penn established a formalized structure to guide the existing and continued growth and development of Penn Medicine’s programs and services for Veterans in an effort to create a streamlined and supportive culture of care. The program oversees the recruiting, training and success-building of Veteran employees at the health system and ensures Veteran patients served by Penn receive optimum care. In addition, the VCEP program helps streamline the process of navigating health care benefits with those from Veteran Affairs.
“The Veteran Care Excellence Program at Penn Medicine and the Penn Veteran Collaborative Consortium program is honored to partner with Warrior Canine Connection and Team Foster,” said Paula Crawford-Gamble, RN, MSN, CAPT, NC, USN (Ret), Veterans Care Excellence Liaison, Penn. “Together we are excited to help our service members in need reconnect with life, their families, their communities, and each other through this innovative program.’” Crawford-Gamble has a service dog of her own from WCC, named Dollie.
“Team Foster has partnered with service dog organizations across the region for years; this is a long-overdue opportunity to bring a reputable, best-in-class partner to the Philadelphia area,” said Nick Liermann, founder and executive director, Team Foster. “Service dogs literally save lives. Partnering with Warrior Canine Connection and Penn provides Philadelphia-area Veterans access to these amazing animals—something our area desperately needs.”
The program officially launched in October and is located on Penn’s campus. A WCC service dog training instructor, along with five service dogs in training, are already based at the location.
The program is actively seeking Puppy Parents, volunteers who help raise and train the service dogs in training for up to the first two years of their lives. Veterans interested in learning more about the program can email mbtr@warriorcanineconnection.org or visit warriorcanineconnection.org.
For more information, please contact 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.
About Team Foster
Team Foster fights for the unmet needs of injured and disabled Veterans by bringing together civilians, Veterans and highly trained service dogs.
We do this by:
·Helping Veterans obtain highly trained service dogs they need at no cost;
·Providing grants for the unmet needs of Veterans and their service dog;
·Ensuring Veteran service dogs receive the highest quality training;
·Promoting awareness of service-related PTSD and TBI and advocating for the long-term needs of our Veterans.
Learn more at www.teamfoster.org.
Military service is a family tradition for Retired U.S. Army Sergeant Mike Milton; his brother, sister-in-law, cousin, and uncles, all served in the Armed Forces.
“I joined to be of service to country,” says Milton. “I had amazing experiences that included people, travel, and lots of different situations—both good and bad—they were instrumental in getting me where I am today.”
He enlisted in 2008 and served as an infantryman through 2016. During a physical fitness training event, a muscle breakdown led to a debilitating kidney injury. Milton spent four-plus months at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center undergoing dialysis treatment. He would spend 18 additional months undergoing outpatient treatment there before medically retiring in 2018.
“While at Walter Reed, I attended a few events and enjoyed socializing with other Warriors through the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP),” said Milton. “I didn’t anticipate retiring so early and wasn’t sure what was next for me, and they really helped me through some difficult times.”
After medically retiring from the Army, Milton enrolled in the Operation Warfighter Program, the Department of Defense’s internship, which helped position him for his current role as a Safety and Occupation Health Specialist with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory Safety Office.
He also continued attending WWP events. It was at one of those later events that Milton encountered a service dog in training who was part of Warrior Canine Connection’s (WCC) Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) training program. A dog lover, he volunteered for WCC’s 8-week MBTR program, where he helped train a service dog for a fellow Warrior.
During the program, Service Members and Veterans in their own recovery help train service dogs for their fellow Warriors. By doing so, they receive their own therapeutic benefit from skills development in communication, self-esteem building, accountability, and emotional regulation. They also learn patience when they perform acts of service for others.
“It was great to give my own time to part of the program,” said Milton. “Dogs are very smart, and they appreciate the interaction, and the instructors were a joy to work with.”
Just happy to volunteer his time, what Milton didn’t expect was that he would benefit from the sessions himself.
“I went through a whole bout of sciatica with a lot of pain,” said Milton. “It took me an hour to drive to get to the training location but working with the dogs was relaxing to me and calmed me down. I didn’t think about world events or work or my sciatica … I was so focused, yet peaceful.”
His advice to other Veterans who are struggling or just want to connect with other Warriors?
Milton said, “Reach out to WWP or WCC. They’re good people. They’ve been there, done that and aren’t going to leave you hanging.”
If you would like to learn more about how you can get involved in WCC’s MBTR program, click here.
Training service dogs helps veterans heal
July 6, 2022 – Asheville can feel as if dogs have the run of the place. They are seemingly in every brewery and every restaurant and every trail. Nearly all of these animals are pets that might occasionally earn their keep by barking at a black bear in the trash or chasing a gopher from the tomato patch. Read the full story in Mountain Xpress here (story begins on page 20).
December 27, 2021 – BALTIMORE (WBFF) — For the longest time, war veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – or PTSD – relied on medications to ease their pain.
Lately, however, some veterans have found relief from service dogs. Watch this powerful story by WBFF Fox 45 News here.
Warrior Canine Connection
is a 501(c)(3)
Nonprofit Organization
# 45-2981579