War Vets Heal With the Help of Shelter Dogs

"The bottom line is we stand by our motto: We Give Second Chances. Whether it's a dog, a trainer, or a veteran, CWAC gives them a second chance because we believe everyone–every single being on the planet–deserves a second chance." This was an excerpt from Patti Kerr’s new book, “Magical Dogs 3: On The Road,” where Patti tells heartwarming stories about “magical” dogs that inspired, encouraged, and oftentimes changed the lives of the humans lucky enough to love them. We are sincerely grateful to Patti Kerr for all she has done for animals and for telling their stories so compassionately. If you would like to learn more about how CWAC got its start and how your donations are directly impacting the lives of veterans and rescues, like Cameron & Romeo's, her book is available here for purchase. 

Since our last report, we threw our first post-pandemic Graduation with great success! We were able to provide an evening where veteran-teams (meaning the veteran and their service dog) could bring their family and relish in their accomplishment. They received goodie bags, framed certificates of completion and had the opportunity to win fun prizes by participating in "Doggy Olympics." Our goal is to provide this event each year for our veteran-teams.

Speaking about achievements, you may have remembered plans for a new prison program at the Northern Nevada Correctional Facility (NNCC). Well, we finally introduced our first two rescues, Snowball and Rocket, to our inmate handlers at the the Carson City prison. Trainer Seamus has been hard at work, ensuring the inmate handlers there have the proper training and confidence to work with and train our rescues for the next several weeks. We were fortunate enough to colaborate with both Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe and Utah-based nonprofit, Rescue Rovers, to adopt Snowball and Rocket and gives them a second chance and purpose. Our trainers continue to search for and assess rescues that would be appropriate for our prison program at NNCC. Stay tuned for the latest.

Lastly, we are proud to introduce our newest Utah-based dog trainer, Harleigh Poulson. Harleigh comes to us with almost 10 years of experience in the field. Harleigh got her start with Guide Dogs for the Blind in 2013 assisting in a volunteer program where teenagers raise puppies who would eventually become guide dogs. After 6 years with the program, she transitioned to training professionally at a veterinary clinic where she continues to work in conjunction with CWAC. Harleigh hopes to fulfill a promise she made to her grandfather and honor her brother's late memory by pairing veterans, like her grandfather, with dogs and train those dogs to be of utmost service.

As always, we wouldnt be able to do this amazing work with out each and every one of you. We hope you share our mission and share the pride that goes with supporting us. As many of you know, caring for dogs is not a cheap task. With every adoption fee, medical fee, transportation fee and overall care of our CWAC dogs, we aim to give them a good life and as always, a second chance. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we hope you continue to find our partnership worth while!