War Vets Heal With the Help of Shelter Dogs

Summer is surely moving along and July is already here! Trainers of Canines With a Cause are staying busy with new beginner classes and one-on-one training. From Salt Lake City to Coeur d'Alene, veterans are on the path to healing through canine companionship and hard work. Some veterans are even inching their way to full certification within the next several weeks. This certainly calls for a celebration or should we say, a graduation!

That's right, this August we're throwing a graduation complete with a ceremony, a food truck, photo booth and Doggy Olympics! The ceremony will be for any veteran service team (veteran + their canine companion) who didn't get a chance to be recognized as a graduate of CWAC's program during the pandemic. Graduates will be awarded with an official certificate of completion and a professional photo for keepsake. There will be prizes for the winners who participate in Doggy Olympics, as well as giveaway goodies for all veterans attending. It is our hope that non-graduating veterans attending gradauation will be impacted by the celebration and recognition of years worth of hard work. This event is also open to any of our donors and supporters! If you would like to attend please feel free to RSVP on the link included in this newsletter.

Across the pond in Reno, trainer Seamus is getting ready to launch our new prison program! Northern Nevada Correctional Center (or NNCC) out of Carson City will be soon become home to rescue dogs who show an aptitude for service work. Inmates who apply to become handlers are doing this soley on a volunteer basis with no incentive other than to help the dogs and veterans. The goal is to have the dogs in prison learning basic obedient skills for 8 weeks or more. The more pre-training the dogs have before being paired with a veteran the smoother the process is from the get go. We're certainly excited to soon have two prison programs operating! And we're grateful to the wardens, inmates and our trainers who make this program work.

As always, the work continues! And with that being said, we want you know that you are making this a reality. Service-connected disabilities have no expiration date and veterans are still in need of help. Every dollar helps this nonprofit operate and change veteran lives for the better. And we certainly cannot do it without all of you. So thank you!

Links:

• Graduation Event!

The beginning of each year brings hope and excitement for new possibilities, new programs, new events, and of course, new graduates! In the first two months of 2023, we saw two teams pass their Public Access Test within weeks of each other; Team Doug and Oliver from our Utah program, followed by John and Max, from our Idaho program. John and Max's achievement is especially notable because they are Idaho's inaugural graduates. Both teams have worked extremely hard over the last several months. We celebrate with them and look forward to their recertification 6 months from now.

In other news, this year marks 5 years since we established a dog training program at Idaho Correctional Institution-Orofino. Although the pandemic put a pin in the program for awhile, we currently have two awesome pups, Lexi and Domino, finishing up training and two more dogs entering the program in the coming week. Down south, at the Northern Nevada Correctional Facility in Carson City we are getting ready to launch another prison program. Here, trainer Seamus will take lead in training inmates to train future service dogs. This will allow our Reno program to have the dogs needed to train veterans in that area.

Back in Utah, we are fine tuning our Foster Program. Our goal is to gently introduce dogs to the community to foster for various amounts of time rather than relying on the community during emergencies only. With our Board and Train facility, we have a revolving abundance of dogs that could use exposure to other handlers and households. These dogs at the Board and Train facility are being pre-trained with basic obedience skills (much like our Prison Program) before having the opportunity to pair with a future veteran. In January, SLUG MAG wrote a wonderful piece on Canines With a Cause, detailing the need for fosters but also the benefits. "“It’s a great opportunity for people who love dogs but can’t have one, or are thinking about getting a dog,” [Director, Cathy King] says. Even if it’s just for the weekend, help is always needed." The link to SLUG MAG's article can be found here.

Links:

• CWAC Website
• SLUG MAG Article
• Donate to CWAC

Friday, November 11th is Veterans Day. This holiday started as a day to reflect upon the heroism of those who died in our country's service and was originally called Armistice Day. It fell on Nov. 11 because that is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. However, in 1954, the holiday was changed to "Veterans Day" in order to account for all veterans in all wars.

Heroes in the Canines With a Cause training program are celebrated and honored every day, both two and four legged. We understand the commitment it takes to train a service dog while dealing with battle related trauma. People who don't always want to leave their homes, deal with people or even sleep due to nightmares.

We also understand how difficult it can be for the dog, wanting to learn and help when it can sometimes be difficult. Knowing your person has anxiety and wanting to make them feel better.

The programs of Canines With a Cause focus on training both the veterans and the dogs, helping them create a bond, giving them the knowledge and experience to move through Post Traumatic Stress together and create healing.

We are also celebrating our new site in Coeur d'Alene, ID. This location will service Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington veterans. Rescued dogs will live and train in the Idaho Correctional Center-Orofino until they are ready for placement with their partners.

Thank you GlobalGiving donors for helping us expand and “Honor Our Heroes”. Every day should be Veterans Day!

It’s hard to believe the year is more than half way over! CWAC has been working hard to reach our yearly goals, and though not without its challenges, we have seen many positive changes and additions to the organization in the past few months.

CWAC has recently brought on two new team members, an Events and Growth Coordinator as well as our very own Brand and Communications Manager. These new team members have already proven to be assets to our organization as we navigate the challenges of getting back into the public in a bigger way. This includes attending fundraisers, hosting events for our volunteers and clients, and partnering with local organizations and businesses.

We have always prided ourselves on being a welcoming space for veterans from all walks of life and there is truly something special about the camaraderie between fellow veterans who are seemingly very different. Our new Events Coordinator has risen to the call of making CWAC more than just about training dogs, but about fellowship and belonging. Under his direction, CWAC has begun monthly group dog walks, where past, present, and future clients can all come together as one. He is working on expanding this fellowship by creating similar events in the future.

In addition to these two new team members, we have made tremendous progress in strengthening our foster program, with an updated handbook now in place for onboarding volunteer fosters. We are hoping to have the program up and running by the end of this year, one of our 2022 goals. We have also secured a boarding location for incoming dogs, our other goal for this year.

The yearly conference with the Association of Service Dog providers for Military Veterans is being held next week in Texas. Three of our team members will be joining the conference. This continuing education conference ensures that we stay up-to-date on best practices and how we might best help our clients--including laws, policies, and procedures for training and service dogs in the public. Our team will be discussing and seeking ways to implement what we have gathered from the conference. 

As always, a huge thank you to all of our donors who have made this year possible!

Links:

• Visit our website
• Check us out on Facebook

Canines with a Cause is dedicated to offering individualized support to the Veterans in our program. We understand how much goes into the decision to train a service dog and we are with them every step of the way, from taking their dog home for the first time, to graduation day.

Many of our Veterans have never owned a dog and training it to service dog standards isn’t an easy process. It takes time, dedication, and a lot of patience. That's why pairing each Veteran with the right dog is at the forefront of our mission.

CWAC trainers take an individualized approach when pairing dogs and Veterans. Trainers meet weekly to discuss dogs in the program, including size, temperament, and energy levels, as well as the needs of each Veteran. Once the Veteran meets the dog, they can decide to take their new pal home for a trial period. This "trial period" ensures they are working agreeably as a team and that all parties are happy with the fit.

This somewhat meticulous matchmaking process has proven successful time and time again and it is a key part of our program. As the Veteran and dog pair slowly become closer, they begin to trust each other more, and their bond becomes unbreakable. With this type of trust, both gain confidence in handling new and sometimes daunting situations, like venturing into the public with each other for the first time, together.

Below is a message from one of our Veterans about how this strong bond with his dog has helped him isolate less and begin to venture into the public once again.

“Just knowing that she’s there right beside me. All I have to do is look at her and if she’s not worried, I know I have nothing to worry about. I know she has my back and I’ve got hers.”

This life-changing work is made possible because of your generous support, we could not do this without you.