Have You Ever Heard of Hero Dogs for Veterans?

Have you ever heard of “Hero Dogs for Veterans?” As we honor our military veterans, let’s not forget our wounded vets who have returned home from the war. Hero Dogs, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation located in Brookeville, Maryland.  They provide service dogs only to veterans or active members of the United States Armed Forces whose disability was caused by illness or injury sustained while serving on active duty.

Hero Dogs, Inc. has chosen to serve veterans exclusively. They train dogs to meet multiple disabilities -- mobility, hearing, and/or psychiatric disorders. Other assistance dog organizations traditionally train a dog for a single purpose only (e.g., leading the blind, aiding the hearing impaired). In addition, the Washington, D.C. area is home to thousands of returning veterans with special service needs. These heroes must compete with other disabled individuals applying for a service dog via a few national-level service programs.

What does a service dog do?
A service dog helps a person with a disability achieve independence. The dog reduces that person's reliance on other people by doing tasks that the person either cannot do for him/herself or needs to ask for another person's assistance to do. A service dog can give a person with a disability the support and confidence to travel outside the home independently, (re)join the workforce, or even just accomplish the everyday tasks of living.

How much does it cost to train a service dog?
It costs approximately $30,000 to raise, train, and place a Hero Dog with one of America’s wounded warriors. Hero Dogs depends on donations, gifts, and fundraising events to support its efforts to provide these dogs, at no charge, to our deserving veterans.

Hero Dogs video showing Ike practicing basic commands. Once you view their video, you can subscribe on their Youtube site to view and receive new videos!


Hero Dogs, Inc., can be contacted at:
Hero Dogs, Inc.
P.O. Box 64
Brookeville, MD 20833-0064
hero@hero-dogs.org
1-888-570-8653 FOLLOW US!

How to Care for Your Dog’s Teeth

Just like humans, dogs teeth are prone to plaque buildup, and when allowed to combine with saliva and residual food between the tooth and gum, plaque turns to tartar. If plaque and tartar are not removed routinely by your veterinarian, they may cause gingivitis, an inflammation of the gums most commonly caused by the accumulation of food particles in the crevices between the gums and the teeth.


The most common signs of oral disease are:
Yellow and brown tartar buildup
Bleeding
Bad breath
Red inflamed gums
Difficulty chewing
Change in eating habits
Pawing at the mouth

Never use human toothpaste on dogs! You can purchase a tooth brush and special flavored toothpaste for dogs. Most Vets will tell you to brush your dog’s teeth every day, if not possible, than at least once a week.

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Would You Keep A Frog As A Pet?

As a kid, I did not like frogs. Once my brother bought one home in a jar…and sent me screaming! Then there was my biology class, in junior high school…I can still smell the ammonia! My teacher put  one on my desk, and after staring into it’s little eyes…I decided that I was not going to do it…dead or not!

Finally, one of my classmates did it for me. I was a teenager and I cried. I still felt like I was hurting one of God’s little animals.  Did you know that some schools now use computerized software to dissect frogs?

As an adult my husband and I got my then 6 year-old son a fish aquarium. He had been learning about frogs in school. So we decided to get him an aquarium frog (aquatic). He named him George. George was really cute…all over the aquarium! We put in some lily pads, and would find him asleep on them.

Some people find frogs boring, though some of the smaller frogs are quite active. However, many of the larger frogs are quite sedentary and don't move around much. Most pet shops in the United States can no longer sell the aquatic frogs.

Frog Facts:

• Frogs, are always  wet and slimy.
• They hop
• A frog is a reptile, not a fish, and reptiles like to get out of the water occasionally
• Rising temperatures are responsible for pushing dozens of frog species over the brink of extinction in the past three decades, according to findings being reported today by a team of Latin American and U.S. scientists.
• Frogs have lungs for breathing, but they also breathe through their skin Many frogs solve that problem by producing slimy stuff and oozing it all over their skin.
• Frogs are so slimy. They need to stay a little wet, even when they’re on land.
• Frogs absorb water to keep their skin slimy to protect them from predators. Slime makes frogs slippery, and sometimes it has poison in it.
• Some frog slime is even being studied by scientists for its potential to cure human diseases!

Did You Know That Toads Are  Harmful To Dogs?

Toads secrete a substance that can irritate a dog's eyes or tongue. Catching and chewing a toad can cause excessive salivation and sometimes disorientation, but usually nothing very serious. If your dog has caught a toad, flushing his mouth with water to relieve the unpleasant symptoms is usually all that's needed. But there are some deadly exceptions!

Several species of giant toads are a serious threat to pets. The Colorado River Toad, found in Southwestern states from Arizona to Southern California, and the Giant Brown Toad (also known as Marine Toads, Cane Toads or Bufo Toads) found in South Texas and Florida, are the two most common poisonous toads in the U.S. There are also a large number of Bufo Toads in Hawaii. These giant toads can grow to be 4" to about 9" long and to weigh more than 2 pounds.

Dog You Know the difference between a frog and a toad?

Frogs:
Need to live near water

• Have smooth, moist skin that makes them look “slimy”
• Have a narrow body
• Have higher, rounder, bulgier eyes
• Have longer hind legs
• Take long high jumps
• Have many predators

Toads:

• Do not need to live near water to survive
• Have rough, dry, bumpy skin
• Have a wider body
• Have lower, football shaped eyes
• Have shorter, less powerful hind legs
• Will run or take small hops rather than jump
• Do not have many predators.
• Toad’s skin lets out a bitter taste and smell that burns the eyes and nostrils of its predators, much like a skunk does.

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Operation Roger... Truckers Pet Transport

Someone on my facebook page mentioned this organization. After visiting their website, I decided to share the story about this wonderful organization and what they are doing to help animals. Roger is here to tell you all about them.

Hi, I'm Roger, a Toy Manchester Terrier.  Thanks for coming to this wonderful website - at least from my point of view. Yep, that's me over on the right!

Did you know it is a sad fact each year, millions of us healthy, adoptable pets are admitted to animal shelters or are taken in by animal rescue groups across the United States.  Many of us, like me, are adopted into new homes, but too many others are not so fortunate.

It is also a fact there are thousands of homes who would adopt many of us, but how do you get a dog in Alabama to a new home in New Hampshire? How do you transport a cat in California to it's forever home in Florida?
Many of you would dread a 500 mile or more drive, but for wonderful volunteer truck drivers, it's another day at the office -

They are Operation Roger... Truckers Pet Transport.  But now for just Who They Are...

Operation Roger is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization comprised of regional and long-haul truckers who volunteer their time to transport needy pets as they do their regular jobs of delivering freight across the country.  They take each pet in the cab of their trucks and give us all the TLC which so many of us need desperately.  Because we get all the individual love and care we need, these truckers only take one or two of us at a time.  We get to lay our chins on their lap as they drive and get talked to and petted.  We even get to sit in the passenger seat and watch the scenery.  We protect the truck when the trucker is out of it.  Often, we even get to sleep with them.

We've been abused and abandoned, lost, or left behind when our humans had to move and couldn't take us with them, or any of other reasons for us to find ourselves in need of human help. Then rescuers come to the shelters, bail us out, and find us new homes. Sometimes we are adopted to loving homes in a state far away from where we are.   Sometimes it is a rescue who has room for us.  Often our humans, who had to leave us behind when they moved and left us in good hands with someone they knew, are now able to care for us in their new place.  Oh, how we long for that reunion.

What they do not transport are animals used in the show circuit or from/to for-profit breeders unless they have been retired and are altered.  There are many, many pets in kill shelters now who are pure bred.  I was myself.

It is also a fact every day and night, tractor/trailers are rolling up and down the nations highways, heading to far away places hauling the food, clothing, dog food, etc. you all depend on.  Operation Roger serves us pets as the trucks serve the economy while helping everyone interested in helping us pets save valuable resources at the same time.  It is a win-win situation.

I was a rescue from a shelter after having lost my way.  My human took me on one of those trucks for two years.  I loved every minute of it and couldn't wait to get back on the road when we did go home for a few days.  I loved barking at the cows in the fields.  My human would roll down the window and that was my cue to wake up and act like a big bad motor scooter.  Afterwards, I would grin and go back to sleep.  I made it my mission to protect my human as she worked around the truck and on our walks.  I would stay between her and anyone who came near us.  One day she was able to go see the Grand Canyon and had to put me in boarding.  I loved it.  I found a prairie dog hole and, true to my breeding, I was furiously digging when discovered by the man taking care of me.  His description reminded my human of a cartoon where my tail was like a helicopter blade.  Down below was Daddy Prairie Dog sitting in his easy chair reading a paper. Mama Prairie Dog came in wiping her paws on her apron and looking up at the dirt falling down on her clean floor.

One day though, I crossed over the Rainbow Bridge and became the mascot for Operation Roger only three months later after Hurricane Katrina.  I may be gone, but the need to help other pets like me goes on, every day, every week, every month.

They need volunteer Truck Drivers to transport us.  They need Layover Homes and Shuttle Drivers to give us shelter in between drivers.  They occasionally receive requests to move donated pet food or other pet items from rescue to rescue.  For this they need drivers who perhaps can't transport us pets but would be able to get a few bags of food to a needy rescue.

They also need sponsors, corporate and individual, to defray their moderate expenses. To do this, on the Menu Bar go to Home and then Sponsorship Information in the drop down box.  Help them help us.  Volunteer your time and/or resources.  All we pets want is to be loved and a chance to love in return.  We depend upon you to provide for us and in return we will provide you with devotion.
... And This Is How I Felt The Day My Human Walked By ... Roger (2001-2005).

For more information, please visit our website at: Operation Roger FOLLOW US!

Companions for Heroes - Helping Heal the Lives of Our Nation’s Heroes and Sheltered Pets

I first heard of Companions for Heroes when  I “liked” their page on facebook. Having a brother who is a Veteran with  Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), I decided to visit their website. I was so impressed with the wonderful job that they are doing for our Veterans and sheltered pets,  that I decided to share their story on my blog. The following information comes straight from their website.

Founded: in 2009

About Them:

Companions for Heroes is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that matches sheltered animals with American Heroes. Companions for Heroes’s federal ID number for donations is: #27-0648741 Check out Companions for Heroes to learn more, donate and participate.


Company Overview:

Companions for Heroes helps heal the lives of our nation's heroes and sheltered animals by providing cost-effective and readily accessible adoptions and healthcare so that both may live in dignity.

Their Mission:

Companions for Heroes seeks to alleviate the psychological suffering of our nation’s heroes and to reduce the number of sheltered animals in the United States by:

• Aiding our active duty military and military veterans, law enforcement officers, emergency first responders, and their families with rehabilitation through animal companionship.

• Saving sheltered animals from euthanasia by providing them with a loving home.

• Increasing public awareness of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other challenges facing today’s heroes.

• Rallying support for animal welfare and the adoption of sheltered animals.

As you know, there are 18 veterans that commit suicide everyday and one (1) animal is put down every second – Companions for Heroes' work helps facilitate the healing and support for the 10-12 million men and women who suffer with some form of psychological condition and homes for the four-five million sheltered animals who are euthanized every year so that both may live in dignity as they embark on their journey together. Companions for Heroes provides our nation’s heroes with accessible, cost-effective animal assisted activities (animal companionship) as they pursue rehabilitative and therapeutic care from their health care providers.

Please visit their website at Companions for Heroes, also take a look at the videos below showing the
wonderful job that Companions for Heroes is doing connecting Veterans and Shelter Animals.