Companions For Heroes
Companions For Heroes, a nonprofit founded by Georgia Senate District 3 Republican candidate David Sharpe, is under investigation by the Georgia Secretary of State’s office.
State officials declined to release details about the investigation other than to say it is ongoing.
Sharpe, CEO of the nonprofit, has given widely varying accounts of the number of pets the nonprofit has saved. Numerous attempts by The News to contact Sharpe for clarification have been unsuccessful, despite multiple assurances he would speak to reporters.
Missie O’Neal, Companions For Heroes’ chief operating officer, said the discrepancy in numbers likely resulted from poor record-keeping by a former CEO.
The organization’s mission is to rescue pets that otherwise might be euthanized, train them as companion or service animals and pair them with “active-duty military personnel, military veterans, first responders, military spouses and children and Gold Star Families recovering from the psychological challenges they suffered during service to our country,” according to the Companions For Heroes website.
It also strives to bring awareness to post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and other challenges suffered by veterans and active-duty military personnel.
Sharpe told Fox News during a May 2019 Fox & Friends segment that the organization had saved “3,500-plus nationwide … we’re literally saving two dogs, two veterans, Gold Star Family members, military caregivers every day.”
In a June 2019 Facebook video, Sharpe gave a more modest 512 pets saved. But in October 2019 he claimed at a charity event Companions For Heroes had “helped save over 4,000 lives locally” since the organization’s founding in 2009.
Sharpe could not be reached to clarify the “lives saved” metric. He did not return repeated messages left on his cell phone.
An email request for the company’s most recent audit — which the company advertises on its site as available on demand — returned an automated message saying the company has “helped over 5,000 veterans in the last six years.”
Companions For Heroes website has, in a now-deleted post on the organization’s website in 2018, claimed to have “rescued 7,000 dogs and paired them with veterans.”
Figures stated by Sharpe are not accurate, according to self-reported data. Companions for Heroes has reported to nonprofit database GuideStar that since 2009 it has paired 634 dogs with veterans.
The organization’s GuideStar profile is linked on the Companions For Heroes’ website, which also sports GuideStar’s 2020 seal of transparency.
While they were self-reported, O’Neal said those numbers are also inaccurate.
“I don’t know where those numbers had come from,” O’Neal said Friday.
She has been working on an internal audit in an attempt to find the exact amount but does not have a figure yet.
Rather than Sharpe, O’Neal said the CEO in place before he took over in 2017 is largely to blame. Sharpe served as the chairman of Companions For Heroes’ board of directors before the board hired him as CEO.
Poor record-keeping was pervasive under the old administration, O’Neal said, and she is working diligently to right the ship.
The charity is not doing anything wrong or immoral and had not in the past, she claimed. The Secretary of State’s office is obliged to investigate citizen complaints against nonprofits, and O’Neal does not believe an investigation into Companions For Heroes will turn up anything illegal.
She admitted that very little from donations went toward veterans programs under the old CEO and more was spent than was necessary. Since she was hired in June 2019, O’Neal said much more of their donations go to the nonprofit’s causes.
As a military spouse with a love of dogs, O’Neal said the charity combines two of the causes she cares about most. As such, she is committed to improving the organization.
“I would not be part of a nonprofit that would waste donors’ money,” O’Neal said.
Spa For Pets
In the midst of a pandemic that is strangling many businesses, Grace Piney has found a way to reinvent herself.
“Times of crisis are also good times because they are times of growth,” she said. “These are the times when people have to invent solutions that may not have existed, or have to accommodate solutions according to the new conditions.”
For Piney, the innovation came with a bark: Lavakan, an automatic dog spa. It’s like a mini car wash but for pets.
At Lavakan, located at 2955 SW Eighth St., pets are placed in an automated machine that cleans and dries the furry animals.
The spa is completely self-serviced.
With the swipe of a card, pet owners can control the bath through a touch screen, which has instructions in six different languages — Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, Chinese and Italian — and options to customize the cleaning by indicating the size of the animal and the length of its hair.
The basic service, which includes bathing and drying, costs $20. But two treatments, ozone therapy and an antiparasitic rinse, can be added for an additional $5. Each service lasts from 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the pet.
As members of Club Lavakan, customers acquire a code that allows them to open the business’ door at any time. In addition, by charging $100 on the membership card — equivalent to five basic services or four with ozone therapy and the antiparasitic rinse — they get a free wash.
Piney said the service is efficient, economical, fast and sustainable. It also allows the owner to not only control the selection of the wash, but also monitor their pet’s experience.
For Mary Castro, this was really the motivation to try it on Casper, her Maltese-mix, formerly stray, dog. After having a bad experience in a dog grooming salon, she was glad about being able to observe her pet during the whole process.
“They groomed him in one place and returned him with a damaged leg. After that I never wanted to leave him with anyone else while I wasn’t looking at him,” Castro said. “But this is a different thing that I had never seen until now. The good thing about it is that you can do the washing yourself because it’s self-sufficient and you don’t let him out of your sight.”
When he finished his spa service, Castro’s pooch seemed totally relaxed, at ease and almost ready to take a nap.
“He’s not heading straight to drink the water. That shows that he wasn’t overwhelmed and stressed out like he might have been at a traditional pet grooming,” Piney said.
Although Piney is a self-declared dog lover, she never imagined that life would lead her into opening a doggie grooming facility.
A philologist by profession, with a 20-year-long career working in media, publishing and international politics, Piney found herself at a crossroads when she left Martí Noticias, the government-funded news outlet.
“I was left in the air at that point,” Piney said. “Well, nothing, what I thought was ‘I’m going to have to create a new business.’ ”
She conducted market research for several ideas, including toy stores and boutiques, which were gradually dismissed. However, Piney finally found her new project by taking care of a friend’s Labrador and Boxer.
“She asked me to look after them and when I arrived they smelled horrible. I told her I was going to give them a bath, but she said, ‘They’re not going to let you, look at how big they are,’ ” Piney said.
Although she was warned it would be a “battle,” Piney discovered it was just the opposite.
“I said, ‘But they’re behaving so well, they’re super comfortable. I thought, ‘Hey, maybe I have something here. My dogs have always let me bathe them, so maybe I have this, maybe I should monetize this,’ ” she explained.
“This is especially made for people who work long hours, who have dogs … that are aggressive and have bitten before, or who have to take all the animal’s documents with them wherever they go,” Piney said.
Piney said the service comes when hygiene is top of mind.
“It’s timely because everyone is pushing hygiene at home,” she said. “We have to take care of the cleanliness of the pets. If people take them to a groomer, they touch the animal and you have to leave it there. Here, you are the only one who touches your pet and you are the one who takes care of everything.”
Dog Day Care
The owner of show dogs, Nicola Rear, has opened Keylangs Fun to Run at Aspatria Business Park, which is offering owners the chance to let their pets off the lead in a safe environment.
Currently, the owner has a safe place for the dogs to play and hope to be able to host more activities which will include raising money for animal rescues.
Feeling there isn’t a safe place to let dogs run round she said: “We don’t have a doggy daycare in the area and I really want to be able to offer somewhere safe for people to take their pets and not have to worry about other dogs.
“We are already offering pet play days and this is important for the dogs to make friends and socialise.
“The expansion would consist of a doggy daycare centre, grooming salon and boarding kennels.
“With the customers, we have already, and the services we would like to offer, we would be able to offer a one-stop bespoke service meaning much less stress for both customers and dogs.”
By entering the plans she hopes to make the changes permanent and offer more to the dog-loving community.
She added: “The boarding kennels would always have staff and parking would only be for collection and drop off purposes. We can easily accommodate 12 cars in the compound at the moment.
“We will also be able to help with behavioural therapy for dogs and help owners train them.
“We already host play dates and plan on having tea parties with afternoon tea for the humans and special treats for the dogs.
“We will have insulated kennels of the correct size and the runs attached would be for the boarding dogs, all runs would be all-weather suitable.
“My hope would be for 10 or 12 boarding kennels.
“The doggy daycare dogs would be combined with the boarders so there would never be more than 20 dogs on-site at any time.”
The experienced owner is looking forward to continuing her hard work with the four-legged friends.
Retrospective planning has been submitted to convert a meat supply business into the centre and it will create four part-time jobs.
The centre already offers indoor and outdoor space for the dogs to mingle or have space to themselves and they hope to be able to offer more.
Therapy Dog Named Buddy
Many pet parents may attest to the fact that receiving affection from their furry friends is an easy route to happiness. Now, one particular pooch named Buddy Gill is going around New York City spreading that special joy that comes from petting a dog.
Buddy is a “gainfully employed” therapy dog from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. As a caring canine volunteer, the golden retriever is on a special mission of making patients smile at the centre.
Now, Buddy seems to be expanding the scope of that project. The pooch is not just spreading smiles to patients at MSKCC but to New Yorkers all around.
Many videos of this good boy at work can be found on Buddy’s very own Instagram account, which currently has almost 3,600 followers. Check out these cute clips of the canine spreading joy all across the city, one pet at a time. “I love my friends,” read the caption of the clip which currently has over 2,300 views.
This therapeutic golden retriever has been receiving a whole lot of love from netizens for all the work that he is doing. Here is what Instagram users had to say about this helpful pooch. One person said, “Go Buddy. Go Buddy,” cheering the pooch on.
Another person wrote, “Thank you Buddy”. “The hardest working pup on Instagram,” read a comment under one of Buddy’s videos. He surely is one hardworking pup.
What are your thoughts on Buddy and all that he is doing for the people of New York?
All-American Dog
Early Times, an All-American Whisky since 1860, searched the country to find ‘All-American Dogs’ and came up with 10 winners, and one was a dog from Henderson.
Arthur, a 7-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever, was chosen from tens-of-thousands of entries as part of the “Early Times All-American Dogs” national social media campaign. Arthur participated in a photoshoot with other All-American dogs from across the country, and his picture will be featured in the Early Times 2021 All-American Dogs calendar, which comes out later this fall.
On Monday, Aug. 3, a billboard featuring Arthur was also revealed in Las Vegas on I-15 near Wigwam Avenue.
“Arthur’s passion for helping others and his gentle, kind soul makes him a perfect ‘Early Times All-American Dog,’” said Robert Trinkle, Partner and Senior Vice President, PriceWeber. “When he’s not working his tail off as a certified therapy dog, Arthur loves watching baseball with his dad, swimming at pool parties, and eating tasty food at barbeques.”
The 10 winners hail from Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, Nevada, and Indiana. The Early Times 2021 All-American Dogs calendar includes stories of redemption, lifesaving-heroics, military training, and unwavering companionship.
“Arthur is very calm with everyone, especially my father, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease and dementia,” said Ann Payton, Arthur’s owner. “Every morning, he’d bring my father the newspaper, and they would share a waffle. As my father’s health worsened, he became depressed, but when he saw Arthur, his face would light up. Even the night my father passed away, Arthur would not move or leave his side.”
The calendar will soon be available to the public in a downloadable and printable version on the Early Times website.
The calendar will also feature Molly, the one-year-old rescue dog sponsored by Early Times. Molly is training to become a service canine as part of the brand’s longtime partnership with “K9s For Warriors,” a nonprofit organization committed to training service canines for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, and other trauma resulting from post-9/11 military service.
To date, Early Times has donated $200,000 to “K9s For Warriors.”
PTSD Service Dog
A Hampton Roads-area first responder with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the first firefighter to receive a service dog through Service Dog of Virginia. Now, he’s encouraging others to to seek help if they’re struggling.
“I just want everyone to know that it is OK to not be OK,” Chris Moore said.
Moore is a second-generation firefighter with 27 years of service.
“It’s a calling. It’s in your blood,” Moore said.
When he’s not putting out a fire, he’s battling his own struggles: “In 2017, I started having a lot of personal issues. I didn’t know what was going on. I was finally diagnosed with PTSD related to my career field,” Moore said.
After his diagnosis, Moore discovered Service Dogs of Virginia, an organization that places trained dogs with people who need more support.
“One of the main ways the dog can help is by reducing anxiety, which makes it really hard to function if you have high anxiety. The dogs are taught very gentle behaviors to reduce anxiety,” Service Dogs of Virginia Director of Development Sally Day said.
Day says Moore will be the first firefighter to be paired with a trained canine.
“We hope Chris’s bonding with Lewis continues, and Lewis is a huge asset to him as he moves forward with his life,” Day said.
Moore and Lewis have been already been training together for two weeks. The two will be off on their own for the first time side-by-side Thursday, August 6.
“I’ve actually turned into somewhat of a hermit and socially isolated myself. With him, he’s going to give me the confidence and the ability to start going out more and spending more time with family and friends,” Moore said.
Moore wants to be a voice to other first responders to let them know that it’s OK to ask for help.
“We’re losing more firefighters every year to suicide than we are in line of duty deaths. It needs to stop,” he said. “There are solutions out there. I’m living proof of it.”
Moore hopes to take Lewis with him next month to Dallas where he’ll be speaking to other first responders about his battle with PTSD.
Emotional Support Animal
After being left tied to a post in the Hawkins County Humane Society parking lot overnight last week through a torrential downpour, a Labrador mix that was later named Oakley should be the one in need of emotional support.
Oakley literally ran his paws bloody during the 12-hour ordeal.
Instead, it’s Oakley who will be providing comfort for his new owner as a newly registered emotional support animal.
HCHS video surveillance shows a man stopping at the Rogersville shelter on July 28 at 9:22 p.m. and tying Oakley to a clothesline post next to the parking lot.
Oakley had no shelter when a thunderstorm hit later that night, and he wasn’t discovered until staff arrived at the shelter the next morning.
HCHS Manager Sandy Behnke is hoping someone will recognize the person who abandoned Oakley from a still photo captured from the video. She hopes to identify the person and prosecute him for animal neglect.
“When we came into work on July 29, (Oakley) was wet and his paws were bloody from trying to get out of the rain all night and possibly to go find his owners who dropped him off,” Behnke said. “After viewing the video, we noticed the man took (Oakley) out of the car and tied him to a pole and drove off. You can see the dog try to chase him, only to be yanked back from the rope.”
Behnke added, “Also in viewing the video, we noticed the hard rain that fell that night. It would not have bothered us if he would have tied him where there was shelter, like by the back or front door, but there was nowhere for this baby to get out of the weather.”
Vickie Kiker read about Oakley on the HCHS Facebook page and contacted the HCHS about her daughter, Chloe Quann, who needed an emotional support animal (ESA). Vickie and Chloe then went to the shelter to meet Oakley, and it was love at first sight.
Chloe told the Times News on Tuesday she suffers from anxiety and depression and because she is pregnant she had to stop taking her medication.
She also wanted a large dog that would not only be there for her, but to grow up with her child as well.
Since being adopted last week, Oakley has already become a registered ESA.
When she saw Oakley’s photo on Facebook, the first thing she noticed was he looked exactly like her dog that passed away two years ago.
“After I seen him, my mom’s like, ‘I’m not trying to push a dog on you, but I think you need to go look at this dog,’ ” Chloe said. “I went and looked at him that day, and then I fell in love with him. He was extremely friendly. Where I’m pregnant, I need a dog that’s good with kids. I need one that’s extremely friendly.”
She added, “I’m not on my medication where I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. He is a Lab mix, and labs are best for emotional support dogs. After I met him and he and I clicked right off the bat, I figured he would be perfect for my emotional support dog. I got him registered as my emotional support dog already, and we’re just waiting for the tag to arrive in the mail.”
Shelter staff believe Oakley is between 1-3 years of age, and undoubtedly the experience of being left at the shelter overnight was traumatic. Chloe said he’s doing very well and adapting to his new home.
His paws are healing with the help of Chloe, who bought ointment and some little paw booties to keep him from rubbing off the medicine
“He was timid at first until he realized I wasn’t going to take him somewhere and leave him again,” Chloe said. “I took him for a ride to get a pup cup (dog ice cream), and he was terrified to get into the car. Now he realizes he’s coming back home with me again, and he’s fine.”
Chloe added, “I can’t see why anyone would leave something this precious out in the open like that. He’s good with other dogs. He’s good with kids. He played with my nephew the other day. He doesn’t bark. He eats a lot, and he’s spoiled. He’s precious. I love him.”
Therapy Dog Finds Forever Home
Living with a heart condition, an auto-immune disorder and mobility issues, Angie Hack faces challenges every day. From getting out of bed to going to the store to maintaining her home, tasks can become daunting when she’s just trying to survive.
But, Hack, who lives in Pennsylvania, isn’t alone. She has helpers. Working all hours of the day, she relies on them to make her life easier. For decades, Hack’s golden retrievers have been her saving grace. Her therapy dogs sense when her heart murmurs are coming and comfort her through anxiety attacks and pain flare-ups. When she cannot get up, they lay next to her and use their bodies to get her back on her feet. “They’ve helped me so much, I couldn’t do it without them,” Hack said. “Goldens have so much character and they’re so emphatic. It’s incredible how they just know even when you don’t.”
Living with her own health issues and with two sons on the autism spectrum, the Hack family is no stranger to therapy dogs.
When the COVID-19 outbreak hit in full force, Hack knew her two dogs would help her get through it. But in April her 9-year-old therapy dog, Katie, abruptly died, leaving the Hack family, including her other therapy dog, Sedona, heartbroken. “It’s been really hard. It’s like there’s a void since she passed,” Hack said. “Our dog Sedona hasn’t been the same since. Every night, when I let her out, she goes to the edge of the yard, where Katie’s buried and she just barks. It’s weird, it’s like she’s still looking for her.” While she still had one dog to help with her mobility, she had lost the one that helped with her heart and autoimmune conditions. With financial uncertainty looming overhead amid the pandemic, Hack knew it would be a while before she filled that void and ensured her own safety.
But, little did she know, help was just a Facebook post away.
After sharing with her friends on Facebook about the death of her dog, West Point-based Golden Garden owner Leasha Donath knew she had to do something.
She reached out to longtime friend Hack to give her some unexpected news. She was going to give Hack a puppy she had previously planned to keep.
“This woman has gone above and beyond. She has so much going on and still, she is going out of her way to help me,” Hack said. “I couldn’t believe it. She told me, ‘Angie, don’t worry, we’re going to get you a dog.‘”
In 2014, Donath began responsibly breeding golden retrievers to be therapy dogs. Relying on them in her own home, Donath said she understands the need and just how much they can do for people.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty, responsible breeding is the focused effort on one breed in order to eradicate common hereditary defects with the goal of bettering the breed’s genetic makeup.
But Donath said it is hard to find breeders who focus on responsible breeding. All too often, dogs are mass-produced, do not have space to run and are sent out to families with underlying health conditions.
For the Hack family, they are all too familiar with this problem. “I’ve had rotten luck with goldens,” Hack said.
After losing their first rescue at 8 years old, the family adopted a puppy with plans to train it. After a few months, the dog developed diabetes and despite daily insulin injections, the dog died. From there, the family bought Katie. After nine years, the dog developed seizures and died.
Unfortunately, Donath said this happens when breeders do not take into account the potential health conditions associated with the breed.
Using up-to-date genetic testing, Donath said she has spent six years breeding out gene carriers for common health conditions in golden retrievers.
According to Donath, her dogs’ bloodline does not have the carriers for hip dysplasia, cancer and other commonly found diseases in golden retrievers. While it is less cost-effective, she said it is crucial so folks, like Hack, can have peace of mind when buying a therapy dog.
When folks buy from her bloodlines, she said they leave knowing they will have a long, healthy life.
Additionally, Donath has two specialized bloodlines in order to better accommodate folks’ individual therapy needs. While one of her lines is more laid-back and calm, the other is more energetic.
A more laid-back dog helps people with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, while a more energetic dog helps people who rely on them to sense underlying conditions, Donath said.
Whether it be lazing in the sun or romping around, Donath’s dogs spend most of their days playing in her one-acre yard. When it gets hot, she brings out the water hose; a favorite for every retriever, she added.
Jumping through the streams, they run laps through the yard stopping for only a moment to catch the water in their jaws.
“I always have a hard time letting them go, I really do,” Donath said. “But I know they leave here loved and I know they’re going to homes where they’re going to be loved.”
With each litter, Donath said it is hard to say goodbye. But there is always one that is too special to give up, whether it is their unique personality or being the underdog.
This year, she held onto an eccentric, larger than life puppy filled with spunk and tenacity. With one black speckle under her chin, Donath said this puppy was one-of-a-kind.
But, after talking to Hack, she knew this puppy wasn’t meant to be hers. It was for Hack and her family.
“I think it holds more value that she gets this dog than for me to keep her,” Donath said. “I mean, this dog is really going to change her life and that’s what we do.”
Hack made the nearly eight-hour trip from her home in Pennsylvania to West Point to pick up her new companion, Paige. Drawing inspiration from one of her favorite places in Arizona, Hack explained Paige means “helper.”
Sitting down to meet her new companion, Hack gave her a good chin scratch. While getting her ready to go, Hack noticed the little black spot under her chin. Fighting back tears, Hack said she knows this dog was meant to go to her.
“Katie had a little black spot on her foot, we’ve never seen that before with goldens,” Hack said. “I know this is her.”
Donath is no stranger to helping out when she can. Last April, Donath surprised another family with their own puppy.
Since then, Donath said the dog has served as a companion and therapy dog for the family.
“Some people might think it’s silly but every time I give someone their puppy, I whisper to the puppies, ‘Don’t forget your job. You’re supposed to change the world one heart at a time,’ and I mean that,” Donath said. “These dogs change people’s lives.”
Amos The Therapy Dog
With COVID-19 still affecting the world, Sailors have been more restricted in an effort to maintain control of the virus and keep Sailors safe. With new accession students attached to Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Corry Station, that has meant less socializing, with restrictions to fitness, spiritual services and liberty onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola Corry Station, Pensacola, Florida.
However, there are still ways that Sailors can receive in-person counseling with a chaplain. In these unique times of anxiety, loneliness and stress, the chaplains at Corry Station have incorporated a therapy dog in training to help the student population.
Animal-assisted therapy is a therapeutic intervention that incorporates animals, such as horses, dogs, cats, pigs, and birds, into the treatment plan. It is used to enhance and complement the benefits of traditional therapy. The chaplains’ therapy dog is a Labradoodle named Amos.
While under these restrictions, it is more likely for Sailors to become more reclusive and suffer from things such as loneliness, depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts. Studies have shown that social interaction, and counseling is a good way to combat these things, offered U.S. Navy Chaplain Cmdr. John Ismach-Eastman.
“I think with everything going on, with all the services and other ways to cope with stress limited due to COVID-19; Amos is a wonderful option for healing,” said Ismach-Eastman. Although we offer in-person counseling, there is a major trend for most counseling to be virtual. While that option can certainly help, it only helps to an extent, especially since we were designed as social beings. The chaplains know all too well that touching screens more than hearts plays a detrimental toll on our mental and spiritual health. Amos meanwhile can offer something we can’t–namely a physical touch, a hug and the love and affection therapy dogs are known for.”
For some students onboard Corry Station, Amos has already contributed to their well-being. Information Systems Technician Seaman Apprentice Kyara West is one of those Sailors.
“It was nice and helpful being with Amos,” said West. “I have a lot of anxiety talking to people, especially people I don’t know that well. It was definitely calming to be with him while I was in the chapel; just being able to pet Amos and have him around helps me focus. The dog is so loving and being able to feel that helps me be more comfortable.”
No doubt, aside from being an alternative form of therapy, Amos does indeed provide a much needed social interaction benefit. Sailors and other military members can see him and interact with him, having a companion to be around them which is a limited availability among COVID-19 safety procedures. Amos also helps these Sailors in training, and he is learning to pick up on saddened or depressed service members while providing them with the companionship they may need.
West, having a background with dogs already, said that animals have always been a good stress relief for her, and military members can benefit greatly from the use of therapy animals. She hopes that Amos being onboard Corry Station leads to more opportunities to utilize him and that it leads to more awareness of getting help for service members.
“I think therapy animals are something Sailors and other military members would greatly benefit from being around,” added West. “Animals in general are already great, but having these animals that are specifically trained to notice when someone is down, or might just need some extra love, is super helpful. Maybe what we’re doing here will lead to more things, like forming a club, or getting other bases to start doing the same thing.”
Amos is available by appointment, and service members do not have to be referred. Contact the Chapel at (850) 452-6376 for counseling or a therapy session with Amos.
IWTC Corry Station is a part of the Center for Information Warfare Training (CIWT). With four schoolhouse commands, a detachment, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT trains over 20,000 students every year, delivering trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. CIWT also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.
Dog Of The Year
The two Maine service dogs have won their categories in the 2020 American Humane Hero Dog Awards and will appear on the Hallmark Channel this fall, competing for the grand title of “American Hero Dog.”
Aura, a 7-year-old Labrador retriever/golden retriever mix from Brunswick, serves as a hearing dog for Gretchen Evans, an Army veteran who lost her hearing after being struck by a rocket blast in Afghanistan more than a decade ago.
Among other things, Aura alerts Evans to doorbells, text messages, sirens and people approaching from behind — a service that has allowed Evans to regain her active lifestyle.
After winning more online votes than her competitors, Aura was recently named 2020 Guide/Hearing Dog of the Year.
Dolly, a 3-year-old Lab from Naples, is trained to alert when owner Amy Sherwood is having cardiac problems.
Because Sherwood uses a wheelchair, Dolly also picks up or retrieves objects for her — including her wheelchair, which has a leash attached to it so Dolly can grab and pull.
Dolly was named 2020 Service Dog of the Year.
Aura and Dolly will compete with five others for the top dog title. Maine is the only state with two finalists.
The American Humane Hero Dog Awards is sponsored by the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation and will be broadcast nationwide as a two-hour special on Hallmark Channel this fall. The dog with the most online votes will take the title of American Hero Dog.
Votes can be cast once a day through Sept. 10 at Hero Dog Awards.org.
All seven dogs will appear on the two-hour special. The top dog will get a special tribute.
Evans would love for Aura to be that dog.
“She changed my life, gave me back my independence after my injuries,” Evans said. “I just wanted to honor her service.”
