We would like everyone to meet our newest addition to The Rescue for PTSD family – ROMEO! “Romy” was adopted to be a canine partner for one of our Monthly Group Training Program Veterans, but will stay with us for a few months to get some basic obedience under his collar before he goes to his Veteran. We are so happy to have a new foster (also a Marine Veteran!), Trenton, who is going to be working with Romy. We would like to thank Lani’s Lucky Shepherds of Houston for having yet another fantastic dog for us to adopt! More to come on Romy’s progress in the coming weeks!                  

We are so thankful to recognize Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars District 4 for another generous donation to our Monthly Group Program! This is so timely as we have recently adopted THREE new dogs for our Group Program Veterans and the veterinary bills are adding up. We could not run this program without such amazing supporters like these. Thank you so much, and repeated thanks to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2427 for letting us use their Post for class!

        Say hello to Remi, our newly-rescued service dog in training! Remi was adopted to be the canine companion for Doug, one of the Veterans participating in our Monthly Group Training Program. It will still be a few months before Remi can go to his new home with Doug (thank you Ken Frantz for fostering yet ANOTHER amazing pup for us), as he is undergoing heartworm treatment and recuperating from the situation he was rescued from. HUGE thanks to Susan Matson and the Gleannloch Farms Pets group for taking him in after he was left tied to a tree in the backyard when his previous owners moved away. In addition to taking him in and fostering until we found out about him, they got him started with all his vaccinations and are helping to pay for his heartworm treatment. Thank you so much! Remi & Doug participated in our Group lesson last Saturday and did a fantastic job! He is a smart and VERY sweet dog so it will be no time before he & Doug are achieving their goals! As with all our “kids”, stay tuned for more updates on REMI!  

Hops and Hounds for Heroes next Saturday, July 3rd is going to be PAWsome! Sgt. Stubby’s IPA has been brewing at Launchpad Brewery and will be released July 3rd! First 100 veterans or active duty using this link will receive their first beer on Schomburg Insurance! Starting at 12, we will be FUNdraising for Black Ops Rescue and The Rescue for PTSD in the BARKing lot with prizes, games and even a service dog showcase at 1:00. Join this PUPortunity to celebrate our veterans and these veteran dog organizations and veteran owned business!   Thank you to Yakima Chief, Country Malt and Queener Law-Colorado for helping make this event happen! Well behaved pups and kids are welcome!        

We are so blessed to have ANOTHER perfect pairing with one of our full training dogs and his Veteran. Mark Krotzer and Major are a fantastic team, and Major is going to be living his best life as Mark’s service dog. They had an incredible transition over 4 days and Major is fitting right in with Mark’s family already! Stay tuned to their webpage as they are already out and about on adventures. Welcome to the family Mark & Melanie! Thank you again to Cindy Fitzgerald with AARF Houston for always keeping an eye out for great dogs for us, and letting us know this fantastic pup was available for adoption in January!

  We have another GREAT success! Apollo and his Veteran Phillip graduated our Monthly Group Training Program this month (June 2021)! Apollo has come a long way from his previous life where he lived chained outside of a warehouse. We are so excited for him and Phillip with this new chapter in their lives! Phillip is giving Apollo the best home we could have asked for and Apollo has made a significant impact in Phillip’s life. Stay tuned for updates on their adventures!

It’s Fun Fact Friday ! Are you ready for some fun??

6/11/2021-Today’s fun fact is about our partner Animal Shelter Volunteers of Texas (ASVT). ASVT a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was established in 2010 to assist the Conroe Animal Shelter by coordinating the volunteer, foster, transport and rescue programs at the shelter. In 2016, ASVT severed the relationship with the Conroe Animal Shelter but their dedication to helping abandoned, abused and neglected animals remains the same. They assist in providing medical care, supplies and surgeries for animals in need, provide foster homes, and helps place animals into permanent, loving homes. ASVT also help with spay/neuter programs for community owned pets and helps fund the transport of animals to other states with high adoption needs​!

5/21/2021-It’s #FunFactFriday!! Today’s fun fact is about the awesome photographers from the April Healing Through Movement event in Colorado! You’re Golden is the first ever photographer on demand platform that makes hiring a photographer so fast, easy and affordable, you can put your phone down and be present while we capture the candid photos. Their goal is for people to start living their lives in real time rather than just view it from behind their phone screen. You can learn more about them on their website https://urgolden.com/ and see their amazing pictures from the event below!

4/30/2021-It’s Fun Fact Friday! Today’s Fun Fact is about our partner, Klein Cain High School’s Paws for Purpose club! These young men and women donate their time with community service to raise awareness for animal neglect & abuse and promote the welfare of animals. They volunteer at animal shelters to help clean kennels, read to the dogs and host VERY successful food & supply drives for the shelters and have partnered with us to support the  training of our service dogs! 

 

4/16/2021-It’s Fun Fact Friday! Today is about our partner Volunteers for Animal Protection (VAP) is a 501(c) 3 Nonprofit, No-Kill Animal Rescue Organization that has been rescuing injured, abandoned, abused, and neglected cats and dogs for over 30 years, in Kingwood and the surrounding areas! 

4/9/2012-It’s #FunFactFriday! Today’s fact is about our partner Saving Our Companion Animals – Fort Bend County! SOCA is dedicated to saving and improving the lives of companion animals and promoting responsible pet ownership in Fort Bend County, TX. Their 100% volunteer organization helps sick/injured animals, urgent or needy shelter pets, and community animals needing to be re-homed. To learn more about them check out their website: https://soca-fbc.org

3/26/2021-#FunfactFriday! We had a blast with our partner, Combined Arms today! Combined Arms is a dynamic, ever-evolving collaborative impact organization that is using an innovative approach to technology and service delivery to disrupt the veteran transition experience. By providing comprehensive support to military members and their families as they transition to civilian life, we are accelerating veteran transition in order to deliver maximum impact on the communities they return to. To learn more about Combined Arms, check out their website! https://www.combinedarms.us

 

3/5/2021-It’s #FunFactFriday ! Today’s fun fact is about our partner Lani’s Lucky Shepherds! Lani’s Lucky Shepherd Rescue is a 501c3 non-profit organization focused on saving Houston area German Shepherd Dogs from neglect, abuse, abandonment and euthanization at high kill shelters. We adopted Hailey and Bravo from them!You can learn more about Lani’s Lucky Shepherds at https://luckyshepherds.com 

2/26/2021-Today’s Fun Fact is about our partner Queener Law! We are partnering with them for a great fundraising event in Colorado this April! Their mission is to support victims of trauma from all angles, through their physical and emotional healing and the litigation process. Therapy Dog Winston and the QL Team strive to be there with their clients every step of the way, whether they are recovering from a traumatic brain injury, a surgery, or other types of physical and emotional therapy. They bring nationwide experience with the hometown feel of a small firm atmosphere. To learn more about Queener Law, visit their website at https://queenerlaw.com/. You can learn more about our event with Queener Law at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/141866780359

2/19/2021-Today’s #FunFactFriday is about our partner Houston PetSafe! Their mission is to solve the crisis of animal homelessness, helping the people rescuing, spaying, neutering, fostering, adopting and protecting Houston’s forgotten animals by finding long-term solutions to animal overpopulation, neglect and cruelty. To learn more about Houston Pet Safe, visit their website at https://www.houstonpetset.org

2/12/2021-It’s Fun Fact Friday! World War I propaganda posters would adopt the images of dogs to symbolize different countries. Germany was represented by the dachshund, England by the bulldog, and the United States by the pit bull. Other breeds that fall under the term “bully breeds” include the American Staffordshire terrier, the American bulldog, and the Staffordshire bull terrier. Our 4 “bullies” in training are happy to honor their country by being awesome service dogs for their Veterans! 

1/29/2021- Today’s Fun Fact is about our partner AARF (Adopt a Rescue Friend)! AARF’s mission is to help as many forgotten, broken and neglected dogs find a loving home as they can. We have adopted two awesome dogs from them (Mikey and Major) who are now part of our Monthly Group Lesson Program with their awesome Veterans! To learn more about AARF click here

 

1/8/2021- Happy New Year! Today’s Fun Fact is about Veteran Michelle! Michelle’s fun fact is that she is the program coordinator for Veterans Treatment Courts in Harris County while also working on my Masters in Addiction Counseling at Texas Tech!

 

We are proud of our canine Veteran teams who come to monthly group training sessions! Everyone is working so hard and making great progress. We would like to welcome new members this month Shalean & Freedom and Everett & Ranger! CONGRATULATIONS to our THREE teams who passed their AKC Canine Good Citizen tests at our April lesson – Ken & Tango, Michelle & River, and Everett & Ranger! Way to go everyone, very inspiring! Thanks again to the Paws for Purpose students for coming to help work the dogs, we are so appreciative of your assistance! More great updates coming the end of May, stay safe everyone!

• 

• 

• 

• 

We would like to send our most sincere thanks to the Houston Aldine Lions Club for their generous donation to The Rescue for PTSD! They attended one of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2427 events and were so impressed with our dogs and our mission they decided to support our cause. Thank you all so much!!

HUGE thank you to VFW Post 8905 for the generous donation, what an amazing surprise! We are so thankful for the support of our mission. We are up to 27 Veteran-canine teams in our monthly Group Program and are transitioning another fully trained service dog to his Veteran the end of June! We could not do this work without everyone’s incredible support!

We are very excited to be a part of Queener Law- Denver ‘s upcoming event! Stay tuned for more information soon! ANNOUNCING OUR NEXT BIG EVENT! July 3rd at @launchpadbrewery ! Celebrating #Veterans and training #dogsofcolorado ! Come for a special BEER RELEASE just for this SPECIAL EVENT thanks to @yakimachief ! Bring the pups, the kids, the friends, the neighbors! We’ll have games, swag, live music, and a special showcase and training session with our Veterans and their service pups! Proceeds go to support @therescue4ptsd and @blackopsrescue ! MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

WHAT a lesson!!! We are proud to announce our Monthly Group Training Program continues to grow and our teams continue to progress! We have had FOUR teams pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen test in the last two months, we have one team working their Public Access test in hopes of graduating in June, and recently welcomed SEVEN new Veterans to the Program! Major, one of our dogs in full training, had his Veteran Mark come to visit this month in preparation for their transition in June. Also, our very first full training dog Tuve, came for her 2-year check-in with her Veteran Jeff and learned some new skills while she was here. Keep an eye out for some exciting upcoming posts as we are needing to adopt three dogs for Veterans in our Group Program, and already have two potential candidates! Continue to stay safe!

• 

• 

• 

• 

We are overwhelmed to share the receipt of an incredibly GENEROUS donation from the students with Klein Cain High School’s Paws for Purpose club. These young men and women donate their time with community service to raise awareness for animal neglect & abuse and promote the welfare of animals. They volunteer at animal shelters to help clean kennels, read to the dogs and host VERY successful food & supply drives for the shelters. We are thrilled that they decided to partner with us last year when they were looking to support the training of a service dog for a military Veteran in need. The students attend our monthly Group classes and work the dogs that are in full training to allow us to spend more time coaching the Veterans that are working in class with their own dogs. They have also started coming to our trainer’s (Sam with Working Paws K9 Training) private client group lessons every week-end to get some additional time working the dogs at agility and obedience. We are going to miss the graduating seniors whom we have come to know well, we can’t wait to meet their replacements at classes later this year. We are so proud to be working with this amazing group of young people, and could not be more grateful for their generous support. Thank you to each and every member of Klein Cain High’s Paws for Purpose and their amazing faculty sponsor Susan Schrum Kopinitz for everything they do for us! Who knew the key to funding service dogs was a High School chocolate fundraiser?!

• 

• 

• 

We are so excited about our new partnership with Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2427!! They have graciously offered their amazing facility for our monthly Group Training Program lessons, and we are thrilled to start using their venue this month! Having such space will allow our Veterans’ families to start coming to class again as we can easily distance. We hope members of Post 2427 will become part of The Rescue family so we can assist them training their own dogs or help them adopt a canine partner to train as a service dog! Laura & Honor were invited to give an informational presentation & demo for the Post this week, hopefully Honor’s skills will inspire their members to become part of the Program to get a service dog who will help ease their PTSD. Please stay tuned for updates on this wonderful new partnership!

• 

• 

We would like to thank Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2427 for the fantastic new venue for our monthly Group Lesson Program! We held our February make-up lesson yesterday and our teams were working hard listening to our great trainer Sam with Working Paws K9 Training. We have a lot of new members and wonderful service dogs in training. Be on the lookout for progress updates on all our fantastic Veterans and their amazing dogs! We would like to thank Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2427, VFW Post 8790, VFW Post 8790 Auxiliary
and Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars District 4 for the incredibly generous donation to our monthly Group Training Program. Their donations will support training leashes and collars, training treats, service dog in-training vests and The Rescue for PTSD logo patches for the dogs’ vests. We, our Group Veterans, and their canine partners are very grateful for the support! We are also excited to be hosting our monthly Group Program lessons at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2427 facility, and we are thrilled that some of their members are now part of our Group Program themselves! Thank you again, we could not continue our Program without such amazing support!

• 

• 

We are absolutely thrilled to share that our little girl Honor was paired with her Veteran Kurt this week-end, and it could not be a more perfect match! Kurt & his wife came to Houston for 4 days of transition training, so Kurt could bond with Honor and learn all about her skills & the commands/vocabulary she responds to. They participated in our Monthly Group Program lesson Saturday, and Thursday through Sunday had multiple sessions every day out and about practicing to be a service team. Kurt & Honor were also certified by our amazing trainer Sam (Working Paws K9 Training) to be a therapy team, so they will be going out and sharing Honor’s cuteness and affection with others! We aren’t sure if Honor is more in love with Kurt or vice-versa, but they did a fantastic job with their training and are now off for more adventures together! Stay tuned as Kurt promises to overload us with photos.

Congratulations Kurt & Honor, we are so proud of both of you!