Announcing our latest “Vet” partnership
In which Jill maintains that EVERY day is Veterans Day!
My father was in the Army, my nephew is in the Navy, and several of my friends are serving or have served. I honor members of the military, both past and present.
So I’m particularly excited about our new partnership with Love Our Pets and Vets, an organization whose mission is to match military veterans with shelter animals who become best friends. Outta the Cage is proud to source shelter dogs for this program.
Many veterans suffer from PTSD, anxiety, and depression, and can withdraw from friends and family. While the dogs in the program will not be registered therapy dogs, many veterans simply need a companion to participate in daily activities and keep them company.
This past week, Outta the Cage joined Love Our Pets and Vets founder and Executive Director Cheryl Eckert at the Veterans Administration campus to kick off the partnership to a large audience of enthusiastic veterans and dog lovers.
For Cheryl, the effort hits close to home. After her son returned from two tours in Bagdad, he was shut down and depressed. “I noticed that when he came over, he’d spend time with our dog and his whole demeanor changed,” she told the assembled veterans. “And Lola was crazy about him!”
Cheryl was inspired to offer this experience to other veterans. “We are here for you,” she told the group. “Nothing is as therapeutic as a rescue dog, and all these dogs need good homes!” Their motto? “Rescue one to help heal another.”
Then Outta the Cage got to showcase four of our favorite pups:
Volunteer and professional trainer June Grimes introduced her foster Sky (West L.A.), sharing how Sky had lived in a car before landing at the shelter.
Next, foster Chris O’Shea presented our boy Sal (West Valley), who sat at Chris’ side gazing at him adoringly.
Shelter volunteer and rescuer Cyn Moore then presented Paché (West L.A.), whom she’d just pulled from the shelter that morning.
And finally, I kvelled about Cali (East Valley), whose owners surrendered her because they were having a baby, but who keeps smiling as she awaits her forever family.
Their stories resonated. After the formal presentation, the veterans joined us outside to personally meet and interact with the dogs.
A few shared that they deeply felt the trauma of a dog being left behind by its family. “My dog and I are both soldiers,” said a veteran named Robert, a cup of coffee in one hand and Cali’s paw in the other. “He was tied up in someone’s backyard. Now he’s family.”
Veterans interested in adopting a companion dog will complete a profile on the Love Our Pets and Vets website, including information about past pet ownership experience, other pets in the home, and their living situations. Outta the Cage will then propose a shelter or rescue dog who best matches their criteria, and arrange a meeting. All adoption fees will be waived for veterans in the program.
We look forward to attending these meetings regularly, and showing off more dogs needing homes. The bad news is the good news: there are plenty of available dogs who would love to go home with a veteran. We can’t wait for the adoption photos!
Find out more at https://loveourpetsandvets.org.
