Col. Josiah Smith Chapter attended the Daughters of the American Revolution District X&XI Veteran's Day Luncheon at Captain Bill's Restaurant in Bayshore on November 11th. The Guide Dog Foundation presenter spoke about "Life Without Boundries for Veterans," a non-profit organization 501(c)3 program called VetDogs. Sully is going to be a working dogh. She is the yellow lab in the picture and she is being trained and will go to her Veteran in the near future. The black lab is Sully's Mom and is now a breeder of new puppies. The foundation also trains Standard Poodles for Veterans who have diagnosed dog allergies. Once a puppy is born and ready to leave the mother, a volunteer "puppy raiser" welcomes the the puppy into their home for about a year for the beginning of training-socialization. Next assistance dog school gives specialized training for the dog to help serve a Veteran who has a medical and/or psychological need. Dogs now serve Veterans with PTSD, blindness, hearing loss, seizure disorders, and more. A dog will not be ready for work until they are over 2 years of age. It can cost $60-8,000 to train such a specialized dog. They are trained not to bark. They have to learn not be distracted. They even are trained to dial 911 for an emergency! There are many special needs that the Guide Dog Foundation/VetDog cannot fulfill due to the lack of volunteers.
If you want to learn more about VetDogs, contact VetDog.org or GuideDog.org The local Guide Dog Foundation is in Smithtown. You may contact them at 631-930-9000.
The Col. Josiah Smith DAR of the greater Patchogue area is proud to help support such a foundation. Our outreach to Veterans as well as active Service Members are an important part of what we do. If you desire to help us reach our goals in Veteran, Service Members, and other community support, please contact Regent Joan Nathan at darsamuelprice@gmail.com
