Celebrate National Puppy Day with Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs

National Puppy Day is March 23rd, and we’re celebrating the very first step in a journey that leads to life-changing pairings for veterans, first responders, and civilians living with disabilities.

Those wagging tails and lots of kisses? They’re not “just puppies.” They’re future medical service dogs in the making, and at Guardian Angels, their training starts early, guided by a standard of excellence we work hard to uphold.

Where Future Service Dogs Begin: Puppyhood

Service dog training begins in puppyhood because early experiences shape everything that comes next.

In the beginning, puppies learn the essentials every well-mannered dog needs to know, like:

Basic Obedience
Crate training
Housetraining
Learning what to play with and chew (and what not to)

From there, we start building the foundation for real service work through exercises like confidence building, mobility games, desensitization, and scent skills, all designed to help a puppy grow into a steady, focused working partner.

Training That Goes Far Beyond Basic Obedience

As puppies mature, basic skills like sit, down, come, heel, and stay become more than commands. They’re the building blocks for future task work and the beginning of distraction-proofing so that the dog can remain focused on the job even in challenging environments.

From there, training can expand into specialized medical support tasks such as:

Diabetic alert (high/low blood sugar)
Alerting prior to a seizure
Knowing when to hit an emergency help button
Waking someone from a night terror

We also practice on confidence-building courses that expose dogs to real-life challenges, like stairs, moving objects, and unstable surfaces, so they learn how to navigate the world safely and calmly.

Raising The Bar For The Service Dog Industry

Guardian Angels is committed to advancing service dog training and safety, not just within our own program, but for the industry as a whole.

That’s why we were chosen for a Congress-mandated initiative focused on strengthening protocols for training, pairing, and follow-up support—work intended to help establish a true gold standard for service dog organizations.

How You Can Help Puppies With a Purpose

Every great service dog starts with the right foundation, and that foundation takes consistent support.

1) Join our Monthly Paw Prints Club

Monthly giving helps provide steady support for training, care, and the many steps it takes to prepare dogs for real-world service.

Become a monthly donor: https://www.medicalservicedogs.org/donations/paw-prints-club-2024/

2) Sponsor a Puppy

Help puppies begin training with what they need right away (leash/collar, crate items, treats, toys, grooming essentials, and more). With this sponsorship, you will provide up to two years of housing, premium diet, veterinary care, and training for a future service dog.

Sponsor a puppy: https://www.medicalservicedogs.org/sponsorship-opportunities/

Thank you for helping us in our mission to provide life-changing service dogs to veterans, first responders, and civilians living with permanent disabilities. Your contributions and support keep our mission thriving.

For more information on how you can support Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, visit our website today: www.medicalservicedogs.org.

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Mary Jo Brandt

Mary Jo has an extensive history working with the media as well as a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology at Northern Illinois University. Mary Jo has worked for companies such as Gannett, News Bank Inc., E.W. Scripps Company, Lee Enterprises, Pulitzer, Inc., Arthur Andersen, and has been involved with Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc. since 2011. Ms. Brandt has had many hours of training in leadership, coaching, and mentoring. Her teams have consistently been highly effective in support of organizational mission and goals. She has one son, Paul who is currently in the Navy, and a daughter, Amanda in college and working full-time for a law firm in Naples. Ms. Brandt began volunteering with Guardian Angels after both her father and previous employer received a Guardian Angels Service Dog in 2011. Seeing the incredible difference service dogs could make in the lives of their recipients, she became involved through volunteering her time & talent to Guardian Angels. Ms. Brandt was then asked to join the Board of Directors and has served as a Board Member since 2013. Recently, Mary Jo has been named as a 2021 Patriot Scholarship recipient from Colorado Technical University. When asked why this scholarship and completing her Master’s Degree in Business Administration was so important to her, she responded, “This scholarship represents how important education is to our military/veterans and their families. I am honored to be part of this unique community. I am already in a career that demonstrates my commitment to helping others, I expect finishing this degree will allow me to be much more effective in my pursuit of working with our Veterans. This scholarship isn’t just about me. It is about how I can help others.” Today we face an even bigger challenge that none of us saw coming during the midst of the pandemic and worldwide economic collapse beginning to unfold. Yet again, Mary Jo is stepping up to the plate to be sure that our organization continues to serve those that need us, as we triumph in the face of untold adversity of today’s world. Businesses will only survive these difficult times because of leaders like Mary Jo.

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