While watching Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs grow over the past 13 years, I have visualized for several of those years how to do things better, thus leading us to building a state-of-the-art campus. (more…)
U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh recognized Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs as one of the 835 recipients of the 2022 HIRE Vets Medallion Award during a virtual award ceremony presented by the U.S. Department of Labor. Guardian Angels is one of only 19 Platinum awardees in the State of Florida, and one of only 66 Florida companies to receive a HIRE VETS award of any level from the Department of Labor.
The Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act) Medallion Program is the only federal award program that recognizes employers who successfully recruit, hire, and retain veterans.
Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs Founder and CEO, Carol Borden stated: “At Guardian Angels, it is not only our mission to serve our veterans with disabilities, but to hire and train veterans for civilian career paths as well. Our veterans have given so much of themselves to serve our country and all of us. I believe, it is now our responsibility as Americans to do whatever possible to assist them in their transition from military to civilian life”.
Guardian Angels is honored to join 835 other companies from 49 states, plus the District of Columbia, who have shown a commitment to hiring veterans, but also ensuring that they have a long-term career and growth plan that uses the diverse skills they acquired through their military service.
Recipients of the 2022 HIRE Vets Medallion Award meet rigorous employment and veteran integration assistance criteria, including veteran hiring and retention percentages; availability of veteran-specific resources; leadership programming for veterans; dedicated human resource efforts; pay compensation and tuition assistance programs for veterans. More than 1,400 employers have earned a HIRE Vets Medallion Award since 2018.
About Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs:
Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs is a 501(C)3 Based in Florida that rescues, raises, trains and then donates individually trained medical service dogs to veterans, first-responders and others who suffer from disabilities including PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, seizure and diabetic disorders, mobility issues and much more. Over the past 12 years, Guardian Angels has paired hundreds of individually trained medical service dogs with recipients across the nation, and with your help, that number can continue to grow. Visit our website at: www.MedicalServiceDogs.org to get involved or learn more.
Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs has been recognized as the winner of the 2022 VETTY Award in the suicide prevention category, presented by the Academy of United States Veterans. Guardian Angels is a national 501(c)3nonprofit organization whose mission is to rescue, raise, train, and donate highly skilled medical service dogs to veterans, first responders and individuals to mitigate the challenges of both visible and invisible disabilities.
Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs’ recipients suffer from a myriad of disabilities, including PTS, military sexual trauma, traumatic brain injuries, diabetic and seizure disorders, mobility issues and more.
These disabilities can often lead to feelings of isolation and suicidal ideation for those affected. The highly trained service dogs that Guardian Angels provides to their recipients help to improve overall health and happiness, restore their sense of freedom and independence, and create a new normal full of possibilities.
Over the past 12 years, Guardian Angels has provided hundreds of service dogs to individuals across dozens of states in the U.S. To date, not a single Guardian Angels Medical Service Dog recipient has been lost to suicide.
“We are so proud of everyone connected with our organization,” says Carol Borden, Founder and CEO of Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs. “From staff to volunteers and foster trainers, everyone involved has played a fundamental role in advancing our mission of making a difference in the lives of veterans and our other recipients. It’s an honor to have our work once again recognized by the Academy of United States Veterans.”
This marks the nonprofit’s third VETTY win and fifth consecutive year as a finalist for the award. The organization previously won the award in 2021 for outstanding efforts in veterans’ suicide prevention, and awarded the 2018 VETTY for outstanding efforts in Veterans’ Mental Health. The Academy of United States Veterans established the annual VETTY awards to recognize those that contribute to the well-being of the veteran community.
The 7th annual VETTY award gala was held on April 23rd at the M Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs’ staff member and Army veteran, Sean O’Rourke was in Las Vegas, along with one of our incredible Service Dogs to accept the award from Assal Ravandi, Founder & CEO of the Academy of United States Veterans.
As he accepted the award on behalf of Guardian Angels O’Rourke said, “Let’s ensure the focus remains on all our veterans and helping them find healing and that beautiful new normal through extraordinary dogs. Thank you so very much for recognizing our labor of love”.
To learn more about how Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs works to prevent suicide among veterans and others affected by disabilities, visit https://www.medicalservicedogs.org/
About Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs
Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Williston, Florida and has grown into a nation-wide medical service dog organization. The organization rescues, raises, trains and then donates individually trained medical service dogs to veterans, first responders and others who suffer from disabilities including PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, diabetic and seizure disorders, mobility issues and more. Since their inception in 2010, Guardian Angels has donated and paired hundreds of individually trained medical service dogs with those in need. For more information, visit: www.MedicalServiceDogs.org
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PITTSBURGH, PA (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE)
It is with great pleasure that we announce our latest partnership, with the Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution at Mercer. As part of our new partnership, incarcerated veterans will train some of our future service dogs, beginning at approximately 5 months of age, all while earning college credit.
The program is already underway, with our Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Carol Borden recently completing a full seven days of classes for the 12 selected incarcerated veterans, teaching them our comprehensive training regimen. While required to pass the written portion of the class with an 80% or better, we are proud to say that of the 12 participants, they all scored above 95%.
Now that they are ready to begin training, 4 young future service dogs are on their way to Mercer from our Florida headquarters and are scheduled to arrive at Mercer later this week.
Once they arrive, the dogs will remain with the inmates 24 hours a day, for several months, and will be participating daily in classes and public access-style learning adventures due to Mercer’s unique design featuring a cafeteria, classrooms, hospital, auditorium, gymnasium, commissary and library – the conditions are perfect for re-creating public access-type scenarios for the dogs to train in.
The teams training dogs inside Mercer will be visited weekly or more by our Pennsylvania Regional Trainer, to ensure program compliance and monitor each dogs’ progress as they go through our positive-reinforcement curriculum.
An additional key benefit of this program is that the selected incarcerated veterans will be earning college credits. This program will not only help the disabled Pennsylvania veterans who ultimately receive the donated service dogs; but it is teaching a new, marketable skillset and industry to those currently incarcerated.
“I have always been so inspired by the service and sacrifice of our American heroes,” said Sen. Brooks, who worked for two years to bring the program to SCI Mercer. “The brotherhood that unites our veterans, and the healing power of a dog, have always impressed me as well. This transformative new program unites these special elements into one heart-warming support network, and is destined to produce benefits that will allow veterans to help other veterans in a life-changing way.”
Asked about the new program, Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs Founder & CEO, Carol Borden said: “I couldn’t be more excited about the magnificent start of this ground-breaking program. We expect great things – not only in the training of the dogs that will be donated to veterans in Pennsylvania; but that we will be giving the incarcerated veterans hope for a new future once they have served their time. By participating in this program, they are already serving their community”.
Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs is a 501(C) 3 non-profit organization founded in Williston, Florida and has grown into a nation-wide Service Dog Organization. We rescue, raise, train and donate individually trained medical service dogs to veterans, first responders and others who suffer from disabilities including PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, seizure disorders, diabetic alert, mobility issues and more. Guardian Angels receives up to 40 inquiries each day for one of their medical Service Dogs. If you’d like to learn more about our programs, get involved, make a contribution, or be part of supporting this life-saving project please call 800-398-6102 or visit our website at: MedicalServiceDogs.org.
LtoR: Mr. Diaz, Rocky Bleier, former Steelers Professional Football Player, Senator Michele Brooks, Secretary John Wetzel, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, Carol Borden, Founder & CEO of Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Melinda Adams, Superintendent of SCI Mercer, Dustin Schneider, Recipient and Guardian Angels Spangle, Gen. Schindler, Deputy Adjutant General, Veterans Affairs.
For Immediate Release
Medical Service Dog for Local Disabled Veteran Named
Honoring the State of Michigan
with Training fully Sponsored by the Greater Metropolitan Association of REALTORS® and the Michigan State Police
WILLISTON, FLA (MARCH 6, 2020) – The public has spoken, and the next Guardian Angels Medical Service Dog has been named Tuebor (pronounced tu̇-ˈā-ˌbȯr)! The name, taken from the Michigan state seal meaning “I will defend,” garnered nearly 60 percent of online votes in the naming contest. This future medical service dog was co-sponsored by the Greater Metropolitan Association of REALTORS® (GMAR) and the Michigan State Police’s 135th Trooper Recruit School. Tuebor, who is yet to be born, will be trained to benefit a disabled veteran from Michigan. Updates on the dog’s training progress will be shared on medicalservicedogs.org following its birth.
Guardian Angels is a national 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that exists to rescue, raise, train and donate medical service dogs to veterans, first responders and individuals with both visible and invisible disabilities. The naming contest ran from late February through March 4 with votes coming in from across the state of Michigan and as far as the UK and Australia. Other name options included Lansing, honoring Michigan state’s capital, and Bobby, the British term for a police officer.
Fundraising for the medical service dog began when recruits from Michigan State Police’s 135th Trooper Recruit School met a Guardian Angels’ recipient at a local gym and decided to dedicate their “Workout of the Day” to raise funds for a service dog to support a disabled veteran. In total, the recruits raised more than $9,200 with GMAR stepping in to donate the remaining balance for a total of $25,000, the full cost of training one dog.
Medical service dogs support their handlers in mitigating symptoms of a variety of visible and invisible disabilities, including PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, seizure & diabetic disorders and mobility issues, along with other medical conditions. Twenty-two veterans in the United States succumb to suicide each day. After being paired with a Guardian Angels’ medical service dog, that rate has dropped to zero among their recipients. Divorce rates and medication use also dramatically decrease with the pairing of a medical service dog. Among combat veteran families who have received a medical service dog from Guardian Angels the divorce rate is less than two percent.
In 2015, GMAR started its ongoing “5 Years, 5 Dogs, 5 Lives Saved” campaign, in which they will donate funds for five service dogs. Since starting the campaign, the Association has sponsored the training for Cobalt REALTOR® Blue, Thor and Indy. Cobalt and Thor have since been paired with recipients in Michigan, while Indy is currently in training at Guardian Angels’ headquarters in Florida.
Of the more than 325 medical service dogs trained and donated by Guardian Angels nearly 30 have gone to recipients in Michigan. The organization has placed dogs with deserving recipients in 24 states across the nation. Guardian Angels have been previously recognized by the Academy of United States Veterans (AUSV) at their annual VETTYS awards; and had their dog Alice named the top service dog in the United States as the 2019 American Humane Hero Dog of the Year.
ABOUT
Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Williston, Florida and has grown into a nation-wide medical service dog organization. The organization rescues, raises, trains and then donates individually trained medical service dogs to veterans, first responders and others who suffer from disabilities including PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, diabetic and seizure disorders, mobility issues and more. Since their inception in 2010, Guardian Angels has paired more than 325 individually trained medical service dogs with those in need. For more information, visit: Medical Service Dogs
Lansing, MI: In February 2019, Sgt. McRae of the Michigan State Police Trooper Recruit School set a goal. To honor Michigan State Trooper Craig A. Scott; a military veteran who was killed in the line of duty after 7 years on the force in 1982.
Each recruit class creates a Hero WOD (workout of the day) for a fellow trooper and performs the Hero WOD at the gym. This 135thtrooper recruit school added a fundraiser with an ambitious goal. To raise $25,000 to sponsor the training of a medical service dog for a deserving recipient.
The members of the 135thTrooper Recruit School were well on their way to that goal, raising $9,200 during a Hero WOD. That’s when GMAR (The Greater Metropolitan Association of REALTORS®), reached out to help them complete their goal. GMAR has already been involved in raising funds for service dogs for several years, with their “5 Years, 5 Dogs, 5 Lives Saved” campaign, and they have previously completed sponsorship of Service Dogs Cobalt REALTOR® Blue, and Thor, and have future Service Dog Independence, currently in-training.
On Monday, August 12, 2019 the two came together, and GMAR presented a check to The Michigan State Police for $15,725 – covering the balance of the Trooper Recruit School’s sponsorship.
The funds raised and contributed will be sent to Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, a 501(C)3 non-profit organization, that has raised and trained more than 320 service dogs for deserving individuals in need nationwide, predominantly for veterans and first-responders.
To date, Guardian Angels has paired more than 20 dogs in the State of Michigan. But the waiting list continues to grow. The number of both veterans and first-responders facing issues such as PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, Seizure and Diabetic disorders and mobility issues is steadily increasing, and it is the hope of the Michigan State Police and GMAR that this individually-trained medical service dog, yet named will greatly improve life for its future recipient.
GMAR said of the donation: “We are grateful and honored to have helped the recruits (now Troopers) reach their goal of donating a service dog to someone in need!” If you’d like to help GMAR meet their 5 Years, 5 Dogs, 5 Lives Saved Campaign Goal, donate here: https://gmaronline.com/555
2019 Hero Dog of the Year Awarded toGuardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Alice.
Los Angeles, California; Oct. 2019 (Send2PressNewswire): Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs is both humbled and honored to announce that on Friday, October 5, 2019 after more than a million public votes, our Service Dog, Alice; specifically trained to assist Recipient Antonio was named the 2019 Hero Dog of the Yearin the American Humane Hero Dog Awards.
Alice has been watching over Antonio since 2016, after he tragically suffered a gunshot wound to the head at the age of nine, while sitting in his parents’ car in 2015.
Since that day, Antonio has struggled through 5 brain surgeries, leaving him with a permanent traumatic brain injury, and an artificial flap that covers a large portion of his skull. He suffers regularly from seizures, spells, migraines and balance issues. Alice is at Antonio’s side constantly, including attending school together; and she is focused on Antonio at all times. She not only alerts to oncoming seizures and spells, but assists him with balance issues, as a fall could potentially be fatal.
Seven truly incredible dogs were finalists for each category including: Sgt. Yeager: Military; Piglet: Search & Rescue; Leader Dog Lady: Guide/Hearing; Jeanie: Therapy; Gus: Shelter; Dax: Law Enforcement/Arson and of course, Alice in the Service Dog Category. We congratulate each category winner and recognize their incredible unique skillsets.
Alice completed nearly 2 years of unparalleled custom training to prepare for a life partnering with and assisting Antonio. Giving her acceptance speech, Antonio’s Mom Tara said:
“It’s so incredible, we are truly honored to receive this award… I thank everybody who voted and showed support for my boy and Alice. Through a shooting, and something so dark, you forget to believe in humanity; but when something like this happens you start to learn that there is good in this world”.
You can view the Hero Dog Awards in its entirety on the Hallmark Channel airing October 21, 2019. Check local listings for times in your area.
Guardian Angels was founded in 2010, and custom-trains medical service dogs for veterans, first-responders and individuals like Antonio. Although the cost of training each service dog can take up to 2 full years, and cost nearly $25,000, we donate each dog to the recipient at no cost. Everything we do is funded by donation. To date, we have paired over 320 service dogs in 23 states across the nation. If you would like to learn more about our organization, or support this life-saving work, visit our website at www.MedicalServiceDogs.org.
2019 Service Dog Hero of the Year Awarded toGuardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Alice
Washington D.C., July 30, 2019 (Send2PressNewswire): Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs is excited to announce that on Friday, July 26, 2019 our Service Dog, Alice; specifically trained to assist Recipient Antonio was named the 2019 Service Dog Hero of the Yearby more than 900,000 nationwide voters and the American Humane Societies’ panel of judges.
Alice has been watching over Antonio since 2016, after he tragically suffered a gun-shot wound to the head at the age of nine, while sitting in his parents’ car in 2015.
Since that day, Antonio has struggled through 5 brain surgeries, leaving him with a permanent traumatic brain injury, and an artificial flap that covers a large portion of his skull. He suffers regularly from seizures, spells, migraines and balance issues. Alice is at Antonio’s side constantly, including attending school together; and she is focused on Antonio at all times. She not only alerts to oncoming seizures and spells, but assists him with balance issues, as a fall could potentially be fatal.
Guardian Angels Medical Service Dog Alice completed nearly 2 years of unparalleled custom training to prepare for a life partnering with and assisting Antonio. His Mom, Tara says:
“Alice is a hero in our eyes because without her, Antonio would not be able to do the simple things in life we take for granted, like going to school, the store, or even just walking outside. She has never once failed in alerting and has saved Antonio’s life many times. Alice has given Antonio a chance at a new normal life he did not have without her. The life that was ripped away for no reason. She has NEVER let him down. If that is not a hero, I don’t know what is”.
Now that Guardian Angels, Alice has claimed the top spot in the Service Dog Category, in October, Antonio and Alice will head to California, to take part in the LIVE 2019 Hero Dog Awards, being broadcast on the Hallmark Channel, to compete with the 6 other category winners for the title of Hero Dog of the Year. Voting will be open until September 9th, and you can visit www.herodogawards.com/Alice to read their full story, and show them support with your vote!
Guardian Angels was founded in 2010, and custom-trains medical service dogs for veterans, first-responders and individuals like Antonio. Although the cost of training each service dog can take up to 2 full years, and cost nearly $25,000, we donate each dog to the recipient at no cost. We receive no federal or state funding. Everything we do is funded completely by private and foundation donations. To date, we have paired over 320 service dogs in 23 states across the nation. If you would like to learn more about our organization, or become a supporter, visit our website at www.MedicalServiceDogs.org.
Antonio, Alice & his Mom, Tara interviewed on the Red Carpet.
A great interview on KDKA’s Pittsburgh Today Live show with Guardian Angels’ Regional Development Director, Jack Wagner; Recipient, Dustin and his Service Dog, Spangle about Guardian Angels’ Pennsylvania Property Purchase…
If you’d like to become involved with our program by supporting the training of Service Dogs for those on our waiting list, please visit:
https://tinyurl.com/GAMSD-Giving
If you would like to contribute to the building of our Pittsburgh-area Campus, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/GAMSD-PACampus
Our amazing Foster Family Trainers, Chuck & Deb, received some very public kudos on their efforts to help us train Service Dogs!
WINK News did a story on December 26, 2018 highlighting our incredible volunteers, and all they’ve done to change & save the lives of others.
Thank you Chuck & Deb for your amazing efforts, and thank you to WINK News for sharing their hard work!
