GAMSD Blog

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and LEX18 news out of Lexington, KY has aired a story about Brain Injury Awareness, featuring Recipient Antonio, his Service Dog, Alice (2019 American Humane Hero Dog of the Year) along with his mother, Tara, talking about how her son’s traumatic brain injury has drastically changed their life, and how Service Dog Alice gives Antonio a sense of normalcy.  Watch the full story here:

https://www.lex18.com

Recipient Kelsey and her Super Service Dog Flag were featured on WFLA station “Bloom” program today, talking about Women’s History Month, and of course, Flag!

– An Op-Ed by Carol Borden, Founder & CEO, Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs

One focus during the pandemic has, rightly so, been on small businesses. Supporting small businesses during these difficult times is how we rise up as a community to take care of one another. Consider for a moment however, that nonprofits are also small businesses. In fact, 22,000 nonprofits are projected to fail because of COVID-19 according to Philanthropy.com. A recent Nonprofit Leadership Center survey also notes that the top three concerns for generating organizational revenue are:

  • cancelled fundraising events
  • loss of funders or corporate partners
  • challenges meeting funder requirements or grants/contracts with government agencies at risk

Nonprofits have had to cancel or pivot all in-person fundraising efforts, typically the biggest source of annual funding. These life-saving resources are having to downsize staff and operations all across the country – these are real families facing the consequences. In fact, The Washington Post noted last year that one-third of organizations may close their doors, nonprofits being the most vulnerable. A scary thought when you realize how many nonprofits have life-changing missions.

The fact is nonprofits need you, and overall community support, as the pandemic evolves. With National Random Acts of Kindness Day right around the corner (February 17, 2021) please consider supporting your local nonprofit(s) by:

  • Purchasing supplies needed to support their mission, like buying a bag of dog food for a local rescue or nonprofit like ours
  • Sign up for their Amazon Smile, where .5% of your overall, typical purchase sales go towards their cause
  • Engage with their social media channels (comment, like, share and rate/review)
  • Subscribe to their newsletter and encourage others to sign up
  • Share information about them on your social channels
  • Volunteer, safely when you can this could mean hugging puppies, distributing food to families in need or countless other ways
  • Start a fundraiser to encourage donations from your friends and families
  • Ask for donations for your birthday, anniversary or anyday on social media sites like facebook (instead of gifts)
  • Ask your employer if they’re open to corporate giving; corporate donations help nonprofits like our survive and prosper to help more people in need
  • Donate; consider making a small reoccurring donation if you can

I know it’s difficult for families right now, but please consider doing what you can this holiday; a little kindness goes a long way in helping nonprofits survive and continue serving communities.

Guardian Angles Medical Service Dogs founder and CEO Carol Borden. Guardian Angels is a 501(C)3 headquartered 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. Support them via Amazon Smile by donating a bag or two of dog food or donating at medicalservicedogs.org.

How you can help Guardian Angels

  1. Buy a bag of food to help us take the very best care of our Service Dogs in-training
  2. Find the list of foods we use here: https://smile.amazon.com
  3. Become a Paw Prints Monthly Giving Club Member
  4. Visit: Paw Prints Club
  5. Choose the amount you’d like to give, set up your donation & you’re making good happen!
  6. Make a one-time donation
  7. Simply visit: https://www.medicalservicedogs.org
  8. Start a virtual Fundraiser on Facebook
  9. Get friends & family involved & see how much you can raise!
  10. Visit: https://www.facebook.com/GuardianAngelsMedicalServiceDogs/
  11. Slide down, while looking at the left-hand side, until you see Fundraisers
  12. Go to the bottom of the fundraisers and click the “Create Fundraiser” button
  13. Spread the word!
  14. Like & Share our social media posts
  15. Tell your friends about us
  16. Sign up for our newsletter & share it

A New Leash on Life

By: Angie Carducci for PNC Bank
How one veteran’s new service dog brought him out of the basement and back into society, and how you can help others like him with this year’s Virtual Mutt Strut.

Earlier this year, just before The Tower at PNC Plaza largely emptied as Pittsburgh, like so many other places, tried to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, it served as a meeting point for U.S. Marine veteran Craig Hodgkins and Army veteran John Kelly with his service dog, Ranger.

Craig served in the Marines from 1976 to 1997. Instead of peacefully retiring after his 21 years of service, though, Craig brought home memories of the missions he was involved in that caused him to gradually retreat from family, friends and society as a whole.

“I’ve slowly become more of a shell, going inside myself, because I can’t talk about a lot of the things that are going on with me,” Craig said in early March. “I pretty much live out of my basement now. I don’t spend the time I need to with my children, with mygrandchildren. If I have to go to the grocery store, I go at 2 a.m.

“Through counseling and getting to meet people, I realized a service dog might be the perfect thing for me.”

After tackling some self-doubts – “I kept saying there’s others who deserve it more” – Craig applied and was approved for a Guardian Angels Medical Service Dog. PNC arranged for Craig to meet with John Kelly to talk about what to expect when he visited Guardian Angels in Williston, Florida – a trip John, a 10-year U.S. Army veteran who lives with PTSD and a traumatic brain injury, had made in 2016.

You will find a connection with these animals unlike anything you’ve ever experienced,” John said, with Ranger at his side.

“Twenty to 22 [veterans] a day are committing suicide because we don’t have a good handle on the PTSD problem, and here we have companies like PNC and others helping to fund the $25,000 for a service dog, saying, ‘If this is something that’s going to help you have a better life after you’ve given so much for this country, this is the least we can do.'”

Craig was so excited that he had a digital clock in his basement counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds to his Florida trip.Then came the crushing news that, due to the pandemic, the trip had to be postponed.

Finding a way

PNC and Carol Borden, founder and CEO of Guardian Angels, came up with a plan. As soon as travel restrictions allowed, two Guardian Angels trainers drove 17 hours in a rented 15-foot cargo van to Grove City, about an hour outside of Pittsburgh, with six service dogs in tow – all being delivered to recipients in the region.

The trainers, along with a couple of prior recipients who came with their dogs to help out, spent five days at a hotel working to acquaint the veterans with their new service dogs. Service dog recipients usually spend 10 days in Florida, so these teams had a lot of work to do in a compressed timeframe. The dogs have already been trained for 18 to 24 months to help recipients deal with everything from mobility issues to traumatic brain injuries, PTSD and other combat- related injuries. But the veterans need to learn how to work with their new canine partners, too.

Craig was paired with Foxy, a black German Shepherd sponsored by the Colcom Foundation. “I’ve smiled more in the last five days than I have in the last five years,” he said on the last day in Grove City. He also got an early glimpse into how the new relationship would unfold when, twice in those five days, Foxy jumped up on the bed to wake him from night terrors.

How PNC is helping

In 10 years, Guardian Angels has trained and placed more than 340 service dogs at no cost to the veteran, but the waiting list for a dog is long.

The cost to breed, raise and train a service dog is $25,000.

PNC and its corporate partners have sponsored 53 dogs over the past four years, primarily through PNC Community Mutt Struts in Pittsburgh, Erie and Dayton. These family- friendly events feature dog parades with categories and prizes, food, music, pet- and veteran-related vendors, auctions and more.

Like many events, Mutt Strut is going virtual this year, and we can’t wait to share how many of those in-person activities are going to translate to the online event. It takes place from Tuesday, Sept. 8, though Saturday, Sept. 12, which also happens to be National Suicide Prevention Week. Stay tuned to learn more on how we hope to help Guardian Angels save more lives, like Craig’s.

A changed life

“Foxy and I are doing so well,” he told us, five weeks after the pairing. “I’ve been able to go to the grocery store, the hardware store, anywhere I want to, more times since we have been paired than I have in the past five years.

“She’s already stopped me from getting hurt. We just moved into a new apartment that’s perfect for us, and I have been slowly decorating the walls. This past weekend, I started to climb the ladder, and Foxy got up and started whining. Respecting what I’ve been told about listening to her, I stopped what I was doing, and then it hit me. My vertigo went into overdrive, and I had to immediately sit down. I never expected she would be able to clue in on vertigo, but she did, and I believe I would have fallen off the ladder had she not warned me.

“I have not been this happy in years. This is so important, and I am so appreciative for what I have received. Last night, the words started flowing on a song I’m writing about Foxy and how this has changed my life. All I can say is the title of the song – that I have ‘A New Leash on Life.'”

PNC’s Mutt Strut is now accepting registrations, photo contest entries and previewing auction items! Registration is FREE. Simply text “MuttStrut” to 76278, or click the button to join in the fun.

Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc is committed to bringing awareness to and reducing the number of suicides in our veteran community. This year, we were nominated, and are now finalists for a VETTY® Award, presented by the Academy of United States Veterans. We won a VETTY in 2017, in the Mental Health Category, and were finalists in both 2018 and 2019. This year, we are nominated in the Suicide Prevention category. Guardian Angels are proud to serve veterans of ALL conflicts – not only post-9/11.

Below is our 2020 entry as submitted for consideration:

Mitigation of Symptoms

At the core of our mission is training Medical Service Dogs to assist those struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress, TBI’s and other disabilities, all of which greatly elevate suicidal ideation – many of whom had multiple suicide attempts before coming to us. Our staff works tirelessly 365 days a year to ensure veterans receive the world’s finest Service Dogs; and we train each dog to meet the exacting needs of every individual recipient – whether they suffer from PTS alone, or PTS along with another disorder (TBI, diabetes, seizure disorders, mobility issues, etc.). This also results in amazing relief to caregivers and breaking the cycle of intergenerational PTS in children of a disabled parent. Our dogs are trained with specific tasks to meet every challenge.


Continuing Support

At Guardian Angels, we never leave a recipient behind. Once paired, not only have they made new friends often for the first time in years, but they now join our “family” of recipients in private social media groups. There they privately communicate with each other, sharing challenges, hopes and successes. Our specialized staff monitors the group and assists whenever needed. We employ “traveling trainers”, who visit them at least annually to be sure they are still working well. Our National Director of Recipient Relations has a master’s degree in Human Services and provides additional resources as needed. Once we pair a team, we reach out to them (at minimum) on a quarterly basis, for the life of the team to ensure their success at every level. We offer support in veterinary care, legal challenges, training and even direction with emergency housing, vet bills, and more. A major part of our success is our process of integrating and supporting the veteran’s journey back into society and finding his/her “new normal”.


Investing in Veterans

The average cost to train and pair just one of our incredible dogs is over $25,000 and can take up to 2 years of training for each dog to be ready. Our program not only fully covers training and donating of the dog but includes covering all travel expenses for each recipient to our headquarters in Florida for two weeks, regardless of their location, for pairing.


Results

Through exceptional effort, Guardian Angels has paired nearly 350 individually trained medical service dogs. Through our dogs, those recipients have gone on to return to work and/or school, repair broken bonds with family and friends, and begin a “New Normal” they had no longer believed possible. They’ve returned to seemingly simple things like going to the grocery store or the mall, which seemed an insurmountable challenge before their service dog arrived. Many recipients, under their doctor’s care, find themselves drastically reducing, and even eliminating their psychiatric medications.


Our Data

We know the terrible nationwide results: 20-22 veterans each day are committing suicide, and the rate of divorce in combat veteran families can be up to 90% higher than the civilian divorce rate. These are statistics that must change, and we’ve proven they can.

After ten years of pairing and caring for these service dog teams, once paired, our suicide rate remains at ZERO, and our divorce rate is less than 2%.


Watch here.

by:

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – As the saying goes, a dog is man’s best friend, but in this case, a woman’s best friend.

Karen Louise O’Neal, is a Navy veteran who served her country for 20 years. From 1973 to 1993, she served an EMT. After her stint in the military, she was diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and depression because of events she witnessed.   “Of course, being part of the ambulance crew, I saw a lot of gruesome injuries,” O’Neal said. “Also, when I was in San Diego, there was a PSA plane that crashed in San Diego with a smaller plane I think there were 163 lives lost in that and it stuck with me for a long time.”  While still serving, O’Neal said she was able to push those traumatic events to the back of her mind. When she retired, those memories started to resurface.  Before going to counseling, she struggled with rational and irrational fears.

“I would fear that something would happen to our daughter when she went outside,” she said. “I would hide in the doorway and keep an eye on her. I could only go as far as the mailbox and that was it. I became a hermit, I couldn’t go out to do grocery shopping, the pet store, whatever we needed to do, I withdrawn from that.” At her lowest, she decided to seek counseling. Her doctor suggested that she get a medical service dog. Taking the advice, O’Neal applied for a medical dog at Guardian Angles Medical Service Dogs; a service dog organization that raise, train and pair medical service dogs to people with permanent visible and invisible disabilities. Approximately 95% of the recipients for Guardian Angels are veterans.

According to Guardian Angles’ Chief Operating Officer, Mary Jo Brandt, many donors choose to donate dogs their dogs to aide veterans and first responders start a new normal.  “We just have a passion for our veterans for people who go out there and do everything they can to keep our country safe. This is our way to give back,” Brandt said. O’Neal has found a new friend with the help of Brandt Guardian Angels: Patton, a 5-year-old English Box Head Black Lab. Patton is known to help wake O’Neal when she suffers from night terrors.

“Like they say in the military, he got my sixth, he got my back,” O’Neal said. “I had contemplated suicide, in fact if I didn’t have Patton, I’m’ not sure I would be talking to you right now.” Brandt “Guardian Angles is here to help because dogs aren’t here to judge. “If you drop something on the ground and need it picked up for the 100th time that day that dog does not care, it is a game and that dog is happy to do it, they just need a little love and praise,” Brandt said.

Patton does more than help O’Neal with her depression.  “He’s an excellent listener, He keeps me distracted in overwhelming environments, he alerts me when my blood sugar is too low or too high,” O’Neal said. One Christmas Eve, O’Neal was at church and she noticed Patton kept putting his head on her knee and his tail was wagging. She tried several times to get him to sit down but he wouldn’t.  “I was thinking maybe it’s not him, it’s me not him,” O’Neal explained. “I checked my blood sugar and it was extremely high so once I took my insulin, he was fine. He alerted me by the change and smell of my skin because of the increase sugar level.”

O’Neal told WANE 15’s Briana Brownlee that she decided to join the military to help pay for school and the opportunity to travel across the world. Now that she is doing better mentally, she is proud that she served her country.

If you are interested in applying for a service dog click here. If you would like to donate, click here.

 

Karen and Patton are one the hundreds of  teams we’ve paired in 29 states across the nation. Our dogs save & change the lives of their recipients, by allowing them a beautiful New Normal that restores dignity, freedom and independence to their lives. If you would like to donate to, or fundraise for Guardian Angels so we can continue providing these incredible, individually-trained dogs to deserving applicants on our waiting list, simply click fill out the form below.

What a beautiful day for Recipients’ Robert & Sarah, who, with their Service Dogs by their sides, walked down the aisle and said their vows. Robert & Sarah have made many friends through their Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs Community, many of whom were in attendance; including Service Dog Nina who served as the “flower girl” with her handler Jim. Service Dog Harry who served as Ring Bearer, with handler Charlie; and Service Dog Rocket, who, with handler Rudy walked Sarah down the aisle.

In all, 10 medical service dogs attended the wedding with their handlers, all of them paired by Guardian Angels.

Mary Jo Brandt, Chief Operating Officer of Guardian Angels performed the ceremony, and it was well-attended by Guardian Angels staff members as well.

Robert & Sarah have requested donations to Guardian Angels in lieu of gifts. If you’d like to donate, please visit: https://medicalservicedogs.networkforgood.com/projects/88155-robert-sarah-brown-paws-wedding-campaign

Robert & Sarah’s Wedding was covered by both the Gainesville Sun and WCJB20, and we’ve included their stories or links to their stories below.

You can also find a photo gallery in the Gainesville Sun: https://www.gainesville.com/photogallery/LK/20191212/PHOTOGALLERY/121209980/PH/1

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.

Guardian Angels Medical Service Dog Recipient Brigadier General Donald Bolduc and his Service Dog Victor made an appearance on Fox & Friends this September 11th to discuss the military response to the attacks and the policies that have followed.

Below is General Bolduc and his Service Dog, Victor; pictured with Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs Founder & CEO, Carol Borden shortly after their pairing in 2018.

Our Connecticut supporters, lead by Dr. Rick McFarland came together this past weekend for Barks, Brews & BBQ. An annual event they’ve hosted over the past 3 years. The event was a huge success again this year, and three Guardian Angels Medical Service Dog Recipients were on-hand to tell guests the huge difference Service Dogs make in their lives.

Connecticut News 12 captured the story:

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

Recipient, Dustin & Service Dog, Spangle pose with the check from Penguins Foundation

Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs was honored to receive a $20,000 grant from the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation which was awarded at a ceremony on May 21, 2019.

Our Pittsburgh Regional Development Director, Jack Wagner was on hand, along with Guardian Angels’ Recipient Dustin and his Service Dog, Spangle to receive the check from Mr. Dave Soltesz, President of the Penguin Foundation.

Clearly, Super Service Dog, Spangle was very excited to see Guardian Angels receive the funds to train another amazing service dog, just like her!

Many thanks to PNC Bank for connecting us to the Penguins Foundation through their amazing Mutt Strut Events, coming up again this year in Pittsburgh, Erie and Dayton.

Mutt Strut Erie will be held at UPMC Park, Home of the Seawolves on August 10, 2019 from 10-1pm.

Mutt Strut Pittsburgh will be held at Frick Park on September 14, 2019 10-1pm.

Dayton will be held 10-2 in Eastwood Metro Park on October 19, 2019 from 10-2pm.

For information on the Mutt Strut events, please visit: www.MuttStrut4ServiceDogs.com

Here’s the full text from the press release, issued May 24, 2019:

Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs Awarded Grant from The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation

Jack Wagner from Guardian Angels, Recipient, Dustin & Service Dog, Spangle accept the grant funds from Mr. Dave Soletsz, President of the Penguin Foundation.

Pittsburgh, PA (Send2PressNewswire): Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs is proud to announce that on May 21, 2019, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation announced a grant award in the amount of $20,000 to our organization. Pittsburgh Regional Development Director for Guardian Angels, Jack Wagner, along with Recipient, Dustin and his Service Dog, Spangle were on hand to accept the check from Mr. Dave Soltesz, President of the Penguin Foundation.

These valuable funds will be put straight to work, to help us train a medical service dog for a deserving person in need, and to make a difference for those who are struggling with conditions such as: PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, Seizure disorders, Diabetic alert, and/or mobility issues.

Abbey Braddock, Manager of Foundation Programs for the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation stated: “We’re so proud to support such a wonderful organization”.

Asked about the grant award, Guardian Angels Founder & CEO, Carol Borden said: “On behalf of those we serve, I wish to extend my deepest appreciation to the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation for recognizing the tremendous need to take care of those with disabilities. Because of your generosity, we are able to provide long term care to another deserving recipient.”

Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc. is a 501(C)3 with a mission to rescue, raise, train and then donate the finest medical service dogs to veterans, first-responders, children  and other civilians who struggle with the effects of disabilities such as PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, seizure & diabetic disorders and mobility issues. Since 2010, we have donated nearly 300 individually trained, federally protected medical service dogs to those in need.  With up to 1,500 hours of training per dog, it is a long process, but worth every moment when you see the results of Unleashing the Power to Heal, and the life-saving, life-changing difference it makes for our recipients. For more information on our program, please visit our website at: MedicalServiceDogs.org

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