Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs to Break Ground on Pennsylvania Campus

[PITTSBURGH, PA] – Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs has announced they are breaking ground on their Pennsylvania Campus. This campus will bring the organization’s mission to help those with permanent disabilities to the northeast region of the United States.

The new state-of-the-art campus will cover 102 acres, with one hundred acres in Washington County, McDonald, and two in Allegheny County. It will be located twenty minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, ten minutes from the airport, and run along the Montour Trail.

Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs is a 501(c)3 organization based in Williston, Florida. This organization was established in 2010 by Founder and Chief Executive Officer Carol Borden to rescue, raise, train, and donate service dogs to assist those with permanent disabilities, including PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, Seizure and Diabetic disorders, Mobility issues, and more. “Being here will enable us to serve more people throughout Pennsylvania and the northeastern region of the United States in many ways,” said Borden. Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs to Break Ground on Pennsylvania Campus

The new campus will include the Borden Institute of Higher Learning, where they will teach all animal-related careers. The campus will also feature training housing for recipients when they are introduced to and paired with their service dog, as well as the Borden Veterinary Teaching Hospital, where dogs in training and their paired teams will receive care. Borden said the hospital will eventually offer low-cost veterinary care to the community.

“After visiting Pittsburgh for nearly a decade, we have had the pleasure of meeting many incredible people in southwestern Pennsylvania and throughout the region who have embraced and supported our mission. It felt right to bring our first campus outside of Florida to this area,” said Borden.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be held Friday, November 10th at 11:30 a.m. at 900 Beagle Club Rd., McDonald, PA 15057. Guests should dress appropriately for the weather and wear suitable footwear for uneven ground. Light refreshments will be available.

The ceremony will feature the National Anthem, speeches from notable individuals, and a presentation of the colors by Butch Burke, President of Vietnam Veterans Inc. and Leader of the Color Guard, who have made donations to the campus. The ceremony will also feature an invocation by Brian Janssen, Pastor of Bethany Presbyterian Church, who, along with his congregation, has raised approximately $25,000 for the campus over the last five years.

Supporters from the community and politicians from various levels of government, including Nate Nevala, District Chief of Staff, on behalf of U.S. Congressman Guy Reschenthaler. Congressman Reschenthaler worked to help Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs acquire $3 million in Community Project Funding for the campus.

This event is open to the public. We ask that those who wish to attend, please RSVP by November 8th to Sylee Gibson at sgibson@medicalservicedogs.org or 352-529-7384.

To learn more about this event or how to support this project by purchasing a brick, sponsoring a building, or donating, visit the Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs website at medicalservicedogs.org.

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Carol Borden

The Founder and CEO of Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc., Carol Borden, titled her first dog at the age of ten. Mrs. Borden has logged nearly 60 years training dogs in multiple disciplines, from competition to training a dog for a movie, to training the #1 Service Dog in the US, which was the first service dog to ever become the Top American Dog Hero winning over all categories of working dogs in the United States. She started the non-profit Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs organization in 2010.

Mrs. Borden’s expertise and accomplishments are acknowledged by numerous national awards from various industries and agencies including the 2018 Corporate Pet Industry Woman of the Year and multiple awards for her organization’s work in mental health and suicide prevention.

She is frequently requested as a Keynote Speaker, and as an Industry Consultant to teach service dog laws to judicial systems, attorneys, and businesses, and to assist in service dog bills in multiple states that were passed into law. In 2020, she started an Institute for Higher Learning and the Borden Veterinary Hospital. Additionally, she has written and teaches college-accredited/VA-approved apprenticeship courses on dog training and service dog training.