Dear Friends-
I know I speak for all our recipients as well as those on our long waiting list, when I thank you for all you do and all you have given to support our mission. Because of you, after thirteen years, we continue to maintain a ZERO suicide rate and less than a 3% divorce rate. Many of the people who have come to us have had multiple suicide attempts but are no longer destined to be a statistic thanks to you providing their Guardian Angels medical service dog. Guardian Angels has many milestones to our credit, but this one will always remain the most important.
As the daughter of a disabled Korean War Veteran, now deceased, and the mother of a son permanently disabled after three tours of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, I totally understand the anguish and unparalleled difficulties in the lives of our veterans and others who suffer life-altering disabilities, as well as the impact on their families. Anyone who has witnessed the years of torment experienced by those with disabilities and then experienced the rapid and dramatic change that these service dogs bring to their lives knows that it is simply incredible.
Our service dogs impact their recipients even more deeply than you can imagine. I would like to share a small personal story showing the impact these dogs have even beyond their task work…
For years, my father’s service dog had assisted with his PTSD, Dementia, and balance challenges. My mother, my dad’s service dog, and I were all at his bedside as my father lay dying. He was no longer even aware we were there even though he was looking right at us – it was as if we were invisible, or he was seeing something completely different in his mind. Yet, in those last moments, his service dog nudged and licked his hand. Amazingly, my father responded to his service dog as he whispered his final words to tell him, “What a good boy you have been.”
After all the years of doing this work, in that moment, I realized what a service dog provided to a disabled person was even more profound than I ever imagined. This was a meaningful event I will never forget. This was a powerful message that the work we do and the role you play are far more significant than anything you could have ever imagined.
We receive hundreds of incredible stories of how our dogs complete, change, and even save lives every day, but this experience was a rare insight that went far deeper into how important these dogs are to their recipient.
Thank you so much for making such incredible moments possible. It is our sincere quest to bring these great dogs to even more deserving people, but we can only do that with your continued generous donations.
We get hundreds of inquiries a week from people who would be able to live a more normal life with a service dog to assist them. What a wonderful gift you could provide by giving your best donation today.
Extremely Grateful-
Carol Borden
CEO and Founder
P.S. – Together, we can unleash the power of hope.
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.
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