By Monty E. Hutson, president/founder of For Veteran’s Sake Foundation
For Veteran’s Sake Foundation participated in its first DOGtoberfest event in Prescott, Arizona on October 1, 2023. Wow, what an event.
We rolled up in our bus named Ruger’s Ride. Spread out all over the grassy area was tent after tent of dog-related vendors that made treats, clothes, and leashes. There were rescue groups, trainers, and veterinarians. I believe there was a dog walk going on with Yavapai Humane Society.
On board our bus, we had our crew of service dogs that couldn’t wait to dismount and go see all the other dogs. They must have thought they were in heaven. We thought this was going to be a great day. With so many dogs walking their humans around, how could it be any different?
For Veteran’s Sake (FVS) was there to share what we do and how we provide services to Veterans and First Responders. Our mission is to help the veterans and first responders that are dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). FVS provides service dogs and PTSD coaching to help relieve many of the issues tied to PTSD.
One of the most effective ways to help is through a service dog. At FVS we do things a bit differently when it comes to the training of a service dog. Once we have a veteran/first responder interested in the program, we start asking questions to discover what kind of help we can provide for them.
If we can help, we start our search. For Veterans Sake is very proud to say that 98% of all the dogs we train are rescue dogs.
I said earlier that this was our first DOGtoberfest in Prescott. We heard about this event from one of the students in our program. Kevin is an Army veteran for whom we provided a service dog. Kevin not only is dealing with PTSD, but he also has seizures. We paired him with his dog Sachi, a black German Shepherd that stays by his side no matter what.
Kevin told us about DOGtoberfest, so we contacted Cherie Dreves, the event organizer and owner of Flagstaff Dog Magazine and Flagstaff-Sedona Dog Magazine. She explained what the event was about and how it worked. We were in, and we were excited to be there.
During the next couple of weeks, we were contacted by a veteran. He met us at another event in Prescott that we participated in the previous month.
The veteran made an appointment with us. We talked for over two hours about how the program works and answered any questions he had. From that point I talked with my wife, Carol, about the new veteran, and that we need to search for the perfect dog for Ahmed, the new veteran to the program.
Our first choice for potential service dogs is usually Yavapai Humane Society in Prescott. The people there are amazing and truly care for the animals that come through their doors.
We arrived and met a worker by the name of Brandon. I explained what we were looking for and what we do for veterans, and wouldn’t you know it, he was a veteran, too.
We walked through the kennels, and the first dog I saw was Hudson, a shepherd mix. He just sat there and looked at me. After a minute or two he placed his paw on the gate as if to shake my hand. I really liked him, but was looking for something else. I told Hudson that I’d be back.
As we walked further through the facility we came upon Twinkle-Toes, who was very shy and scared. Brandon brought her out to the area where I could evaluate her. She was indeed very shy, but curious.
I had Carol bring our dog, Ike, into the area where we were evaluating. Ike is trained to help me evaluate dogs, to test their behavior and reaction to other dogs. I really liked Twinkle-Toes and decided to take her home.
That night, we talked about Hudson and how much we liked him. The next day we went back to Yavapai Humane Society to get him and take him home.
One of our volunteers started working with Hudson, putting him through some drills, and he did great. The decision was made that Hudson would be the dog for Ahmed.
The big day came for DOGtoberfest, and we were ready and excited to be there. We told Cherie that we’d be presenting Hudson to Ahmed and would love for her to be part of it.
Ahmed showed up, and I handed him Hudson’s leash. I explained that I wanted him to walk around with Hudson to get used to each other. His eyes lit up and his smile was huge as they set off on their first adventure together.
Every time I saw them, they were both smiling. At one point they were sitting down together, and it looked like they were having a conversation. Hudson was playing his favorite game of, “How many times can I lick your face in one minute?”
The proudest moment we can experience here at FVS is seeing the expression on the face of a veteran who receives his service dog. That’s what happened at DOGtoberfest that day. We were able to share that moment with everyone there as we handed off Hudson as Ahmed’s official service-dog-in-training.
I thought it would be great if For Veteran’s Sake started a new tradition: let another veteran in the program present a new veteran’s dog to them. Kevin was the veteran who presented Hudson to Ahmed.
Ahmed’s training began that day, and it will continue for the next two years. He has so much to learn about himself and Hudson—whose name has been changed to Anubis! Their journey has begun, and new adventures await them.
In conclusion, we want to say that rescue dogs are real heroes, too. They go through so much, never understanding why they are in the position they’re in. They give so much love and attention, so please give them a chance. The payoff is much greater than the expense. Our motto is a life for a life!
Rescue dogs make some of the best service dogs ever. We salute them, and the volunteers that care for them. Thank you!
