July 6, 2020

This week’s one hour radio broadcast with host Dale Throneberry features 2 non-profit organizations, America’s VetDogs and Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, and a personal story from our regular contributor Kate Melcher.

U.S. Navy Corpsman Joe Worley, America’s VetDogs, and Mary Lamparter Advisory Council Member, Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, are this week’s special guests.

Kate and Cat

Here we see Fisher House Michigan Board Member Dick Schmidt receive a commemorative plaque at the VA Ann Arbor Fisher House, from FHM Executive Director Kate Melcher, in honor of his fallen comrades from the Vietnam War.

Kate’s service dog, Cat, is a 4 year old Guardian Angel Medical Service Dog, a German Shepard, trained specifically to meet the needs of a veteran with Kate Melcher’s medical profile.

Guardian Angel Medical Service Dog is a non-profit organization that has been rescuing, raising, and training the highest caliber service dogs since 2010, with the goal of pairing them with deserving recipients, in order to mitigate their medical needs.

Medical Service Dogs

Guardian Angels began in 2009, when our Founder & Executive Director, Carol Borden was approached by Sam, a young man tragically paralyzed in a high school football accident. Sam required the constant aid of a caregiver, and had acquired a young German Shepherd named Bessie for companionship and a sense of independence, but quickly lost control of the dog. Carol, long known in Florida as an expert dog trainer, who’d been training dogs for nearly 50 years, was asked by Sam to train the dog. After what seemed like endless hours of training, there emerged this amazing service dog that was settled, obedient and able to give this man his life back. She now had the skills to pick up dropped items, open and close doors, bring him water from the refrigerator; help him move from his chair to the shower and so much more.

Watching Sam & Bessie function as a true team after the months of training brought everything into perspective for Carol, and at last she knew just what her years of dog-training and Business experience were for, and Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs was born.

Since that first successful pairing, Guardian Angels is very proud to have donated more than 300 wonderful service dogs with deserving veterans and others in need. Guardian Angels trains for a variety of conditions, from mitigation of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and/or Traumatic Brain Injury symptoms, to seizure or insulin alerting, to mobility issues and more.

Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs is funded entirely by donation and private grant support.

For more information and to learn how to support this organization: www.medicalservicedogs.org.

America’s VetDogs

Service Dogs for First Responders and Veterans

The service dog programs of America’s VetDogs were created to provide enhanced mobility and renewed independence to veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders with disabilities, allowing them to once again live with pride and self-reliance.  America’s VetDogs specializes placing highly-skilled service and guide dogs to individuals with physical injuries, PTSD, hearing and vision loss, and seizures.

Our mission is to help those who have served our country honorably live with dignity and independence.  All services are provided at no cost — including transportation to and from our campus in Smithtown, New York, instruction, and more.   

For more information and to learn how to support this organization: www.vetdogs.org

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