After years of developing and growing a veteran nonprofit that includes the incredible dog world, with the help of my support, I began to realize I wasn’t understanding the human aspect of my mission nearly enough.  Years of working with my dog trainers, understanding the canine, how they match, work, and reset became the easy part of the process.  Canine’s are extremely transparent and incredibly forthright. Their sole purpose is to please their humans. So, you can understand when I say, “they are the easy part of the mission.”

 

     Years of conversations with veterans, and now with law enforcement and first responders,  discussing post service or transitioning out of the service world, enabled me to see first hand into their active duty life that defined unthinkable experiences that most of us only see in movies.  These men and women spent sometimes decades in situations they left on the battlefield as if they never occurred.  Their scars and wounds are both emotional and physical. 

 

The statistics surrounding our service men and women are staggering.  Their experiences are overwhelmingly challenging to hear.  Today’s venues for discussion such as podcasts, have brought these situations to the forefront which is making it easier for them to tell their stories. After being introduced to several podcasts and taking in these interviews, it occurred to me, “I want to hear it all from my veterans, law enforcement and first responders.  I want to engage them in speaking their truth and kick-start their healing in the narrative form.”

 

I am blessed to bear witness to the transformation that occurs between handlers and their dog.  These breathtaking relationships open the endless possibilities of promise and purpose.  Now it is time for these men and women to share their stories, heal, and pay it forward.

-Patti Robinson CEO/Founder