Shelter To Soldier Have Common Goal

Animal Care Staff at Shelter to Soldier Share Common Goal to Help Veterans and Shelter Dogs in Need “Saving Lives, Two at a Time”

Sydeny Frye with (L to R) Paisley, Jax and Presley

Shelter to Soldier (STS), a California nonprofit organization, is equally committed to animal welfare as it is to veterans’ mental health and suicide prevention. Currently, the STS psychiatric service dog training program houses, cares for and trains twentysix dog trainees, all originally from local shelters and rescue organizations throughout Southern California, and each on a 12-18 month trajectory to learn the tasks needed to one day support a post-9/11 combat veteran in need. The STS Animal Care Team includes eleven Animal Care staff members who are dedicated to around-the-clock feeding, grooming, potty breaks, stall cleaning, behavior and the overall health and wellness of every STS psychiatric service dog in training. Their ultimate goal is to provide balanced, healthy, fully trained psychiatric service dogs at no charge to veterans who have given a tremendous amount to our country.

Shelter to Soldier Kennel Supervisor Cassie Bostrom is motivated to help the veteran community and is inspired by family members who were enlisted over the years in the military. She manages the STS Animal Care Team in the daily duties to monitor each dog at the STS facility through their training program to prepare them to be matched with a US veteran seeking help through the STS program. Cassie remarks, “I think seeing the difference from when the dogs first arrive at our facility and when they leave

with their veteran match is very tangible…it’s so gratifying to see both the veterans and dogs bond together to help heal their respective hearts. This lifelong bond is a genuine testament to the power of the STS program.”

Dogs in the STS program are enlisted in a rigorous and equally stimulating, interactive training schedule, which includes: weekly health assessments (along with a designated medical isolation ward for dogs recovering from medial procedures and initial isolation period of dogs following adoption); daily exercise with playtime, treadmill and walks; daily enrichment doggie treat puzzles and kongs filled with peanut butter, elk antlers and digestible chew bones. According to Nicky Moore, Shelter to Soldier Director of Training and Operations, “Animal care is truly the most important part of what we do on a day-to-day basis at STS. When we adopt dogs from local shelters and rescues, our facility becomes their home for the next 12 to 18 months, and the staff becomes their family. We do not take that responsibility lightly…the health and wellness of our dogs is our top priority, as it has a direct impact on their overall success in our program. Our team cares for each dog as if they were his or her own. In addition, we have two amazing veterinary partnerships in the community to provide the best routine veterinary care for our dogs, which are Neighborhood Veterinary Hospital and Carmel Mountain Ranch Veterinary Hospital.”

According to STS Animal Care team member and Coast Guard Veteran, Cameron Kennedy, “Taking care of the STS dogs means so much to me. The dogs are a lot like me…they are away from home and when I care for them, I feel like I am giving them back a piece of their home.” Lead Animal Care Attendant, Lauren Scarbrough further elaborates on the impact of STS, “Animal care is a vital part of the STS program, and the passion of our entire Animal Care Team, as we are the sole caretakers for the dogs before they go to their forever homes with their veterans. Combined with all of their training, they receive so much love and excellent care from our Animal Care Attendants and in doing so, we form a strong, lasting bond with all of the STS dogs, and the STS mission as a whole.”

Everyday, 20 US veterans on average commit suicide and approximately 1,800 dogs are euthanized. These staggering statistics inspire the entire STS team to do all they can do to support those served by the Shelter to Soldier program, both canine and human. Kyrie’ Bloem, Vice President of Shelter to Soldier explains, “Each service dog/veteran team costs our program an average of $15,000 from the time of the dog’s adoption to the day of the service dog/veteran’s graduation. We are eagerly seeking fundraising options to help us increase the number of veterans and rescue dogs we can help.”

Shelter to Soldier is a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that adopts dogs from local shelters and trains them to become psychiatric service dogs for post-9/11 combat veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress (PTS), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and/or other psychological injuries. The program also places Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) with active duty military and veterans, and deploys their Shelter to Soldier Canine Ambassadors, a team of therapy dogs, to provide visits of love and comfort to active duty military, veterans and their families as well as community partners throughout Southern California. www.sheltertosoldier.org.

To learn more about veteran-support services provided by STS, call 760-870-5338 for a confidential interview regarding eligibility.

Andres Orozco with STS dog-in-training Barny

Lauren Scarbrough with Myla