4 minute read
Shelter to Soldier Announces Partnership
By Eva Stimson
What do you get when you are a dog who loves the beach but have sun-sensitive eyes, and an Engineer Dad and a Veterinarian Mom? A custom designed hat that protects your eyes from the sun!
PupLid®, a California-based small business with a mission to help dog families enhance the lives of their pets with their innovative dog hats has partnered with the non-profit organization, Shelter to Soldier (STS) to raise funds for post-9/11 veterans and rescued dogs supported by the STS psychiatric service program. PupLid has designed a special hat with a camouflage pattern (Camo PupLids) that shields the sun’s glare from dogs with sun-sensitive eyes. To commemorate their Camo launch, PupLid will give 20% of all proceeds from Camo PupLids and their matching Camo baseball caps for humans to STS through the month of April 2022.
Kathy Burnell, DVM, a veterinarian who sought a solution for her dog, Buddy, that loves the beach but has sun-sensitive eyes, co-founded PupLid in 2014 with her engineer husband, Tony Choi. When she could not find Buddy a stylish hat that fit well, Kathy and her husband Tony designed and made a trucker hat for him. Buddy’s hat worked so well, that they patented the design in 2018 and made six sizes to fit dogs of all shapes and sizes, from two to 100 hundred pounds. When PupLid created their Camo PupLids they wanted to utilize this product as a way to give back to U.S. veterans. Their familiarity with the exemplary work of Shelter to Soldier in Southern California and the large military community in San Diego, made supporting Shelter to Soldier their clear and very first choice. Kathy expresses her thoughts, “As a veterinarian, I’ve been so impressed with Shelter to Soldier, their dedication to their mission of ‘saving lives, two at a time’ [™] and their team. I feel fortunate that through PupLid, we can support Shelter to Soldier by raising awareness and funds for their amazing organization. Our PupLid team is truly inspired by their compassion and the veterans they support. We’re tremendously excited to announce this collaboration with Shelter to Soldier regarding the product launch of camouflage dog baseball caps with matching caps for people.”
The six-panel Camo PupLid baseball cap for dogs is the latest addition to the PupLid product line for dogs that prefer a more adventure-ready look. Like PupLid’s trucker hats for dogs, the camouflagepattern baseball caps feature a patent-pending “Furfect Fit” system for maximum comfort, stability, and adjustability. PupLid also offers matching human hats so that dogs and their humans can look mutually coordinated. (www.PupLid.com).
PupLid Co-Founders Kathy Burnell, their dog Buddy wearing a trucker hat and Tony Choi
Barley
Kathy elaborates, “We know that bright sunlight can cause discomfort for our eyes, so most of us wear sunglasses or a hat on sunny days to avoid squinting and eye damage. The same is true for dogs; light sensitivity is especially common in dogs with blue and light-colored eyes. A little shade can go a long way to make them [dogs] more comfortable outdoors. There are also many eye conditions where sun protection is important, including pannus (chronic superficial keratitis), iris atrophy and sun-induced cancers of the eyes, eyelids and pigment around the eyes. For dogs with shorter noses that are shaded by the bill [of the PupLid], this can also help protect the nose from sunburn and reduce the risk for sun-induced skin cancers on the nose.”
As with any new accessory for a pet, implementing positive reinforcement when introducing a dog to their PupLid is essential. An STS-PupLid instructional video link is provided at: www.tinyurl.com/STS-PupLid
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.
To learn more about veteran-support services provided by STS visit our website at www.sheltertosoldier.org call 760-870-5338
Join Us for Our THIRD Annual Golf Tournament
at Singing Hills Golf Resort.
The 18 Hole Willow Glen Championship
Course, with its dramatic scenery and elevation changes, is sure to provide the perfect backdrop for an exciting day of golf! Your participation will help us raise funds to adopt dogs, train them to become psychiatric service dogs, then place them with post 9/11 combat veterans with invisible wounds.
SheltertoSoldier.org | 760-870-5338
To learn more about our event, or to purchase tickets/reserve a foursome, please visit:
bit.ly/STSGolf3
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