Donated labrador retriever puppy will be trained as service dog for a mid-valley veteran in need
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VETERANS NEWS MAGAZINE
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udging by her first major photo shoot, Scottie, an eight-week-old Labrador retriever, isn’t going to have a hard time adjusting to life in the spotlight as a service or emotional support dog for a mid-valley veteran. Although she seemed to enjoy being petted by a bunch of strangers, she also seemed right at home spreading out on the floor for a nap. Scottie is being donated to the local Link Up Vets program by Brad and Holly Christophersen. Holly’s brother, Sgt. 1st Class Scot Noss, a 1996 Lebanon High School graduate, suffered traumatic brain injury while serving as an Army Ranger in southern Afghanistan in 2007. Chistophersen said the project was conceived when she and her business partner Lisa Craig and friend Amy Hollingsworth were talking about sponsoring a community service project for Christmas. “We have a male Labrador and my friend contacted me about breeding him to her female,” Christophersen said. “Scottie is one of eight puppies from that.” The Christophersens’ male lab is named “Benning” after Ft. Benning, Georgia, where her brother received his military training. “We decided to donate Scottie to Link Up Vets and to raise some money to pay