Shelter to Soldier Team and Service Dogs Attend National Service Dog Conference to Expand Reach of Services for Southern

California Veterans

By: Kyrié Bloem, Cofounder, Shelter to Soldier

Women led and women strong, the Shelter to Soldier team of four dog trainers, along with four psychiatric service dogs in training, recently traveled across the United States to attend the Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans (ASDPMV) National Conference in Washington, D.C. Together, they attended classes on service dog legislation, training for veterans, donor and sponsor relations, and task training for psychiatric service dogs, among other topics. The conference featured roundtable discussions about various benchmarks in the service dogs for military veterans’ space, while providing the opportunity to network with over twenty different service dog organizations from around the US.

Shelter to Soldier Director of Training and Operations, Nicky Moore, shares, “The Shelter to Soldier team was honored to network with other organizations from around the country focused on the common goal of providing the highest standard of service dogs to our veterans. The collective knowledge shared amongst so many passionate individuals will surely prove to be invaluable in the mission to save more veterans and dogs.”

Graham Bloem, Cofounder and President, believes continued education “keeps our team and our program at the forefront of our industry, allowing us to continue to make the deepest impact in the lives of the veterans and dogs we are committed to support.”

For the dogs, it was an early ‘Dog Days of Summer’ vacation, with roundtrip flights from San Diego International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport over the course of four days. Beyond gaining the valuable flight experience that will prepare them for service dog life with their veteran recipients, service dogs Dante - sponsored by The Boeing Company, and Murphy – sponsored by UNITE Hair, Libby – sponsored by Karen and Jeff Shabel, and Oliver – sponsored by the David C. Copley Foundation, had the opportunity to encounter many new friends along their journey. Their tails wagging, confident demeanors and obedient behavior prompted many smiles from fellow passengers and travelers.

Sponsored by donors Karen and Jeff Shabel, dog lovers and philanthropists, and inspired by the Shelter to Soldier training team’s commitment to continued education, the voyage to Washington D. C. was equally a successful human training course and a successful public access training week master class. The four Shelter to Soldier service dog candidates attended daily conference classes tucked politely under their trainer’s chairs. After a day of learning, they took to the town in their service dog booties (shoes), visiting the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, The White House, and World War II Memorial. The dogs gained the support of worldwide travelers and inspired many veterans and service members to seek help during their time of need. The mission of “Saving Lives, Two at a Time” was modeled by our four-legged recruits who themselves have troubled pasts, at times touched by trauma, and who have been granted a greater purpose and brighter futures ahead after their adoption into the Shelter to Soldier program. Their own commitment to training, growth, and service a testament to their impact.

Shelter to Soldier is a CA 501c3 nonprofit organization that adopts dogs from local shelters and rescue organizations and trains them to become psychiatric service dogs for post-9/11 veterans suffering from PostTraumatic Stress (PTS), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and/or Military Sexual Trauma (MST). The program also places emotional support animals (ESAs) with active-duty military and veterans, and deploys the Shelter to Soldier Canine Ambassadors, a team of therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers to provide visits of love and comfort to local military, veterans, and their families. Veterans are provided service dogs through the Shelter to Soldier program free of charge thanks to the support of the community, individual donations and grants that make a life-saving difference for those served by the mission. Shelter to Soldier is pending accreditation with ASDPMV. https://www.sheltertosoldier.org.

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To learn more about veteran-support services provided by STS, call 760-870-5338 or email veteranservices@sheltertosoldier.org for a confidential interview regarding eligibility.