Thursday, February 19, 2009

VetDogs

I first heard about The VetDogs Project today on the Rachael Ray show from my favorite comedian Kathy Griffin!
The VetDogs project is a new program from the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc. Since its beginning in 1946, the Foundation has always served the needs of veterans, but it has done so as part of its overall mission to improve the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired.
In recent years, the Foundation has come to recognize that as veterans age, and as wounded Soldiers and Marines return home from Iraq, there would be a greater need for guide dogs and specialized service dogs to help them maintain mobility and independence. Thus VetDogs was born. They realized that it was important to reachout to disabled veterans and address these increased needs. By building cooperative relationships with the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and by forging strategic partnerships with other guide and service dog schools to widen the options and availability of services to the veteran, they were able to ensure that disabled veterans receive all the benefits they need to live in dignity and independence