WRAPPING UP ANOTHER YEAR.

Happy Holidays to one and all!.

Wow! Another year is wrapping up. One of my favorite things this time of the year is gathering  up the memories of places I’ve visited and people I’ve met along this exciting road I’m traveling.

 

 Christmas Eve 2012. I fixated on the weather channel and thought of other childhood Christmas Eves when I listened with anticipation for the clatter on the roof top to see what was the matter. No hint of peppermint candy or stockings hung with care flavored my excitement this night, only dread clogged in my head. Santa was riding   on the winds of a tornado that night but   missed our campground in Summerdale, Alabama by thirty miles, touching down in Mobile instead.

Whoever or whatever controlled the winds and tides, spared Sportster and me the tornado experience saving it for a future date, perhaps?  2013 arrived on well paved roads and blue skies.

I consumed over fifteen hundred hours of 2013 researching and writing my next book, Invisible Heroes. I began, gung ho, ready to interview vets with service dogs and post-traumatic stress disorders, never considering these obvious facts: Most veterans acquired a service dog because strangers are discomforting and strangers wanting to discuss their personal feelings and wartime experiences are the worst. And I knew nothing about the military. Up until now, perhaps like many Americans, I had not given much thought to our veterans. When the subject came up, of course I was grateful for their sacrifice, just not aware of how great.

No matter how difficult the task, those who know me will say, “Judy’s no quitter.” Like the winds of fate amazing people have led me along this path of discovery.

In the beginning, Luis Carlos Montalvan , author of, Until Tuesday, affected me like a funnel cloud.

 Luis swept me up into this intense, heart wrenching subject and fused my determination to bring to the public’s attention   to this tragedy that is killing over twenty veterans a day after they return home.

I initiated my research, spending hours at The Laundered Mutt and Training Center. The owners, Kat and Mike, allowed me access to   hours of training classes. They introduced me to Mario Borregos, a veteran who had just acquired his service dog, Sierra.

 

 So honored to meet them, my emotions choked me and I was speechless.

Traveling in Florida I met Kevin Crowell and his dog Bella at an Elks club in St. Augustine. Kevin, like Mario, was eager to spread the word about the benefits of a service dog. 

 

 

 

 

 Now a year later, as a team, Kevin & Bella pose at their graduation.

 

 Kevin received Bella through the phenomenal efforts of Shari Duval, president of the K9s For Warriors  in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

During my endless hours of research, I attended an open house for the Canine Companions For Independence  located in Oceanside, Ca. Everyone knows New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz . Koontz jumped away from his normal genre and wrote A Big Little Life the story of Trixie a dog from Canine Companions For Independence or CCI for short. Koontz has donated millions over the years to CCI. Above is a photo of Jeanne and Heather, a hearing dog and graduate of CCi.

My book, Invisible Heroes,   is nearing completion. As the publishing date approaches, like every author I know, my stomach clenches with doubts and insecurities. Whoever said writing was easy?


My “service cat” Sportster, soothes my nerves and pushes the laptop lid closed when he senses I need a break from my own mind.  Whatever winds and tides sweep through these final months of completion, Sportster and I weathered 2013 and we
will persevere.

We are a team.

 

 

 

 

DEAN KOONTZ SUPPORTS SERVICE DOGS FOR VETERANS

Sunday I visited the open house at Canine_Companions_for_Independence.

This non-profit organization claims to be  the first, the oldest and the best when it comes to raising, training and providing, companion, facility, and service dogs to those in need.  The grounds at  their Southwest regional facility in Oceanside, California are impressive. The entire facility was donated by the author, Dean Koontz,his wife, Gerda  and his dog, Trixie whom he acquired from the organization.http://www.deankoontz.com/trixie

I met Jeanne Glass and her hearing dog Heather. Jeanne and Heather graduated  eight months ago from the CCI  Santa Rosa facility that is the only CCI facility that has a  hearing dog program. What a great team they were.

Is "Smile for the camera," one of the forty commands these dogs learn?

The staff of volunteers whom I met were full of information as they greeted the visitors like me,  hosted tours, and handed out popcorn and snow cones.

It is not only veterans who receive these highly trained dogs who will complete close to twenty-four months of training. I met a facility dog named Tilly, who works with a speech therapist in a professional medical setting aiding children with autism and other problems of speech.

But CCI does cater to our disabled veterans. When a person is privileged to get a dog, they spend two weeks at the facility , for “Team Training,” in which the two learn to work as a team.

As you can see the accommodations are warm and inviting.

Here the recipients can relax and watch TV. A beautiful landscaped courtyard lies just outside.

The mess hall accommodates not only the recipients but their family members as well.

Two beds to a room. Note: Every pillow has the logo of a branch of  the service.

A large spacious indoor training area.

Grooming  space with two tubs, more than my commercial grooming shop at the Canine Beauty Salon here in Sun City, Ca. 

A place for the puppies to play. And, aaahhh, a real live bunny!

I want to be a service dog!! What an organization. The only draw back is because of CCI's dedication to training a quality dog, one that is dependable, loyal, and steady, there is a two to three year waiting list.

Thank you Canine Companions for Independence for opening up your doors and bringing awareness to the public. And thank you Dean Koontz, Gerda, Trixie and all the hundreds of volunteers that keep it open.

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JUDY HOWARD PUBLISHING