All about Warrior Canine Connection

Thanks so much. It is time for Veterans Valor. This morning we're shining a light on the local organization Warrior Canine Connection. It uses the bond between humans and dogs to help veterans heal, reconnect, and improve their quality of life. And joining us now is Ricky Yont and Ambassador Dog Cooper. Rick, hi Cooper. Cooper's resting. Interesting. Ha, ha, ha. Super cute. Thank you so much for coming. Thanks for having me. Thank you for all that you're doing with your organization. He was standing just a few minutes ago, but now he's chillaxing, and that's quite all right. Tell us more, Rick, about your organization. Started it some 20 years ago, what you all do. Yeah, about 20 years ago, I tried an idea that I had at a VA hospital, and my idea was to have... Veterans who are in treatment for invisible wounds, PTSD, to invite them to learn how to help train service dogs for other veterans and make it a healing mission. And then in 2011, we founded Warrior Canine Connection here in Montgomery County, Maryland. We're a nonprofit that breeds, trains, and places service dogs for veterans and also, again, engages veterans in the actual training as a therapeutic modality. And you all do this, obviously, at no cost to the families involved. Yeah, our veterans have paid quite a cost. So we do not charge anything to the veterans. We provide services for dogs, too. Tell me about Cooper here, who's one of your ambassadors. He's the ambassador dog. Yeah, yeah. So years ago, we started this tradition of naming our dogs. Puppies after service members and veterans, with permission, of course. Cooper's our only dog, as you said, an ambassador dog, but he's actually named in memorial of a military working dog who was killed in action. So. So he's representing all those military working dogs. And again, we keep the names spoken and keep telling their stories, and that's why we name our pups after veterans and, of course, with Cooper. Tell me about some of the stories and maybe transformations you've seen with the veterans once they've worked with a dog and, you know, really pulled them into their own lives. Yeah, and I'm not going to say this is the magic pill for everything, but, boy, it sure seems pretty magical. Sometimes when nothing else works, the dogs work. And, you know, it's hard to pick one story, but I'll choose one. A SEAL that was getting treatment at a military hospital, FIFTH TIME, AND THE DOCS TOLD HIM HIS WIFE TO GET ASSISTED LIVING BECAUSE HE WASN'T. responding. He couldn't get a sentence out and wouldn't leave his room. And when we arrived with a young golden retriever and said, hey, chief, we could really use your help. And we started with just remember the dog's name. And when the dog looks at you, you have to say yes in this high pitch. So we're pulling out affect and the praise is important. But then having him within a couple of weeks, getting outside his room and walking through the hospital, practicing heels. And in six weeks, a trainer had him riding the medical center metro and having lunch with the dog, teaching the dog to accept the escalators and the metro and the crowds as part of the training. And you can see how veterans who are engaged in teaching the dog, hey, the world's a safe place and this is all good, they have to challenge those inner thoughts that this is a little stressful. Wow. It helps them literally lead the way back into living and society, even though they've gone through so much and certainly did a lot to protect and serve all of us here. I understand you all have this live puppy cam 24-7 that we can enjoy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Invite anybody to go under our website, Warrior Canine Connection, and tune into the puppy cams. Yeah, live puppies He's 24-7, just, you know, it's... It's very soothing and it can be addictive. So just a little caution. But yeah, it's a little virtual oxytocin fix for the day. Tune in to the Puppy Cam on Warrior Canine Connection. You know, Cooper has just made himself at home. He is knocked out, and we love to see it. He deserves his rest. And, Rick, thank you so much for all that you've done. Where can our viewers go to support the work? Yeah, please check out our website. Again, it's warriorcanineconnection.org. Please get involved in any way you can. We certainly need volunteer puppy raisers to take these pups in in about eight weeks. and we provide the pup and the Training and the vet care and the food, we just need your love, and it's a real important part of what we do. I'm going to show Cooper some love. Can I? Oh, yeah, yeah. Okay. There he is. See, that's what he was waiting on. Yeah, you don't have to ask him twice. That's my voice. Thank you so much for coming. Yeah, thank you. Thank you, Cooper. Thank you to you, too. Thanks. We appreciate it. All right, Jacqueline, over to you. Oh.