Dog Tags Pairs Wounded Soldiers With Homeless Dogs To Get Them Ready For Adoption
By WILL THOMAS/myfoxdc
WASHINGTON - The Washington Humane Society is located just blocks away from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Northwest, so humane society officials had an idea to pair patients with dogs.
It is a program started in May 2008 called "Dog Tags" which gives soldiers an opportunity to work with dogs to train them to be better pets.
Lt. Bethany Shivers is among nine current volunteer dog trainers who are also receiving treatment at Walter Reed.
"It's great to not have to think about being sick, to not think about what was going on in theater and not to think about my platoon I left behind," Shivers said.
There are three tiers to the W.H.S.'s "Dog Tags" program and each one takes eight weeks to complete. So far, 35 service members have participated in the training.
On the Net:
http://www.washhumane.org/dogtags.asp
DOG TAGS brings together wounded Soldiers recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center with homeless dogs here at the Washington Humane Society. This innovative three-tiered program teaches Soldiers the basics of dog training, with a certificate based educational curriculum that gives them the opportunity to pursue a future career in the field of animal training, care, and welfare. In the process of gaining skills for themselves, the Soldiers provide the homeless animals with training, socialization, and love which increases their adoption rate and retention in their new homes.
Source: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/dog-tags-program-pairs-soldiers-with-dogs-052010
By WILL THOMAS/myfoxdc
WASHINGTON - The Washington Humane Society is located just blocks away from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Northwest, so humane society officials had an idea to pair patients with dogs.
It is a program started in May 2008 called "Dog Tags" which gives soldiers an opportunity to work with dogs to train them to be better pets.
Lt. Bethany Shivers is among nine current volunteer dog trainers who are also receiving treatment at Walter Reed.
"It's great to not have to think about being sick, to not think about what was going on in theater and not to think about my platoon I left behind," Shivers said.
There are three tiers to the W.H.S.'s "Dog Tags" program and each one takes eight weeks to complete. So far, 35 service members have participated in the training.
On the Net:
http://www.washhumane.org/dogtags.asp
DOG TAGS brings together wounded Soldiers recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center with homeless dogs here at the Washington Humane Society. This innovative three-tiered program teaches Soldiers the basics of dog training, with a certificate based educational curriculum that gives them the opportunity to pursue a future career in the field of animal training, care, and welfare. In the process of gaining skills for themselves, the Soldiers provide the homeless animals with training, socialization, and love which increases their adoption rate and retention in their new homes.
Source: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/dog-tags-program-pairs-soldiers-with-dogs-052010
