Tampa resident, Bryan Foltz and his dog Dell, graduate from K9s For Warriors
After three weeks of training, US Army Specialist Bryan Foltz recently returned to his home in Tampa, Florida. Foltz and his dog Dell were members of K9s For Warriors June graduating class. The graduation took place June 18 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The graduation exercise honors and celebrates a critical step in recovery for veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disability (PTSD), and the rescue dogs who will now work as service dogs for the graduating veterans.
“Our Nation’s Hero’s return from combat and need help. We lose 22 veterans each and every day to suicide,” said Rory Diamond, Executive Director, at K9s For Warriors. “The K9s for Warriors training program not only provides our soldiers with a life-saving gift, but it is also an opportunity for peer to peer support with other servicemen and women who suffer from similar issues.”
Foltz has settled back in at home after completing our program and recently shared the following update, “With the help of my service animal Dell, along with my experience at K9s for Warriors, I am reestablishing the life that I felt was lost.”
The K9s For Warriors program has graduated 170 Warrior-Canine teams since Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida resident Shari Duval opened the non-profit in 2011. Duval learned first-hand about the struggles U.S. Military veterans face after her son returned home with PTSD following two tours in Iraq as a contractor. K9s For Warriors accepts active duty troops or veterans from every branch of the service and every state in the nation. The program also provides a new beginning for the dogs that become the lifelong partners of these veterans. All dogs within the program are rescues from animal shelters or are owner-surrendered directly to K9s For Warriors, then trained to be service dogs. Many of them were scheduled for euthanasia before being adopted for service into the K9s For Warriors Program.
If you would like to schedule an interview US Army Specialist Bryan Foltz or a K9s For Warriors representative or would like additional information, please contact Tahoma Guiry at [email protected], or call (904) 686-1956.
