Honoring Sy-WW II; NBCLA with Zuma & Galaxie; Kyle & Colonel w/ Rest Command, Stanley Pup with a Puck; Thank you Queens Masonic Association
This #DDay, we honor the men and women who served in World War II. We are proud to serve veterans from all eras - this is Sy's story, In September 1944, Sy Lederman and his unit – the 9th Armored Division – landed in Normandy. Very rapidly, they saw action; eventually the division was responsible for the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge (also called the Bridge to Remagen). For 10 days, the 9th Armored kept the bridge open, allowing Allied troops to move into the heart of Germany.
When he was in Belgium, Sy’s tank ran over an anti-tank mine. “My sergeant pulled me out. I was wounded, but he was killed” after a German soldier lobbed a grenade at them. “The field hospital patched me up,” he adds, and then he returned to combat. After the war in Europe ended, Lederman remained in Germany as part of the Occupation. He was discharged in 1948 and returned home to civilian life. In 1960, Sy was diagnosed with keratoconus, where the cornea gradually takes the shape of a cone. He later had six corneal transplants. Sy got his first guide dog from our sister organization, the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind 1963.
Yesterday we were happy to host an event on the West Coast to help bring awareness to the work we do for our veterans and first responders in need. The event was held at a home in Bel Air, California, with our CEO, John Miller, VetDogs team, Joe Worley and Galaxie, and NBC LA puppy with a purpose, Zuma, in attendance! Our guests gathered around the pool to hear stories from dog handlers and veterans. Joe stated, "Not only does Galaxie mitigate the physical disability that I have, he takes away a lot of the stress I have as well."
"During your times of trial & suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you" ~Footprints in the Sand~ We love this quote and photo that VetDogs team Shad & Spitfire.
five future guide dogs practicing obedience at Puppy Class! Our Puppy Raisers attend Puppy Classes to practice important skills together in public settings such as supermarkets, shopping malls, libraries, and just about any other spot you can assume the dog's future handler may visit. A very important aspect of Puppy Raising is providing the pup with positive socialization. Puppy Class is a way for pups to be socialized to other pups and to new environments, but is also a great opportunity for Puppy Raisers to learn and share experiences with each other!
Stanley Pup Sunny reporting for his last time on Today Show this morning in celebration of Game 4 of the #StanleyCup Finals. The segment featured highlights from his 10,000 mile journey across the country as the #StanleyPupCorrespondent but also how this experience has helped shape him into a wonderful guide dog!
Thank you to NBC Sports for believing in the Foundation's mission throughout this journey and for the very generous $5K donaton suprise on the show this morning! Sunny and the Foundation thank you for being such "PAW-tastic" partner!
Today we were happy to have members from the Queens Masonic Association come out to campus for a tour The group also generously donated 1K towards our cause to provide #guidedogs to those who are visually impaired.The photo shows them standing outside of our National Administrative Center with GDF team member, Jaime, and guide dog statue, Russ. One of our gorgeous Dogwood trees is blooming in the background, we love this time of year!
Kyle and his black Labrador service dog, Colonel, practicing "rest" together. Rest is one of the tasks we teach our dogs and their veteran handlers. When prompted, the dog lays their head across the lap of their handler to provide comfort in a private or public setting