3rd Wounded Warrior Receives His Service Dog

Carolina Canines for Service, Inc. is completing the third placement of a service dog with a wounded warrior. Joey Bozik, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom was severely injured in Iraq in October 2004 and is a triple amputee. Joey, a native of Wilmington, is receiving the third service dog trained in the Carolina Canines for Veterans program at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Joshua is trained to assist Joey with his many daily tasks.

BENEFITS OF A CAROLINA CANINES SERVICE DOG

• People with mobility limitations benefit from a service dog because the dog is trained to do different tasks, from helping individuals that use a wheelchair to assisting those who are still mobile but have stability issues
• People with disabilities gain freedom, independence and a sense of self because of the service dog
• Dogs best suited to assist people through service work are from the "working class" category, which include Labradors and Golden Retrievers, as well as mixes of these breeds
• Some tasks a service dog does for a person include: Retrieving dropped/distant objects, Pulling wheelchairs and loading wheelchairs into vehicles, Retrieving dropped/distant objects, Pulling wheelchairs and loading wheelchairs into vehicles, Opening doors and cabinets, Carrying items/packages, Rising to high counters, Physical support for mobility and transfers to/from wheelchairs, Physical assistance to recover from a fall, Dressing or undressing, Assisting with household tasks such as bed making and laundry
• Each person receives a service dog valued at $38,000

CAMP LEJEUNE TRAINING PROGRAM

• National pilot program developed by Carolina Canines and the Camp Lejeune Brig called “Carolina Canines for Veterans”
• Participating dogs have been rescued from local shelters
• Carolina Canines on site at the Brig 2 to 5 days a week
• Dog training cycle lasts 9 to 15 months
• Purposes: Assist in the rehabilitation of prisoners , Train and certify dogs for service
  Provide service dogs to wounded warriors with mobility limitations
• How it works: Brig staff and Prison Psychologist select primary and alternate handlers, Handlers chosen based on custody classification, sentence remaining, social worker recommendations, All training dogs are between 9 months and 2 years old, have come from shelters or rescues and are evaluated on temperament, aptitude to work and health before entering the program, Handlers and dogs are housed together in a dormitory and follow written procedures on everything from feeding to recreation
  

Individual contributors, Veterans organizations, corporate and civic groups, fundraisers and grants fund CCFS. For more information, call (866) 910-3647 or visit http://www.carolinacanines.org/.