Community Support Through Giving

Carolina Canines for Service depends on the generosity of individuals, groups and civic organization to support the programs that serve our community. Recently the Shallotte Masonic Lodge 727 held a fundraiser to support the Carolina Canines for Veterans program.

Harvard Holden presented Rick Hairston with a check for $1,585 which the Shallotte Masonic Lodge 727 raised by raffling a custom cane. These funds will assist a Veteran to receive their service dog and be used to help in the expenses of team training when a recipient is partnered with their dog.

There are many people who want to be involved can help. The greatest need remains for people to foster a service dog in training with in the Wilmington, NC or Myrtle Beach, SC programs. Our ability to provide quality trained service dogs to those that need them depends of the generosity and commitment of people in our communities.

Another way to help is to hold a fundraiser like Shallotte Masonic Lodge 727 did. There are many ideas for fundraisers from bake sales to home shows.

Carolina Canines for Service encourages third party events (i.e. golf outings, marathons, sales benefiting Carolina Canines, etc). As an event organizer, we ask that interested individuals provide all the elements needed to complete the event promotion. If you want our involvement in the event, then before an individual, company or organization proceeds with a special event or promotion to benefit the Carolina Canines, we do request the completion of a fundraising agreement be provided by the Carolina Canines. To receive a copy of the fundraising agreement, email us at information@carolinacanine.org

7th Wounded Veteran Receives His Service Dog

Cpt. Christopher Ayres, USMC, Retired was serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was injured at the first assault into Fallujah in April 2004 while conducting combat operations against enemy insurgents that killed the four U.S. contractors from Blackwater. The group was ambushed and sustained intense small-arms fire, light machine gun fire, and rocket fire. One of the rockets pierced the side of the vehicle and lodged in the engine compartment; right where the back half of his right leg just happened to be. Chris spent 75 days at Brooke Army Medical Center and left the hospital on a walker and forearm crutches. It took about 6 months for him to regain strength and learn to walk again.

Chris received service dog Titus, the seventh dog to be placed from the Carolina Canines for Veterans program. Titus came to Carolina Canines from Horry County Shelter in Myrtle Beach, SC and weighed a mere 46 pounds when he came to us. Titus is now a healthy 71 pounds and was trained by the prisoners at Camp Lejeune.

We'd like to thank Air Compassion for Veterans for providing air transportation for Chris and the Jameson Inn Wilmington for providing his hotel accommodations.

Chris and Titus arrived in Texas on November 22, 2009 and their first outing at home was to a Texans home game. If they can attend as event like a professional football game just one day out of team training, we think they are going to be a great team.