DSC_9825If you work long hard hours with your dog on jagged rocks or blistering pavement, you are going to need some quality boots.  We are pleased to share with you that we have received a donation of 15 pairs of these superb boots from the Ruffwear Company.   We have been promised photos of some of the recipients in the boots and will be sure to post them as soon as we receive them.

In the meantime, please check out these awesome boots at ruffwear.com  and be sure to stop by and voice your support for a great company giving back to America’s military working dogs.

Thank you Ruffwear!  We appreciate your donation and we know the handlers will appreciate it too, as they asked for you by name!

MWDTSA is proud to partner with OOIDA:  Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association – an association of truck drivers to help round up addresses for their fabulous care packages.  We generally send addresses of handlers who will be deployed for a year and who have additional dog handlers with whom they can share the generous contents of these great packages.

We were first connected with OOIDA via a Vietnam era Combat Tracker dog handler, Bill Casey, from Ohio.  Bill is a member of OOIDA   When Jeanne Dedrick joined the board, she and her husband were also members.  We love truck drivers and OOIDA as they are both a generous and patriotic group.

This organization took on the cause of dogs, in addition to supporting all troops.  Above is one of the care packages they put together to send to some of the kennels down range.

Below are packages received by some of the handlers.

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From the photos, we think the dogs would join OOIDA…. if they could only drive truck….darn those missing opposable thumbs…LOL

Thanks to OOIDA for sending this important support.  Please stop by their website and say thanks:  http://ooida.com/.  And, thanks, Adam for the great photos.

DSC_7749 aA huge thank you to Mariani Packing Company for their support in our 1st  Quarter Care Packages.

The Honey Bars were a huge hit with our deployed dog handlers.  When this shipment arrived and I opened them to have a look, I thought we had something really special

After the care packages were sent,  I received this personal note from one of the dog teams, who described the Honey Bars as, “Heaven in a Wrapper”, I was sure these bars were as wonderfully tasting as they were nutritious.  These are great options for anyone working, exercising and wanting a handy, nutritious snack.  Please be sure to stop by the website http://www.mariani.com/ to thank this sponsor and to order your own piece of Heaven.  : )   We always want to support and thank our sponsors.

Thanks, Loretta for your great note.  We always appreciate hearing for our wonderful dog teams.

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Thanks to our great friends at the Silver Slipper Casino in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, MWDTSA was able to include decks of playing cards in our last care packages.   What a great way for the dog handlers to pass the time  between missions.  Thanks, Silver Slipper!
We LOVE our donors and ask that you support them whenever you can.

We are saddened to report that a dog from Fort Stewart, GA, MWD Bak, was Killed in Action on Monday in Afghanistan. A young, energetic dog, Bak was ambushed by the insider attack that also took the lives of two American soldiers and two Afghani policemen.

The handler was wounded, but is expected to make a quick recovery. The photo above shows Bak with his trainer while learning the ropes. We do not have a photo of him with his handler at this time.

This one is so emotional for me because when I first heard the news of the attack, before details were released, I just felt that we were somehow connected. Sadly, I was correct. Bak and his handler were on MWDTSA’s list of teams being supported with Care Packages so all of our donors had a hand in supporting this team.

MWDTSA has offered our condolences and assistance to this kennel. Please keep them in your thoughts.

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Our friends at a Paterson, NJ elementary school partnered with us again for another round of great artwork and letters being sent out to handlers. These were done in the first week of February, but didn’t arrive quite in time to be sent with the 1st Quarter Care Packages so they are now being sent in honor of International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day, which happens to be today, February 23rd!

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They also sent some Old Mother Hubbard biscuits for the occasion!

I wish I had time and space to scan and share all of the cards and letters. It is really hard to select just a handful as they are all precious and all worthy of sharing.

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I was going to share these great photos on International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day, but because of a family illness and hospitalization, I missed it. Thanks to these great kids for their support and know that your biscuits are on their way!