Alex and Skip, John Ingram, Wendy and Baby Hope Diamond, Mayor Karl Dean and Melissa And Chauncey attend the Bark Business Breakfast
Veterans, Wendy Diamond, Taylor Kinney, and Veteran Justin Madore
Our star-studded Bark Business Tour to raise money for the K9s For Warriors Program has been a complete success! But even though we had a set goal at the beginning of our life-saving adventure, we realized that there are millions of veterans and dogs that need our help! We want to raise as much money as we possibly can in order to save the lives of both dogs and Veterans, and we won't stop spreading the word about this incredible program. With the time, effort, and resources of everyone that we reach, a major difference can be made. Our new goal is to continue the fight to save lives and raise money from an endless amount of supporters that we will make an effort to reach. Take a look at the fabulous celebrities and public figures that have supported us throughout our tour in cities across the country! Find out how you can join the life-saving celebs and other generous donators to help this important cause.
Every 65 Minutes a Veteran returning from service affected with PTSD commits suicide.
The Department of Veterans Affairs states that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affects nearly 30% all soldiers and 184 new cases are diagnosed daily. This is an alarming statistic, but studies prove dogs are very therapeutic, healing, and warriors with PTSD and military-related stresses and injuries greatly benefit.
The K9s for Warriors Program pulls dogs from shelters prior to being euthanized and trains them to meet Canine Good Citizen standards. Upon completion, they are paired with a Veteran with PTSD based upon the special needs of the Veteran and the special tasks the dog is most capable of performing. In this valiant effort, the program costs approximately $ 10,000 to graduate one Veteran/canine pair.
K9′s For Warriors' success is a triumph for the organization and Veterans. Duval commented, "The warriors arrive here broken on two legs and leave here recovered on six. They are able to do things that weren't possible before they received their service dog." She added, "These dogs provide more medical improvement for the warriors than all the drugs they have been prescribed."
Despite the VA agreeing with the therapeutic potential of service dogs for PTSD sufferers, the dogs aren't covered by any insurance plan. Fortunately, there are nonprofit organizations dedicated to providing canine service dogs to Veterans, such as K9s For Warriors!
Alicia Quarles and Wendy Diamond with Veterans
The countries biggest hearts joined Wendy Diamond and the Animal Fair Media team to honor the lives of Veterans that have selflessly protected our nation. Hosted By Best Selling Author and Animal Advocate Wendy Diamond, along with Glee's Jane Lynch, Raising Hope star Garret Dillahunt, Hallmark's Home & Family; Mark Steines, NBC's Chicago Fire cast-members; Taylor Kinney, Joe Minoso and (former U.S. Marine) David Eigenberg, NBC's Law and Order SVU's Danny Pino, Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints Sean Payton, Metropolitan Opera Singer Alyson Cambridge, E! Television's Alicia Quarles, Showtime's Homeland's Amy Hargreaves, and Fox News Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry. These are just a few celebrities and prominent public figures that support us, and you can too!
Jane Lynch's Date – Uncle Sam Cardiff!
Jane Lynch gleefully gushed about supporting the cause, "K9S for warriors is doing some wonderful work and I'm more than happy to lend my support. My dog makes me a better person, she takes care of me as much as I take care of her and I love her so deeply. And I think people become better people when they have pets. I know how important my dog has been to me and I can't imagine life without an animal, and so that's why I support these causes."
Sean Payton with Army Sergeant Chris Spikes and Seal
Head couch of the New Orleans Saints Sean Payton scored a touchdown when describing The Bark Business event supporting K9s For Warriors at the benefit, "Thanks to Wendy for introducing me and my foundation to this wonderful cause. Our Play It Forward foundation started years ago to help not only Louisiana, not only New Orleans but the Gulf south to help improve the lives of children with families and here was a chance to help veterans. The more we looked at this, it just made sense. Every once in awhile we get to come across a something like this to make a contribution."
(L-R) Danny Pino, Amy Hargreaves, Wendy Diamond, and Jack Hidary
Actor Danny Pino remarked, "It's a valuable cause. When you talk about what's happening around the country with soldiers coming back and sometimes not feeling support. To have an organization that actually is making a difference, I think people are really scratching their heads and trying to figure out how we can help as citizens and this is an organization that is actually taking steps to alleviate the problem. Alleviate the epidemic."
Baby Hope with Halo Pet Food
A big thanks to pet food company Halo, Purely for Pets, one of our major sponsors co-owned by Ellen DeGeneres. Halo knows that natural nutrition is imperative for service dogs (and all dogs) because it ensures a long, happy life with their parents, and are on board with supporting the K9s For Warriors Bark Breakfast Benefit Tour! They so generously donated 2,000 pounds of their fantastic dog food to the rescued service dogs for K9s For Warriors!
Another bark out goes to The fabulous Omni and Loews pet-friendly hotels, who are graciously providing the space for the Bark Business Breakfast!
American Express Open, another major sponsor has also partnered with us to empower and support Veteran small business owners!
Thanks to the generous support of the all communities and donors from all over the country, we were able to raise a grand total of $ 189,534 so far! Let's Roll Over And Continue to Get Down To Business Helping Veterans With PTSD & Rescued Service Dog. We would not be able to do this without you all! Let's keep up the amazing work and please continue to support however you can!!!
Our fundraiser is 100% transparent, 94 cents of every dollar will help a Veteran with PTSD receive a service dog from K9s For Warriors. Each benefactor will personally get a chance to follow each Veteran and service dog saved through social media. We hope you can donate $ 10, $ 50, $ 100, $ 500, $ 1,000 or sponsor a Veteran/Service Dog Team for $ 10,000 - any amount you can afford to help this foundation!
As a supporter of K9s for Warriors and the Bark Business, you will be granted the invaluable gift of saving a Veteran and a dog in your city. We hope you accept this invitation to get involved with this inspirational event and join us in this worthy endeavor by supporting an event that is vital for us all.
Guests at the Bark Business tour can buy tickets but also can create their own personal fundraiser to inspire friends, family and coworkers to support a Veteran and service dog. Proceeds raised from each individual city will directly benefit the warrior from that location – giving donors the power to decide exactly where their money goes and ability to support Veterans in their local community!
Fox News Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry, Marines Captain Jason and Axel and Wendy and Baby Hope Diamond
WE WILL NOT STOP FIGHTING, AND ANYONE CAN JOIN US! Any amount of time, effort, and money is greatly appreciated; no amount raised is too small.
BARK ABOUT IT – DONATE – VOLUNTEER – SHARE – GATHER YOUR TROOPS – TELL FRIENDS, CO- WORKERS & FAMILY! CREATE A FUNDRAISER!
Visit http://www.crowdrise.com/barkbusinesstour to get involved!
For the Best that Pet Lifestyle and Animal Welfare has to offer follow Wendy Diamond on Facebook, Twitter, and right here at AnimalFair.com!
Bark about it!
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