01/11/2026
Good chilly Sunday morning! Just wanting to pop on and share a little about us who we are and why we do what we do. I shared little last year but new year meaning another year and some new followers and supporters.
We are VERY small and still young(4 1/2 years) nonprofit who is currently being owned & ran by a wife and husband (veteran) who are extremely supportive of our veterans along with the amazing help of two very dedicated volunteer veterans Richard & Les. We are small because we want a personal relationship with the teams guiding them to success verse them being a number and quickly thrown thru program. Michele our founder and lead trainer is exteremly passionate about our veterans and pups and why this all is happening because she strongly believes in the impact these pups have on our veterans. As she says "its the best medication". Michele has been training Service dogs for veterans for almost 9 yrs now but has always had a passion for dogs and of course her veterans being she comes from a family of many veterans along with many veteran friends. Anyone who knows Michele knows her heart is much much bigger than what she's capable of giving and only wants the best for you. She's one of those that leave a impact on you! Anywho....
Our programs are FREE to our veterans. WHAT FREE? How is that possible your probably thinking. Well here how it's possible. We have a monthly donor who takes care of utilities and the facility going (Michele's husband works to support), Michele , Les and Richard volunteer their time to train with taking not a single penny from program as they believe in service dogs and get a filliment from the impact they are having on our veterans, we have dog company's sending donations or their like new returns or other items our teams may need for training while in program , many rescue shelters breeders and family's who donate pups that meet the requirements of what a service dog/battle buddy needs to succeed, a veterinarian who's so very dedicated to our teams, and many in the communities that help share post send wishlist items fundraisers or even drop off like new used items that we can use. If looking to help us on this journey and have a impact on our teams you can give us a call asking how to help or watch for wishlist Wednesday posts or check out our websit with ways to help. We truly appreciate everyone that supports us and the teams in some way.
To our shelters, rescues , breeders and families who want to donate pups please don't be offended if we say we are currently unable to take pups because we don't have a veteran . This comes with being so small and young still so please check back because we love your commitment and dedication in helping us. We do not have a housing facility to keep these pups nor does Michele believe in fosters as she's seen first hand thru another organization where they failed and never went to the veterans where they needed to go. If you need help with placement we will be more than glad to get you in touch with veterans so they can still go to veteran homes. Just reach out or it will be discussed when you call ask to talk to Michele
Our Battle Buddy program is intended for those veterans that currently work or not quite ready for the long commitment of a service dog but needing that well trained companion. We have them to go thru weekly 20 week obedience course to set them up for success with their battle buddy.
Our PTSD Service dog program is a little more intense being a weekly 14-16 month commitment where we train you to train our own pup that we match you with. We are here guiding you for success with your pup.We are very committed to the one on one training and the pup having high expectations before releasing as a service dog thru our program.
We also have our WINGMAN program which is a bring your own dog with certain criteria:
Must be younger than 18 months old,Be 50 lbs. or larger full grown,Have its basic manners of sit, down, stay, recall, loose leash,Spayed or neutered,
Letter of good bill of health from a veterinarian, including up-to-date vaccinations & rabies and monthly preventatives,No history of aggression, resource guarding or other undesirable behaviors
And Understand that NOT all breeds are cut out for service work and your dog may not be accepted based on this.
QUALIFICATION for our programs are:
Veteran of the united states armed forces (active service members and family members do not qualify)
Honorable / General discharged -DD214
Percentage rating letter
Letter from physician, counselor, or VA stating a Dog is beneficial to you and your everyday needs along with a PTSD Diagnoses
If you are a Michigan Veteran or know of a Michigan Veteran that can make weekly training please reach out so we can help :-)
Please know we train for PTSD service dogs only but if needing more we will recommend other facilities able to do more in depth.
Check out our website:https://sites.google.com/mission22servicedogs.org/m22sd/ways-to-help?fbclid=IwVERDUAPQjrFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR6tlI4QZjlrjziJ7d9jR9JYMnozo5pVZwZJe0btIDUClps9o7e7mA5zmnDXfw_aem_cKm99yEsL6eC8P6gVHZxsA
