Operation HEEL

11/01/2025

DON'T MISS OUR LAST HORSE OWNER EDUCATION WEBINAR OF 2025! 📢

Join us next Wednesday, Nov. 5, for "Care and Management of the Elderly Equine".

Just like people, the needs of horses change as they continue to age. Members of the AAEP Horse Owner Education committee will present on a wide range of topics to help you properly care for the elderly equine in your life. Discussion points will include diet, dentistry, common diseases and illnesses, preventative care, and more. Do not miss this informative session on how to help your older horse live its best life!

Registration is FREE but required. A recording of the webinar will be available if you miss the live event.

Register here: https://events.zoom.us/ev/Ah5yOsCebSifxMhDsKU4IL28l58V2uXLCCZy2BJfr1cVGkPrhte-~AkTrbyktZL-X6LN0LpntEqMChUPte_sAlD_Vc22m-q6fZUf_K_Bby90XhQ

This informative session is brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee.

10/30/2025

True OR False:
Spending too much time with a puppy creates separation anxiety.

To find out the answer to this question AND to prevent symptoms of separation anxiety in your puppy, adolescent dog, and/or adult dog sign up for a class today 🙌

Go to www.opheel.com to sign up or for more information!

10/28/2025

Final group dog training classes for the year!

All classes start on Wednesday, November 12th, 2025

Puppy Classes (AKC S.T.A.R. testing available):
1 class per week for 6 weeks at 6:30pm
Sign Up Here:
https://calendly.com/operationheel/puppy-play-learn

Adolescent dog classes (AKC S.T.A.R. testing available):
1 class per week for 6 weeks at 5:30pm
Sign Up Here:
https://calendly.com/operationheel/young-dog-good-dog

New Dog Class (newly adopted dogs 5 months & older), includes (1) private lesson:
1 class per week for 4 weeks at 7:30pm
and 1 private lesson after completion of 4-week class
Sign Up Here:
https://calendly.com/operationheel/new-dog-good-dog-learning-bonding-class

10/28/2025

Great big thank you to Sheehy Express in Waterloo, WI, for bringing in soft ground to ensure our horses and human clients are comfortable and stay healthy 🤠

Support small business any way you can!

10/21/2025

Please share!!!

🚨 URGENT NEED: BARBERS! 🚨

​We are desperately looking for a few more licensed barbers to join Operation Fresh Start at our upcoming Stand Down Madison event!

​We are asking for help specifically on Saturday, October 25th, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

​We only have 3 barbers signed up so far and really need your help. A haircut is more than just a trim—it's about dignity, respect, and helping our veterans feel seen.

​If you are a barber who can volunteer during this time, please send us a message or sign up immediately!

​The final countdown is on! We are just 6 days away from the Stand Down Madison - Wayne D. Horner Memorial main event.

​We are anticipating 100 to 120 veterans coming through our doors for services, including haircuts, and we need your help to serve them all.

​To make this event run smoothly and ensure every veteran feels supported, we still need volunteers for key roles. Here are the most impactful ways you can contribute:

​1. ✂️ VOLUNTEER (All Roles)
Join us on-site at The Salvation Army of Dane County. Every hour you contribute makes a difference.
​Shifts Available:
​Friday, Oct 24th (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
​Saturday, Oct 25th (6:00 AM - 3:30 PM)
​Roles: Setup & teardown, welcome/buddies, clothing/gear distribution, runners & floaters.
​✅ Sign Up to Volunteer: [https://www.standdownmadison.org/volunteer]

​2. 🎁 SHOP OUR AMAZON WISH LIST
This is the most direct way to provide essential gear. Items are shipped directly to us for distribution. We still need 22 items!
​➡️ Shop Here: [https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/2T3N5T5N52HZ6]

​Thank you for supporting our local homeless and at-risk veterans!

10/13/2025

The American Holistic Nursing Association’s current magazine issue highlighted nurses around the country who work with therapy animals to support individuals in achieving health and wellness.

The story of our heavenly mare, Penny, and her confident, loving presence shared with our young clients to help them heal through animal-assisted therapy, was one of the stories featured and we are forever grateful for the opportunity 🙏

I chose to focus on ensuring the health and well-being of animals working in therapy through Penny’s story and the introduction of an animal welfare model as it is not easy work for animals (we, the health and human service providers, chose the animal, the time, the place, the reason for the visit).

Penny was a great teacher and her story continues to inspire me.

Thank you Serenity Horse Rescue Inc for saving Penny’s life as she has touched so many more lives, human and nonhuman animals ♥️

Thank you AHNA for deducating an entire issue to nurses working with therapy animals in practice!

Most of all, I hope I honored Penny’s story and could be a voice for so many other horses who might not have the chance to share a story of hope and support because of the slaughter horse pipeline that moves horses to unknown fates every. single. day…..

10/07/2025

Thoughts?

Brand launches "Cats as Therapy Project" benefiting Pet Partners to showcase the healing power of cats ST. LOUIS, Oct. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cat Chow believes that cats have a profound impact on our mental well-being, and in honor of World Mental Health Day on October 10, the brand is launching th...

10/01/2025

Jane was living proof that patient persistance is not passivity, but in fact one of the most powerful tools we have in the fight for this planet; for wildlife; for a peaceful coexistence. In a world where we are constantly reminded of suffering and struggle and loss, Jane embodied how we can sit with it, but without leaning back. How we can instead use it to propel us forward into action. She has shown us all how steady observance can be a form of resounding resistance.

It is because of Jane that we understand the importance of bearing witness, being a voice for the voiceless, and the refusal to let the world look away.

09/30/2025

Fall 2025 Group Dog Training Classes starting in 2 weeks on Tuesday evenings!

Puppy Classes (AKC S.T.A.R. testing available!)
6-Week class starts October 14th at 5:30pm
Sign Up Here:
https://calendly.com/operationheel/puppy-play-learn

Adolescent Dog Classes (AKC S.T.A.R. testing available)
6-Week class starts October 14th at 6:30pm
Sign Up Here:
https://calendly.com/operationheel/young-dog-good-dog

New Dog Classes (dogs 5months of age and older who were recently adopted)
4-Week Class & 1 private session starts October 14th at 7:30pm
Sign Up Here:
https://calendly.com/operationheel/new-dog-good-dog-learning-bonding-class

Our classes support all of the family members, human and canine :)

09/28/2025

Absolutely amazing 2-day conference ♥️

Motion impacts emotion in non-human animals, too!

09/27/2025

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!! OUR BIGGEST FUNDRAISING EVENT!!!

05/19/2025

Take a look at this sweet pup!!!