Niki Danforth
Ronnie Lake’s beloved German shepherd, Warrior, is a retired war dog. To learn more about these incredible heroes and why they are so critical in combat, start with this article on the history of war dogs in the U.S. military. https://militarybenefits.info/k9-veterans-day/ And if you scroll down after clicking this next link, there’s a terrific short video opposite the About Us section that looks at reunifying veterans and war dogs, supported by the Petco Foundation. https://missionk9rescue.org/ On a different, but personal note, I wish to again acknowledge Walter Sutton, senior training manager for The Seeing Eye, Inc., who generously shared his extensive knowledge of the German shepherd breed and gave of his time to help me write about the breed correctly. I am indebted to him. Walt is involved in such important work at The Seeing Eye in New Jersey. Please take a moment to learn more at this link. http://www.seeingeye.org/ Finally, New Jersey’s Jon Bon Jovi wrote a song for veterans that he recorded with a choir of vets at the famous Abbey Road studios for Prince Harry’s Invictus Games. The song and video are quite moving, and it’s true the song is all about the veterans, but around 4:20 the lyrics even reference service dogs. It seemed a terrific way to finish this page dedicated to the character of Warrior in my Ronnie Lake Series. Click this link and scroll down to the YouTube screen and the arrow to play: https://invictusgamesfoundation.org/bon-jovi-unbroken-featuring-the-invictus-games-choir/ Thanks, Niki