User:Mns60/sandbox

Early Career

She began her career working with the US army as an instructor at the MP K9 facility. She worked with the army for 9 years and eventually received certification as an Army Master Instructor of Canine Education as well as an American Kennel Club Certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator. From there she looked to other work and continued her career as an IT director for another 18 years. After looking to get away and return to citizen life, she started her own canine obedience school.

Operation Freedom Paws

In 2010, while she worked at her own canine obedience school, she received a phone call from a marine veteran who was looking to train his Rottweiler puppy to be a service dog. He had been waiting to receive one for over a year and decided to take matters into his own hands. This call inspired the establishment of Operation Freedom Paws (OFP). Founded in 2011, OFP is a nonprofit organization that matches shelter dogs with veterans, and works with the pair to train the dog to be the veterans service animal. Most veterans the nonprofit works with suffer from various brain maladies such as PTSD, anxiety, and traumatic brain injury, although they also work with many other issues veterans face such as a result of their work for the US such as mobility issues. The program offered to veterans is a 48 week long program that is provided to them free of charge on a 4.2-arce Canine Education Center in San Martin, CA.

Funding

As OFP is a nonprofit, and based on their ideals, their clients are able to receive the benefits of the program free of charge, but providing these services is still rather expensive.

References