It was a poker game for the dogs. And in this case, the cats too.
Friday night the Peppermill Resort and Casino hosted a Texas hold'em charity poker tournament to benefit a new program at the Nevada Humane Society. It's called G.I. Dogs and it aims to place companion cats and dogs to veterans who want one and service dogs to veterans who qualify for one at no cost to the veteran.
"As far as companion vets go, that's for vets from any year - I go way back as a veteran," G.I. Dogs program coordinator Mitch Schneider said. "You can get a free dog or cat and it's vaccinated, microchipped, spayed, neutered, they're going to get some starter supplies like food and the more the community supports the program the bigger it will be and the more we can do for these vets."
The hope is to start introducing pets to vets in the next month or two. Disabled veterans who qualify for service dogs can expect them to be trained and ready for service in the next four to six months.
"The VA staff was very clear that there's a real need for a program like this in the community," Schneider said. "There's no one doing it and we desperately needed something like it."
Schneider, a former dog trainer, is also working to start a vets-only training class for new owners.
"Right now we're looking for a space that's waiting to be rented that we could use," Schneider said.
In the meantime, he's grateful for all the support the new program has already received.
""I've talked to quite a few vets and they love the idea of the program, I've gotten a lot of interest from volunteers, and just a big 'thank you' to The Peppermill for putting on our inaugural fundraiser, they've always been a big supporter of the vets in our community and it's pretty cool," Schneider said.
The Nevada Humane Society reaced its goal of placing 1,200 pets over the holiday season.
"The goal was 1,200 animals and we were able to find 1,203 loving homes for the season, so it's always a big deal when we exceed that goal," NHS marketing manager Kimberly Chandler said. "We always have pets available for adoption, all different ages, sizes, personalities, pretty much you name it, we've got it. We're happy to work with people when they come into the shelter and find the pet best suited for their lifestyle."
Schneider says he's already received requests from veterans about the kinds of dogs they'd like to take home.
"So far the small dogs are winning," he said.
Source: http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/Poker_Tournament_Helps_New_Pets_for_Vets_Program_137337358.html
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