TRAINER SHANNON WALKER with Oso. Photo courtesy of FH Browne.
Northwest Battle Buddies, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Battle Ground and headed up by local Master Trainer Shannon Walker, has organized a fundraising dog walk for Sun., July 29 at the Gardner Plaza (1710 SW 9th Ave.) in Battle Ground.
People may walk their pets or walk by themselves; a dog area, with water and shelter will be provided.
Walker, an experienced dog trainer who has operated Man’s Best Friend for almost two decades, trains dogs to help combat veterans deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. With a long waiting list for dogs, Walker, who charges nothing for her services, is attempting to raise funds to purchase supplies, pay her trainers and otherwise help in her efforts to aid veterans.
Her plans are to provide 8-10 dogs a month to combat veterans but the cost of training each dog, which costs approximately $10,000 for each dog, is prohibitive for Battle Buddies to handle by themselves. The cost includes the 3-4 month training regimen, paying her staff, buying food and providing shots and medical attention for the animals.
The specially-trained service dogs serve as a constant companion that provide “support, security, love and loyalty” to the veterans. Most of the dogs are rescue dogs from local animal shelters that donate the dogs to her for this ambitious program.
The event will feature a 3K (1.8 miles) walk around The Gardner Center and several surrounding blocks, and is intended to both showcase and raise financial support for the program. Cost of the walk is $25 and includes a barbecue lunch provided by the Mill Creek Pub. There will also be various NW Battle Buddies dog scarves, buttons and other canine–related items, a canine demonstration by local law enforcement agencies, and several drawings for items donated for the event.
People can register at 9 a.m. on July 29 on-site while the actual walk begins at 10 a.m. If they wish, people can pre-register on the website: go to northwestbattlebuddies.org and click on EVENTS.
