The "How" of to support our K-9 Troops....

http://soldiersangels.org/k-9-support-team.html


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Soldiers-Angels-K-9-Team-OFFICIAL/162850740459334

Hello all...
So this week in particular I noticed that there was a lot of attention in general to Service K-9 Teams and the strong human/animal bond that these teams have for one another. With that said, I just wanted to write about the how one can go about in supporting our K-9 Teams that are deployed. So before anything, the first thing you need to do is go to the Soldiers Angels webpage (the link is above) and sign up to adopt a K-9 Team. Then once you have your soldiers information and get a email from the team leader explaining how things work, the fun begins. For more info or perhaps if you have questions beforehand you can email k9team@soldiersangels.org and they will get back to you. Or you can also find them/like them on their Facebook page too! (above is their link) So without further delay below is the how of to support our K-9 troops. Oh! and if there are any questions you can feel free to email me at  nency@msnewyorkus.com or just leave/ask me your question on the comment section below of this blog.. Ok,  Enjoy :)
Cheers,nency

First things first you'll need a box. You can get a "Free" box at the Post Office! These boxes are wonderful as they are free and there are three different sizes. You can stuff these boxes with as much as possible and still the weight does not affect the postage rate. The postage ranges for $5 dollars to $7 dollars. 

Once you have your box ready to go, the fun begins as you write a note of encouragement. If you like to draw that will work too! Today we used a card and also a drawing...

As we all know dogs love treats; being that these are working dogs choose treats that are more practical then "just for fun." This simply helps them stay focused on their job duties and in doing so out of harms way. In this case, my assistant, Little Miss. Sparkles chose some dental chews. For the human we chose the all time, all American favorite of Oreo Cookie treats to help keep the morale up for the handler. It goes both ways -happy dog/ happy  handler make one great, happy K-9 team!

One of the items that is most requested are doggie wipes of all kinds. Here we have some for the teeth and also for overall hygiene. It's not necessarily for the "beauty" that these items are requested but more so for the well being. Dental wipes help the dogs with keeping healthy teeth and also great for preventing infections that may occur from cuts/wounds. The bath wipes in general are great for everything from keeping the doggie clean and free of parasites, cleaning ears, wiping off dirt/pebbles that may irritate paws.. the list goes on an on on the different ways these pet wipes are useful...

Grooming...oh yes, this is definitely something that is requested but again not for the "beauty" reasons, simply for the practicality of it. Nail clippers.. have you ever had a broken nail that is painful or needs to be kept - well this happens to dogs too and nothing is worse then having a nail that "hurts" when your working. Sturdy combs help keep the overall doggie clean - remember these are dogs that are working in some of the most intense weather conditions (the desert is a prime example) and with that said, after a days work they tend to accumulate a lot of  "dirt/gunk" on themselves and their paws. 

Clean paws and staying hydrated are crucial for the overall health of a dog but especially for the working dog. Above you will see an example of a doggie water bottle. (This one above is for your visual reference as it belongs to my assistant. She was nice enough to let us take a picture so you can see what we were referring to) PawGuard, helps keep paws healthy and free of abrasions from a hard days work.

 Lastly, but not least.. something to keep the overall morale up for both K-9 and Handler. In this box we included some reading material and some Bubbles that will help in relaxing both on their downtime. 

The final step is having one last inspection that we got everything and all is good to go. I'm lucky that I have an assistant that gives me the last "Paw of Approval" so then we know for sure all is good. Below is my assistant hard at work...

              Looking over box for all safety       Inspecting box for all safety

    A lick on the nose signifies the box is safe. All treats are yummy and 

                           from one canine to another all is doggie approved.....