Kyle VFW exceeds fundraising goals in telethon for veterans service dogs

KYLE — Before the telethon even began on Friday, Aug. 18, the Kyle VFW Post 12058 had surpassed its original goal of sponsoring one dog through the United States Veterans Service Dog Organization. Nearly two days before the event — the first of its kind — the VFW raised enough to sponsor three dogs for $3,500 per dog.

As of Monday, Aug. 21, the 8-hour event, which streamed live on Facebook and YouTube, raised approximately $21,828.29, or enough to support the graduation of six dogs — exceeding its original goal.

According to VFW Quartermaster Steve Cook, the Post decided to host the fundraising event after attending a service dog graduation in Austin.

“It makes you cry when you see these service dogs united with the veterans,” Cook said, noting that the process of training a service dog is immense and requires funding. Not only does the puppy require intense training, but the veteran must also qualify and be the right match — a process that can take years. The wait, however, is worth it, said Cook, describing his own battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the daily symptoms that could be mitigated with the presence of a service dog.

“I shake a lot and I didn’t even know [I could have] that from PTSD,” he said. “The dog will notice that you’re shaking and nudge you. You go into a trance and the dog will keep you out of that process.”

Cook also described how service dogs will support their owners in a crowd by getting behind the veteran, pressing on their legs to “let you know someone’s got your back” — a simple, but essential act for veterans.

“Not every veteran has someone that’s got their back and it’s important for them to have that because we lose so many veterans to suicide,” he said. “To have a service dog that is loyal to you and is always there with you and says, ‘It’s going to be okay’ — that means everything.”

While attending the graduation in Austin, Cook said that the importance of this program was visible in the eyes of the veterans.

“You can see it: they were changed,” he said. “When you’re in combat, you had your buddy and you knew someone had your back, but to have a service dog just go behind you and put pressure on your legs, or when you’re shaking, to have that loyalty. That’s what’s important.”

While the Kyle VFW originally planned to sponsor just one dog, a single anonymous donation challenged it to sponsor nine veteran service dogs.

“It’s never been done before. We have people here that can put this program together. Hopefully, we will be able to teach other [organizations] how to do it. And you may see some of these service dogs here in Kyle eventually,” Cook said. “All veterans benefit from this program and we helped pilot this. You know, that’s amazing.”

Even though the event has passed, the Kyle VFW Post 12058 is still taking donations for veteran service dogs. If contributing by check, indicate “service dog” in the memo line. To donate online, visit the VFW’s website at post12058.org.

“It doesn’t matter if you donate $5, $10 or $1,000 — let’s get these nine service dogs graduated and get them to veterans here in January,” Cook said.