[Yucaipa, CA] , [November 23, 2014]: Sergeant Joseph Gerwing, an active duty Marine, will reunite with his dog on November 23rd after four months of separation due to military training requirements. Dogs on Deployment, a national non-profit organization, arranged boarding for Joseph’s family dog, Monk, during this challenging time.
While Joseph trains at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, his wife, Tessa has been staying with her parents in Texas. She suffers from partial paralysis, the result of a childhood stroke, and needs help caring for their new baby. Upon completing training, Joseph looks forward to traveling to Texas with Monk to reunite with Tessa and their baby girl, Billie Kate. The family will then travel together to their new permanent station at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Lucia and Jonathan Rapalayia, owners of Creekside Equestrian Center in Yucaipa, are the Dogs on Deployment volunteers currently boarding the Gerwing’s dog, Monk. Lucia is very involved in her community as a certified Canine Handler on the Riverside Task Force 6 and the San Bernardino County Sherriff’s Department Search Dog Team. She and her dog, Cruzer, respond for FEMA and are an Urban Search and Rescue resource.
Contact:
Sherry Garza
West Public Relations, Dogs on Deployment
[email protected]
