We are excited to share October’s nominations to our DoD Honor Guard! After a plea to military pet owners to nominate their DoD Boarders for their exceptional service, we received nearly 50 nominations! Reading all the testimonials reminds us how important DoD Boarders are to our mission’s success. We hope to be able to recognize all those nominated, but for now, our October nominees are below!
Selected volunteers recognized in the 2020 Dogs on Deployment Honor Guard:
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- will receive a $250.00 Tractor Supply Co. gift card, to be donated by TSC;
- will be recognized in Dogs on Deployment marketing communications, including this Military Tails Blog, the DoD newsletter, and social media;
- will receive a signed thank you card from Dogs on Deployment CEO, Alisa Johnson;
- will receive a certification of appreciation from Tractor Supply Co; and,
- will earn a badge on their DoD Boarder online profile.
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Category of DoD Boarder
Lauren Cowell & John Hurt
With Gratitude from Seth Reinhart, US Air Force
“Lauren and John have gone above and beyond being able to watch and take care of my dog Jax, along with their two other big dogs. Almost to the point of spoiling him more than if I was in the states. There were problems in the beginning with the other dogs, but that didn’t deter them. They understood things would happen and kept me informed through the good and the bad. From birthday package treats when the realized he was sick to hours just zooming around the park. Jax is at about 10 months into a 12 month board and I don’t think he would be happier anywhere else. I get regular updates, even if it is just him trying to be a tough pitbull staying awake after a day at the park. Lauren and John helped me in ways I can’t explain with a short notice year deployment and I hope they continue to help people as much as they have helped Jax and I.”
Seth is also being recognized as a DoD Honor Guard Pet Owner.
Jennifer Santel
With Gratitude from Caitlin Knowles, US Navy
“Jennifer has been a blessing for me. She has been there for me while I was called for duty whether it was short underways or longer deployments, no questions asked. She was always willing to take Bleu for me no matter the circumstances including last minute assignments. She made it easy to let bleu go knowing she would be loved and cared for during the entirety that I was gone. Bleu loved the family as well. She always came back a happy tired pup and couldn’t be more grateful to have welcomed her into our lives!”
Caitlin is also being recognized as a DoD Honor Guard Pet Owner.
Tara & Matt Dillon
With Gratitude from Jessica Mowery, National Guard
“I couldn’t have asked for a better boarder. They were available with short notice due to COVID changing the dates of my annual training. They were very sweet, trustworthy, and loved both of my girls like their own. I can’t stress enough how much that means to service members like myself to have someone like Tara & Matt to watch my dogs while I’m away, and to feel confident that they were well taken care of! I got pictures and videos every day, they were very communicative, and I just couldn’t have been happier. They definitely deserve this recognition!”
Jessica is also being recognized as a DoD Honor Guard Pet Owner.
Kammy Spear
With Gratitude from Alisha Vanderheyden, US Army
“Kammy went above and beyond for me and my fur babies while I was stationed in Korea this past year. I ended up having to find someone to watch my dog and my cat at the last minute because I ended up going through a divorce right before I was supposed to leave. Kammy was more than willing to step in; her generosity, patience and kindness with me and my animals could never be thanked enough. She took so much stress off of me during a difficult time. Kammy definitely deserves to be recognized for everything she did for us.”
Diana Wilson
With Gratitude from Travis Cummings, US Navy
“From day one, my boarder was perfect. She regularly sent me pictures while I was quarantined and later while I was out to see. If she could not text them to me, she would email them to me. She took amazing care of my puppy and even her family would send packages with toys just for my dog. She was sure to give her plenty of affection and was very active with her. They went to multiple parks and vacations. My boarder truly treated my dog as if she were one of her own. The think I remember and loved most was receiving emails from my boarder as though they were written to me from my dog. I was truly lucky in the boarder I found and because of how amazing she did I recommend this program to all service members with dogs.”
Travis is also being recognized as a DoD Honor Guard Pet Owner.
Tim & Kim Peppi-Kuenn
Tim & Kim were awarded the honor of DoD Honor Guard Member in August 2020. Read all their amazing testimonials from grateful owners here. However, boarding more than 35 pets, and continuously opening their doors to more military members, the support for them continues to pour in also. A latest note from the Lee family is below.
With Gratitude from the Lee Family
“I was in a serious pinch. I needed to find someone to watch after my dogs in 3 days and I was frantically calling and messaging anyone on the DoD site. Kim and Tim called me back that night and said that as long as the meet and great went well with their dogs and their other foster pups that they could take them in. At that time I believe they already had 5 or 6 other dogs in their home. They took in my babies and treated them like their own. Took care of getting them food and any quick vet visits. I never needed to worry about my pups. On top of all that they always make Facebook pages for their fosters so that us mommy’s and daddy’s can see all the new pictures of what they are up to. It’s so hard not having your animals with you but Kim and Tim make it so much easier. They really became more like family by the end.
If that isn’t enough every year they send out the offer to all their previous fosters to join them on their annual camping trip to the mountains. I could not think of anyone more deserving than Kim and Tim Keunn. They have been doing this for years and they almost always have between 5 to 9 dogs at any given time.”
Category of Military Member & Pet Owner
Cristy Harper
US Air Force member, Cristy Harper, turned to Dogs on Deployment for help boarding her dogs for her military commitments. During boarding, her dog, Boomer had to have emergency medical care. Dogs on Deployment recognizes the love and care Cristy has for her dogs by honoring her with the DoD Honor Guard Pet Owner designation.
Additional pet owners to receive a Tractor Supply Gift card as a part of the DoD Honor Guard for the month of October include those that nominated their DoD Boarders above:
- Seth Reinhart
- Caitlin Knowles
- Jessica Mowery
- Travis Cummings
Dogs on Deployment extends a very special thanks to Tractor Supply Co. (TCS). Read more about our incredible partnership in 2020 by clicking here.
Follow the DoD Honor Guard program with #dodhonorguard!
