American Humane Association, U.S. War Dogs Association, And Red Bank Veterinary Hospital Announce Free Specialty Veterinary Care For All Returning Military Working Dogs And Contract Working Dogs

NEW YORK, Nov. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In honor of Veterans Day and in celebration of Military Hero Dogs, today American Humane Association, the U.S. War Dogs Association, and New Jersey's Red Bank Veterinary Hospital announced they will be providing free specialty veterinary care to all retiring military working dogs and contract working dogs. The announcement comes on the same day that American Humane Association, the first national humane organization, took to the streets of Manhattan with six recently reunited war dog teams to march in the 2014 America's Parade, highlighting the importance of military and contract working dogs to the nation's military and their heroic soldier handlers on the other end of the leash.

Each military working dog and contract working dog is estimated to save the lives of between 150-200 human soldiers by sniffing out deadly, hidden IEDs and weapons caches, which makes their involvement in military operations crucial. When off duty, these dogs provide comfort and a reminder of home to their fellow soldiers, who consider them to be more than dogs, but their fellow brothers and sisters in arms. Following their retirement from active duty, however, these dogs often face many medical problems, and while regulations stipulate that a system may be established for the medical care of retired working dogs, such regulations prohibit federal funding. Red Bank Veterinary Hospital will use its five hospitals across New Jersey and highly trained medical staff to provide first-rate specialty care for these dogs once retiring from military duty.

In July, American Humane Association addressed members of Congress and the media at a special briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington and issued a call to action for private industry to join forces with American Humane Association and U.S. War Dogs Association to create a veterinary care fund. Today's announcement provides for specialty veterinary care, which is often quite expensive for those families who adopt retired military and contract working dogs.  .

"At our Capitol Hill briefing in July we not only called on the Congress to ensure a safe ride home and happy retirement for all military working dogs and contract working dogs, but we also asked the private sector to step up and establish a veterinary care fund for these dogs after they come home," said American Humane Association President and CEO Dr. Robin Ganzert. "We and U.S. War Dogs Association are honored to see that the Red Bank Veterinary Hospital have answered our call to ensure a healthy retirement for these canine heroes."

"Dogs are as essential to the military as humans, but unlike humans, these dogs are not guaranteed medical care following their retirement," added Ron Aiello, President of the U.S. War Dogs Association. "We are pleased to work with American Humane Association and Red Bank Veterinary Hospital to provide essential, lifesaving veterinary care for these brave four-legged warriors."

"For more than 25 years, Red Bank Veterinary Hospital has been a leader in providing veterinary care to the animals of New Jersey, but we now want to be known as the leader in veterinary care for our veteran dogs," said Dr. Anthony DeCarlo, co-founder of Red Bank Veterinary Hospital. "American Humane Association and the U.S. War Dogs Association have done laudable work in helping to bring home these heroes and give them the recognition they deserve, and it is the least we can do to use our world-class team of veterinary professionals to provide whatever care the dogs may need."

For more information on American Humane Association's work with military dogs, please visit www.americanhumane.org. To learn more about the U.S. War Dogs Association, please visit www.uswardogs.org. And for more information about Red Bank Veterinary Hospital and where to find its five locations across New Jersey, please visit www.rbvh.net.   

About American Humane Association
American Humane Association is the country's first national humane organization and the only one dedicated to protecting both children and animals. Since 1877, American Humane Association has been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in protecting our most vulnerable from cruelty, abuse and neglect. Today we're also leading the way in understanding the human-animal bond and its role in therapy, medicine and society. American Humane Association reaches millions of people every day through groundbreaking research, education, training and services that span a wide network of organizations, agencies and businesses. You can help make a difference, too. Visit American Humane Association at www.americanhumane.org today.

About United States War Dogs Association
The United States War Dogs Association, Inc. is a nonprofit organization of Former and Current U.S. Military Dog Handlers and supporting members committed to supporting our Military Working Dogs and their Handlers, promoting the long history of the Military Working Dogs, establishing permanent War Dog Memorials, and educating the public about the invaluable service of these canines to our country. Our background in Military War Dog service and our dedication to honoring the memory of the service and sacrifice of the U.S. Military Working Dogs gives us a unique perspective that we can use to educate the public on the history of Military War Dogs.

Today, we not only support U.S. Military Working Dogs when they are on Active Duty and deployed around the world, but we continue to support these War Dog Heroes in their retirement years through our many programs.  For more information, visit us at: www.uswardogs.org.

About Red Bank Veterinary Hospital
Red Bank Veterinary Hospital was founded in 1986 and is part of the Red Bank Veterinary Hospital Healthcare Network which consists of 24-hour emergency, critical care, and specialty hospitals in Tinton Falls, Cherry Hill, Hillsborough, and Linwood, New Jersey, as well as the RBVH Center for Integrative Veterinary Medicine located in Red Bank, New Jersey. Network specialties include acupuncture, anesthesiology & pain management, behavior, cardiology, chiropractic, clinical nutrition, dentistry & oral surgery, dermatology & allergy, internal medicine, interventional radiology & endoscopy, neurology & neurosurgery, oncology (medical & radiation), ophthalmology, physical rehabilitation, sports medicine, and surgery (orthopedic & soft tissue). To learn more, visit Red Bank Veterinary Hospital at www.rbvh.net.

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SOURCE American Humane Association

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