Paws of War Celebrates National Dog Day by Giving Military Working Dog The Retirement He Deserves Driving Him Cross Country To His Handler
NESCONSET, New York – (August 22, 2024) –National Dog Day is August 26, 2024, making it a great day to put these best friends in the spotlight. Paws of War will do just that as they reunite a medically retired military working (MWD) dog named Don with the Navy Sailor He served with so he can live out his well deserved retirement with his best friend, where he will live out the rest of his life. The event will be held at 11 am on August 26th in Selma, California, where MWD Don will be united with his former handler U.S. Navy Master at Arms Carlos Aranda.
“We are honored to be a part of this, helping Don to have a great place to live out his retirement,” says Robert Misseri, co-founder of Paws of War. “He has served our Navy well and deserves a great home to retire to.”
MDW Don will be with someone he has worked for in the past in the Navy. It's been a year since they saw each other, but they spent years active duty time working together. MDW Don will be picked up from his last handler, Master at Arms Vincent Ramirez, at the Naval Station Norfolk, and the Paws of War team of Niki Dawson and U.S. Navy veteran Angelique Williams will transport him across the country for the reunion.
Following a leg injury while on duty, Don was forced into medical retirement last month leaving him no place to go. Despite healing, he can no longer perform his job, which led to his retirement when he continued to struggle, and an x-ray showed he had a deformity on his leg. During his time as a military working dog, MDW Don performed thousands of sweeps, including some for the United States Secret Service as part of the security detail for the President of the United States. Teamed up with MA Aranda, MDW Don helped provide antiterrorism protection.
Taking care of a retired military working dog comes with a heavy expense due to the medical bills and ongoing care they need. Paws of War provides this at no cost to the sailor through the MWD Mission Well Done program. When MA Aranda reached out to Paws of War for help getting MDW Don across the country to be with him, the group jumped to help with this special reunion mission and offered to pay for all his veterinary bills for the rest of his life.
“MWD Don made going to work very easy and was always the highlight of my day,” said MA Aranda. “I just want to repay him the favor and give him the retirement he has earned, full of love and affection. I'm grateful to Paws of War for their help reuniting us and helping to cover the ongoing expenses. This was something I always worried about, but I owe it to Don.”
MWD Don was assigned to MA Aranda when he first entered the military working dog program, and the two hit it off, and they have been inseparable since. To get more information and help support the reunion mission and Don's lifetime veterinary care, visit the site at: https://pawsofwar.org/?form=MWD-Don
Paws of War also focuses on giving back to veterans in various ways. They have helped veterans with numerous issues, including suicide prevention, service and support dogs, companion cats and dogs, food insecurity, veterinary care, etc. Paws of War has a large loyal following of supporters and looks forward to working with new corporate sponsors to support these life-saving programs. To donate to help their mission, visit its site at http://pawsofwar.org.
About Paws of War
Paws of War is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization that assists military members and their pets, rescues and trains dogs to be service dogs, and provides companion animals to veterans and first responders. To learn more about Paws of War and the programs provided or donate, visit its site at http://pawsofwar.org.
