So as we have already said before, our GRAND OPENING will be Friday March 25 at 4:00 at our office in Rio Rancho.

We will have food, provided by LENNY'S SUB SHOP in Rio Rancho, and live music, provided by RICHARD MARTIN - go check him out at www.richardmartinmusic.com

Also, we will have desserts provided by the City of Vision Civitan Club!  We are so excited!

DON'T FORGET!!!!!
We are going to be graduating our first veterans at the Grand Opening as well!

We are very excited, and looking forward to seeing you all there!

Long time, no blog!  So as many of you know, we have been going 1,000 mile an hour!  Since our last blog we have gotten an office space in Rio Rancho, NM on Southern Blvd.  We are thrilled to have a home base for meetings, volunteers and their training, workshops, therapy, etc! 
The first week was full of painting, spackling, repairs, cleaning, and roof leaks!  But we have come a long way since then, and are busier than ever!
We are also now in the process of planning our Grand Opening for March 25th, where we plan to have live music, snacks, merchandise, and will be featuring the graduation of our first veterans from the program!  I hope to see you all there!

Until next time.....

While we haven't been around but for 7 months - I am SO EXCITED to say that we FINALLY have our 501(c)(3) after only waiting less than 4 months! 

Things have been moving very fast, and they are about to go even faster!

If you haven't already, please sign up to receive our monthly email newsletter.  We will keep you up to date on what is new and exciting, events, progress, and so on. 

If you haven't already, take a look at our Holiday Honorary Donation Option on the homepage and consider making a donation in the name of someone very special to you.

Happy Holidays Everyone!! And thank you all for your amazing support!

Hi everyone,

Hi Everyone,

I am so excited to announce that we have two veterans and one active duty soldier enrolled in the program! Master Sergeant Justin Jordan in the Air Force with his bulldog Dallas, Ret. Sergeant Joshua Hamilton from the Army with his newly adopted dog Dyna, and Retired Sergeant Ramon Jaramillo from the Army with his Lab Taji.
In two weeks, Medically Retired Staff Sergeant Erin Hunt will be moving from Fort Hood, TX to live in Rio Rancho for 6 months while she trains a new service dog. 
We are so excited to have such amazing men and women amongst us in the program, and are proud to help those that we consider our nations heroes. 

Just this past Saturday, Jim, myself, Rick and Heather (the trainers) met up with one of our new enrollees, Josh, and went on the search for his dog.  By the end of the afternoon, (Jim began the day at about 8:30 am talking to shelters and scoping out the options) Josh met Sable, a female Pitbull who has spent multiple years in foster homes.  When they met it was truly love at first sight.
 She is now Dyna, (Josh is going to school to learn to build Harley Davidson bikes) his service dog in training.  She is just a sweetheart,  and the two together make a wonderful pair.  Today was his first group training class with Dina, and she did beautifully. 

So the last month has gone by sooo fast! We have gotten so much done in so little time, and I know I couldn't have done it without Jim, Ashley, Debbie, Stephanie, Rick and Heather!  Things have been so busy, that I am just now getting to writing a blog!
I am excited to say that we will be enrolling two veterans within the month to begin training!  We are so excited about getting them in the program, and will update you all regularly on their progress!
Jim is just returning tonight from a 5 day camping convention for Psychiatric Service Dog Handlers and their dogs, so I know he will have much to tell.  In the meantime, we have been filing all of our state and federal mumbo jumbo paperwork to continue the legal processes for the organization.  Everything has gone beautifully thus far, and I have to say that we never would have gotten so far without our amazing lawyer, Debbie Ramirez.  She is a GODSEND.  I have to say, to any other nonprofits that need legal work, she is your girl, email me and I would be happy to forward her your information!
While we have been getting a lot of "behind the scenes" things done, we are now having to begin focus on fundraising.  With more veterans coming in, money is in great need!  Spread the word and know that every penny helps.  We are also pursuing sore sponsors and will be establishing donation locations within the next couple weeks - keep a look out for the locations on our site.
I also want to extend another thank you to all the individuals who donated at the 2010 TGR and EWA event in Kerrville, TX this past July!  You all made such a difference just in that one night!!  We love our ranchers, and we love our Texans!
While I am saying thank you's, I MUST mention our beloved friend, Stephanie Barger. An amazing friend, supporter, and teacher of Religious Studies at UNM, she has given us so much in the form of information, help, an ear, contributions, and support, we cannot thank her enough!  Steph, you are awesome.
And, as many of you know, our trainers, Rick and Heather Dillender from A Fresh Perspective Dog Training, are not just our trainers for the program, but also dear friends and an enormous part of what we do.  For any of you who have worked with them our know them, you know just how amazing they are both as people and in what they do. 
I can't wait to see where we go from here, and Jim and I will continue to keep you abreast of our progress, our vets, and our events!  2010 is the beginning of a beautiful thing! Remember, you can friend or like us on Facebook, and also follow us on Twitter!
God Bless our dogs and our heroes!

-Lindsey Stanek

Hey everyone! I am so excited to start taking you all on this journey with me!  What better way to see what Paws and Stripes is all about than to see firsthand.  Keep your eyes peeled, I'll be making entries regularly and soon!
-Jim