Listen to this articleBelow is our recent interview with Bernard Abellada, Executive vice president at Hounds and Heroes:
Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to your company?
A: Hounds And Heroes mission is “Dedicated to lifting the spirits & morale of our wounded veterans through rescue animals” Our main initiative is pairing shelter dogs with veterans and wounded warriors suffering with PTS, TBI and amputees. We also put on veteran equine retreats with horses we have rescued from slaughter.
Q: Any highlights on your recent announcement?
A: We’re very excited to expand our operations to this new program. With this new partnership with Marley’s Mutts ® Pawsitive Change Program we will be affecting many lives for the better. We will be rescuing dogs and working with the prison system who will provide select prisoners to help train those rescued animals to be service or support dogs for veterans that need them.
Q: Can you give us more insights into your offering?
A: Essentially we’re helping change 3 lives for the better. We’ll be rescuing an at risk dog and giving it a new lease on life. We’ll be giving the incarcerated a positive thing to look forward to as well as giving them a chance to nurture their own humanity by working and caring for the dogs they help train. Lastly we will help to enrich the lives of the veterans that we pair the service dog with.
Q: What can we expect from your company in next 6 months? What are your plans?
A: We will continue our mission but still working on buying land for a sanctuary, where we would have a full facility with kennels, horse stalls and areas for other rescue animals as well as a veterans center.
Q: What is the best thing about your company that people might not know about?
A: Not only do we do pair rescue animals with veterans…we also do bed and blanket drives at animal shelters, feed and cloth homeless veterans, send care packages out to our troops deployed, bring combat veterans to sporting events and visit veterans in Veteran Affairs hospitals. And lobby on Capitol Hill for animal welfare and veterans. Anything we can do to add a better for life for a veteran or animal.
