Coleman Natural Foods is honored to welcome the next class of veteran and service dog teams to the Pups4Patriots program that pairs veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injury with service dogs trained by American Humane.

The six pairs were matched and are making headway on training this year thanks to funding made possible by the generous commitment the company made in 2019. Last fall the company honored the first six graduates of the program and is looking forward to celebrating this next class when they finish their rigorous training.

Though training in public spaces – a critical part of the program – has been put on pause, the pairs are still conducting one-on-one training at a distance or virtually with their trainers.

“The resilience of these veterans, and their dogs is something unparalleled,” said Mel Coleman, Jr. “Despite additional challenges brought on by COVID-19, we are confident this group will excel in any environment.”

The veteran and service dog pairs include:

• Mike & Mark Jacob: Mike is a veteran of numerous United States military branches, including the Navy, Air Force, National Guard, and Army. Mike is paired with a lab/shepherd mix named Mark Jacob.
• Dean & Bama: Dean is a U.S. Army veteran. His dog is Bama, a male Goldendoodle. 
• Joey & Bugg: Joey is a U.S. Army veteran. He currently lives in Tennessee and is paired with Bugg, a female German Shepherd.
• Michael & Scout: Michael is a U.S. Air Force veteran. He lives in Tennessee and is paired with Scout, a male Labrador Retriever Mix.
• Jeremy & Ali: Jeremy is an U.S. Army veteran from Tennessee. Jeremy is paired with Ali, a female German Shepherd Mix.
• Joseph & Bellarosa: Joe is a U.S. Army veteran. He lives in Oklahoma and is paired with Bellarosa, a female German Shepherd.

For more information about Coleman Natural Foods, and their support of the Pups4Patriots program, visit www.ColemanNatural.com/Pups4Patriots

Source: Coleman Natural Foods