New kennels, station dog unveiled
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MARTIN COUNTY - The Koch Family Kennels and new station dog, Kolbe, brought in collaboration with K9s for Warriors, were unveiled in a public ceremony at the Bravo Zulu House on Friday morning.
Kolbe will work with the veterans living at Bravo Zulu House, a sober living facility for veterans managing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Opening the ceremony was Major General Maureen Banavige, who serves as a board member for the Bravo Zulu House. As the fields are prepared for harvest, Banavige said there is a different kind of harvest happening at Bravo Zulu House.
"After the hard work, dedication and generosity of so many people here and elsewhere, we get to ribbon cut on our new Koch Family Kennel facility," she said.
In introducing K9s for Warriors CEO Dan Bean, Banavige spoke about the program and service dog, Kolbe, that will be coming.
"It's an incredibly rigorous program to have a dog go all the way from a beautiful puppy to pass all the medical, temperament and training checks all the way through to become a service dog," she said. "We are blessed to have Kolbe as a station dog, where they will live here and provide great therapy dog services and all around love for our veterans that live here."
Starting his section of the event, Bean said Bravo Zulu House Servant Leader Tim Murray is a lot like K9s for Warriors Founder Shari Duval was.
"Shari Duval came to me in 2010, told me what she was going to do," Bean said. "She told me I was going to help her, and I did. Tim came to me a year ago, told me what we were going to do, and we’re doing that. You have an incredibly strong leader, and you have a great board."
For some background, Bean said K9s for Warriors is the nation's largest provider of service dogs to veterans with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, or military sexual trauma.
"Shari started it in a two-story single garage home in 2011 with a class of eight," he said. "As we approach 1,400 lives saved, and at the other end of the leash, 2,500 dogs rescued, we primarily rescue the dogs and rescue the warrior, and that’s why we save lives at both ends of the leash."
To have a place like this for veterans, Bean said it saves lives.
"These folks have tried everything, and they really are at the end of their leash," he said. "They’ve come to us, and they come here. PTSD is just absolutely evil, and it really deteriorates the human mind. They need something like this service dog to help them with unconditional love and help bring them back and activate their brain again."
To see groups band together to make projects like Bravo Zulu House possible, Bean said they need more people like those who made this program possible.
"Helping folks that deserve our help, and they know how to do it, we need more," he said.
David Koch spoke on behalf of the Koch Family. He said his father served in the Navy, and Koch said his father talked about amazing life skills and discipline. When the Koch Family found out about this opportunity, David said it was a perfect fit for them.
"It couldn’t have been more magical," he said. "Just the right time, the way we could appreciate service members, show support and at the same time, with K9s for Warriors, help provide them with a wonderful companion to be together with. We’re honored we could help out."
During the event, Board Vice-Chair Holly Callen also gave an update on the Bravo Zulu House women's house project. She said they have a property picked out in Mankato and will officially close on it on Wednesday.
After a ribbon-cutting by the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce officially recognizing the kennels and new station dog, Murray finished the event with a prayer that he said was Colonel Father Martin Fleming's favorite. Fleming was the man who helped Murray achieve his sobriety.
"If all God’s gifts were borne away and it were mine to choose, I would choose the gift I love the most, the gift of gratitude," Murray said. "Dear God, thanks for bringing us together today to bless this wonderful ministry, to live and laugh as others do. But most of all, we’re grateful for the gift of sobriety and you."