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November 2009
Dear Friends of K9 Veterans Day,
It is my hope that this report finds you and yours well and good. Things here are pretty much the same, while thankful that a lot of hurricane season has already passed us by. I am not a gambler per say, with the exception of playing a slot machine at some time, but living here on the coast of Florida is always a gamble during this time of the year. If you visit my face book page, you will see pictures of the sunrises, and sunsets, and more, that assist in keeping me here. And of course there is nothing so wonderful as seeing Manatees and Dolphins swimming just feet from where you are standing. But as we take in the beauty, while still keeping watch for any hurricanes, my heart goes out to those involved with the fires in California.
Last week I received what can be considered “Breaking News.” One of our newer supporters has gotten Knoxville, TN to commit to making a K9 Veterans Day Proclamation. This is the first city in TN to do so, and Donna (with the GS dog club of Knoxville) is not done. She is now going to work to get other cities on board, along with planning to do a K9 Veterans Day event in Knoxville. If you live in that area, please give Donna a hand. And we can all thank her for what she has already done.
And speaking of K9 Veterans Day events that are confirmed to be in planning, there is one in the area of Virginia Beach, VA, a second annual event in Panama City, FL, a second annual event in the Clearwater/Inverness, FL area, a celebration by the 4-H Club of Florida, and an event in San Antonio, TX. And here again, if you live in any of those areas, you need to work with our volunteers. Let me know, and I’ll connect you with them. I know that many others are considering doing something as well, but they are just not able to confirm it at this moment, as they are just getting the word out to their members. If you can make such a confirmation, please let me know. Those celebration events, even so little a thing as decorating the local dog park, or having a special at your business, or a gathering at a Veterans site, are helpful, but so are those proclamations. Any of you can do it. It is not hard at all. In fact, often times you can get such a proclamation with a simple email request to your Mayor, or whoever. And I remain ready to assist as needed.
I am also quite honored to announce that the following organizations have been added to our list of supporting groups. The complete list is now on the home page of our web site.
Clearwater Police K9, National Animal Interest Alliance, K9 Soldiers Search and Rescue, National Animal Interest Alliance Trust of Florida, Myrtle Beach Kennel Club, Miniature Pinscher Club of South Florida, Inc., Yankee Miniature Pinscher Club, Inc., and the South Carolina Federation of Dog Clubs. And here again, if you have been left off the list somehow, or can now confirm that your group wants to join with us, let me know.
I have committed our campaign to be at a cluster of dog shows in Deland, here in Florida, which is a few miles west of Daytona Beach. We will have a table where we can promote what it is that we are trying to do. That show begins on the 25th of this month, and ends on the 27th. If you are in the area at that time, please stop by and say hey. And thanks to the West Volusia Kennel Club for inviting us.
In general the campaign to make March 13 K9 Veterans Day is going according to plan, and we are growing week by week. For a lot of dog people, we are entering the season of the big shows, and some of you are planning to promote our cause at those events, in lieu of my not being able to attend in person. I commend them, and encourage you to do the same. And I do appreciate that more and more I/we are being invited to those and other events. People realize that it is helpful if I can be there in person, speaking about our goal, educating people about the service of dogs, showing historical films, and displaying historical photos. It is my job to do it, but right now there is no funding involved with our memorial undertaking, as unlike a physical memorial, we have no construction costs. We do not ask you to pay for a membership, make donations that can get you a tax deduction, and we do not have fund raisers. And it is my goal to keep money out it. This way anyone and everyone can truly feel like an equal part of this, no matter their financial means. It costs nothing to get your Mayor or Governor to make a K9 Veterans Day Proclamation. You just need heart, which is exactly all that the dogs ever asked of us.
So then, what can be done to do the travel that is needed, literature that needs to be printed, computer costs and so on, that I have endured over the last two years on my own, with great thanks to my Wife Sally, but that well is all but dry, and like many others, we are truly having a tough time. And by the way, I committed to the show in Deland because it is only 90 minutes from here. So for now I am continuing on the path that I have already started, by trying to sell logo shirts, and stickers. That way you get something for helping me, and we get the publicity that comes from displaying the sticker, and wearing the shirt. Hence I am at this moment going to put together another shirt order. If you would like one, first let me know. I will then put you on a waiting list until there are enough orders to put it through, and I will get back with you at that time regarding payment. I have gotten good feed back on the first order, as people like the quality of the material, and the prominence of the logo. So let me know if you want one. And if you still owe me, please take care of that.
Something else that I am going to do comes from a program that was first begun in support of the war dogs of WW II. Back then an organization of citizen dog lovers assisted the war effort, by doing nearly all of the work involved in recruiting dogs. They did not only the recruiting, but also all of the initial testing. Their group was called Dogs for Defense. Of course they too needed some operating monies, and one of their fund raising programs had to do with citizen dogs, like yours, and how they could somehow do their part. What they did, and we will now do, is let someone’s pet symbolically join our War Dog Memorial Army. And just like they did back then, I will issue your dog a certificate of enlistment if you indeed wish to help this effort. Your dog, past or present (and other pets) will have has his name on the enlistment certificate, along with his Rank, and the date that it is numbered and hand signed. Rank is determined by the amount of the donation. So just like the shirts that are indeed helpful, you can also do this to help. If you are interested in a certificate, let me know.
Speaking of WW II, I thought that I would close with a tidbit of history. WW II is the only war where people “loaned” their dog to the war effort. When that war was over, they got their dog back. Things certainly changed by the time my war, Vietnam, came to be. That is the only war where the dogs were declared “surplus equipment”, and left behind. As many of you already know, I once wrote a book about that experience. It is out of print, but I got back the rights, rewrote it onto a CD, with lots more pictures and things. If you are interested in a copy, contact me.
Thanks to all of you currently working to make K9 Veterans Day a reality, and the rest of you need to get moving. Time is not standing still. And there is indeed much work to be done.
Sincerely,
Joe White
Founder
K9veteransday.org
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