Petland Charities awards $18k to Heartland Canines for Veterans

Petland Charities Executive Director Ed Sayers presented Heartland Canines for Veterans with $18,000 to cover the cost of providing a service dog to a U.S. veteran living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Funds will cover veterinary care, training, equipment, kenneling and administrative costs for the K9 team. “Heartland Canines for Veterans is eternally grateful for its continued and lasting relationship with a caring organization like Petland,” said Executive Director Jimmy Burgess. “Our sole mission is to provide service dogs to veterans who need them. We are fortunate to be partnered with an organization like Petland that also supports the wellbeing of our veterans.”

Petland Charities’ gift will benefit U.S. Army veteran Vernon Marchington of Joplin, Missouri, a veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. Marchington has been recently training with his new companion, Bella, a six-month old female German Shepherd who will assist him with mobility challenges, depression and anxiety. “Through our partnership with Heartland Canines for Veterans’ ‘One of Us’ campaign, Petland Charities is making a difference in the lives American heroes like Vern; providing them with a K9 companion that will be trained with specialized capabilities to meet his daily needs,” said Sayers. To learn more about Petland Charities, visit petlandcharities.org.