Members of the Bethel Park-based Ruthfred Acres Woman’s Club honored veterans during November meeting.
The speaker was Brian DeLong, a U.S. Air Force veteran and regional coordinator for the Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs program. He is an active member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 764 in Peters, where the post members affectionately call him “Tops.”
DeLong and his post have held fundraisers and donated money to sponsor the pairing of six dogs with veterans. The average cost of training a medical service dog through Guardian Angels is $27,000.
With a high rate of suicides among veterans, the Guardian Angels organization is proud to say that there have been no suicides among the 430 veterans who have received dogs.
Training the recipient who is paired with a Guardian Angel dog costs an additional $10,000, including transporting and housing. There is never any cost to the veteran.
Historically, all training takes place at the national headquarters in Williston, Fla. In 2020, over 100 acres of land was purchased in Washington County, with plans to bring a Guardian Angels training facility to the area.
DeLong had another veteran, Tammy, tell the story of her Guardian Angels dog, TJ.
The next Ruthfred Acres Woman’s Club meeting is on Feb. 11. Mary Culbertson Stark will be the guest speaker, with a program titled “Drawn from Experience: The Art of Mary Stark.”
She was an art educator in Bethel Park School District for more than 30 years and held many other teaching and instructor positions throughout the area.
The club welcomes new members. If you are interested in joining or would like more information, contact rawc1946@gmail.com.
For more information about Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs Inc., visit https://www.medicalservicedogs.org/.