WASHINGTON — Olive, the yellow Labrador retriever, has been quite busy
over the last few days.
On Thanksgiving day, she gave birth to nine yellow and black lab puppies.
The new pups born will become service dogs one day.
The dogs are currently being cared for at the Warrior Canine Connection’s
Puppy Enrichment Center in Brookeville, Maryland. You can see them on the puppy cam.
These dogs are bred specifically to train to become full-service mobility
dogs. The pups will one day be placed with wounded service members who
experienced both physical and mental wounds from war.
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This isn’t Olive’s first litter. About 18-months ago, she gave birth to nine
puppies that make up what’s known as the Honor Litter. All nine black and
yellow labs from the first litter are being groomed to become full-service
mobility dogs and all are named after service members killed in battle.
Once the dogs are old and mature enough to be trained, they begin a rigorous
two-year program through the U.S. Army’s Warrior Transition Brigade Service
Dog Training Program. The dogs will be trained at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
Wounded service members assist professional trainers, who will teach the dogs
60 skills before they can graduate. Service members must apply or be chosen to
take part in the dog program as part of their therapy.
See what happens when the dogs graduate and are
placed with their new human companions.
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