Donation saves the day for Md. service dogs charity

Casey is a regular at Walter Reed Medical Center and Huff is the Warrior Canine Connection Ambassador. (WTOP/Kristi King)

Travis will undergo years of socialization and training before going to work as a service dog for a veteran. (WTOP/Kristi King)

The person who stole the Warrior Canine Connection ATV
entered a restricted area of Seneca State Park in Germantown clearly noted as belonging to a charity. (WTOP/Kristi King) — The person who stole the Warrior Canine Connection ATV entered a restricted area of Seneca State Park in Germantown clearly noted as belonging to a charity. (WTOP/Kristi King)

A deal with Maryland's Department of Natural Resources is allowing Warrior Canine Connection to renovate an old dairy farm for a training facility. Meredith Beck of the Bob Woodruff Foundation just handed over the keys to this UTV to WCC Executive Director Rick Yount. (WTOP/Kristi King) — A deal with Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources is allowing Warrior Canine Connection to renovate an old dairy farm for a training facility. Meredith Beck of the Bob Woodruff Foundation just handed over the keys to this UTV to WCC Executive Director Rick Yount. (WTOP/Kristi King)

"Luke" helps veterans w #PTSD by noticing anxious behavior & alerting need for calming action. @Stand4Heroes #WTOP pic.twitter.com/zC5MObeVDc
— Kristi King (@kingWTOP) January 7, 2016

(WTOP/Kristi King)

Donation fr @Stand4Heroes will aid Warrior Canine Connection "Healing Quarters" in Germantown, Md #WTOP pic.twitter.com/fMBHz5G1DB
— Kristi King (@kingWTOP) January 7, 2016

(WTOP/Kristi King)

Warrior Canine Connection service dog in-training Kolby w Bettyann Marrone @Stand4Heroes #WTOP pic.twitter.com/OlZVPe7qi2
— Kristi King (@kingWTOP) January 7, 2016

(WTOP/Kristi King)

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WASHINGTON — A charity that trains service dogs for veterans is celebrating a donation prompted by the theft of its all-terrain vehicle from Germantown, Maryland last October.

“This is an amazing lemonade from lemon story,” said Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) Executive Editor Rick Yount. “It’s going to be even more useful than the vehicle that was stolen.”

The old ATV was a simple-functioning single-seater. The new utility task vehicle (UTV) donated by the Bob Woodruff Foundation is more like a rugged golf cart with two seats, cargo space in the back and a powered winch in the front.

“It can be used for plowing snow and pulling trailers,” Yount said. And, it can transport visiting veterans around the property who may have mobility issues.

The WCC “Healing Quarters” on the grounds of Seneca State Park near the Germantown Soccer Complex is a work in progress. The facility is on an old dairy farm being transformed for use as a training facility for puppies and their companion trainers.

“Thank you for everything you do for veterans,” said Bob Woodruff Foundation Senior Charitable Investments Advisor Meredith Beck, while handing over the UTV keys to Yount. “We love what you’re doing.”

A WTOP.com story on the ATV theft prompted the donation that Yount characterizes as the foundation jumping in and “saving the day.”

“I originally found out that the original vehicle had been stolen when reading an article on WTOP,” Beck said. “We realized the significant need for it.”