Dog Tags New York

Yesterday we had a blast at the SSG William “Billy” Wilson III Memorial Ride.

We will be there so make sure to stop by our tent and say hi.

tomorrow we will be at Burgerfest in the Village of Hamburg set up in front of the Grange. please stop by and hang out with us 11-5

Jut some cool history… about a dog. 👇

Jack Brutus: Spanish-American War Mascot

Jack Brutus, also known as Old Jack, became famous in history as the official mascot for Company K, First Connecticut Volunteer Infantry.

Old Jack was born in Cumberland, Maine in 1891 and led an exciting life even before he served his country. According to George Thayer (who wrote a book about the history of Company K), "He [Jack] had friends in most of the cities in New England through his associations with the traveling public at the West End Hotel at Portland. Frequently he visited them in their own homes, taking passage in some steamer or boarding some train, and returning to Portland in due time."

In May 1898, Company K met Brutus at Fort Preble in Portland, Maine. The soldiers bonded quickly with the dog and declared him as their company's official mascot. Old Jack traveled with the men as they encamped at various places on the Eastern seaboard - from Maine to Virginia - providing coastal defense during the Spanish-American War.

Brutus was a large-breed dog and about seven years old during his service with Company K. While at Camp Alger near Falls Church, Virginia, he had a hard time tolerating the heat and the soldiers feared he would not survive. The men took well care of Jack and eventually he recovered. Old Jack also had a snoring problem that would wake the soldiers at night. A vote was taken on who was the "loudest snorer" in the camp and Brutus came in second place.

In late 1898, Wagoner Ahearn mustered out of the Army and took Jack home with him. While under a physician's care, Old Jack died from spinal problems on November 20 of that year. He was given a suitable burial and will always be remembered as a loyal war dog to the men in Company K.

Cheers to our Flag and Happy Birthday to the U.S. Army….. 🫡

We would like to thank the the Erie-Niagara Exchange Club for their generous donation to our program. We had a great time attending their annual Distribution of Funds Event to Nonprofit Organizations this evening at the Salem United Church of Christ.

Over the weekend we received some very sad news. One of our therapy dogs Marshall passed away and crossed the rainbow bridge. Marshall was a very happy dog who joined our team along with his owner retired Air Force Veteran Suzanne Laba back in 2018. Suzanne and Marshall went through the training with us and became a therapy dog pair in no time. Over the past six years Marshall touched a lot of hearts and put a lot of smiles on many faces with the work he did. Marshall will be dearly missed with his forever wagging tail. Please keep Suzanne in your thoughts as she deals with the loss of her buddy.

Yesterday we had a great time at the bike blessing at the G*Y Bar. A very special thank you needs to go out to Gus, Larry, and Jess from WNY Stilettos on Steel for making this happen and for their generous donation to our program. We would also like to thank the Kantor Gullo Law Firm for their donation as well and Rich Jones with the Buffalo Vet Center for being there with us.

Big shout out to Robyn Shaw and her team for a very successful Veterans Expo at Daemen College yesterday - it was a networking bonanza.

Made many new connections with other Veterans organizations- whos mission is to helping Vets.

Come on out and join us for some bikes and music at the G*Y Bar & Grill next Saturday.

We kicked off the 2024 event season at the Hertel Mutt Strut this afternoon and we had a great time.

Come on out and see us this Saturday from 11-4 at the Hertel Mutt Strut. We will be posted up in front of the store Her Story at 1438 Hertel Ave.

Today we want to recognize one of our Dog Tags Team members Dan Frontera (Army Veteran) for combining his passion of running to help dogs City of Buffalo Animal Shelter.
(Pictured below are just a small handful of dogs that Dan has taken out on his runs)

Dan affectionately calls his run “Buffalo Animal Shelter Run Club” and had this cool vest made 👇 to show of the pups that become part of his club.
So many shelter dogs have pent up energy with little outlet, need direction/guidance and sometimes a strong handler to show them the way.

This is where Dan comes in and excels. He sees the need in these dogs and uses his skills from his Military Service to lend a helping hand to shelter dogs knowing that often the “underdog” has it in them to become the best dog. He is always up for the challenge to take out a harder to handle dog that has little to no training.

The information the volunteers learn when Dan takes a dog out on a run, is valuable to potential adopters, as to share the energy level that a dog inherently has, and how focused they become while on a run.
This way, someone looking for a hiking partner, running partner, walking partner will know which dog might be best for them.

Dan recently incorporated 2 shelter dogs in a race by running one for half, and having another one waiting in the wings to finish off.
To a shelter dog, THIS can mean everything……

It’s best to read from Dan himself on what inspired him, and continues to keep him helping these shelter dogs:

“Running with shelter dogs helps to give me a sense of mission and purpose. As a veteran, I realize how similar these dogs are to us. How we both once belonged to something and now we don’t. So getting them out of their kennel, running with them, letting them get some of the zoomies that we both experience out. It helps me to be able to face more things. Knowing that I’m contributing in some small way to them getting a chance to be part of something again, part of a family. Maybe a little altruistic, but when I look in their eyes, I see us. No one gets left behind, not two legs, not four.”

Welcome to Air Force Veteran (RETIRED) Lyn and her new adopted pup Adina to Dog Tags training program!! Her husband Bob is also a Veteran who attends the classes as well to gain knowledge in the best way to handle Adina.

Adina is a shy dog that needs some extra help with confidence building and often, group classes are a great way to help owner and dog navigate thru different situations.

We are happy to collaborate with trainer Kathy Galbraith at Niagara K9 Training Facility who not only supports Veterans, but has dedicated her time, resources, and knowledge to help rescues organizations in our area , ESPECIALLY the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter over the course of many years.

One of Dog Tags Team Veteran members Suzanne Laba, has also been assisting/teaching in training classes with a goal of running group sessions for our Veterans and those in need in our community who may not be able to afford classes.
She and Lyn, along with another Veteran gal, formed a team called Air Force Girls Walking for a Cause to support charitable causes by walking, and choosing different organizations to donate to.

Good Luck Adina and THANK YOU to Lyn and Bob for their service , for adopting a dog in need, and for attending training classes which creates an amazing bond between canine and human.

Please welcome our newest pair to the group Army Veteran Darren Kolek and his new pup Re*****on who was adopted from Sadie’s Safe Harbor Canine Rescue. We are looking forward to watching them grow together and start training soon.

Always a favorite…. HAPPY EASTER!

Training has begun with Sam and Dexter.

An update on one of our very first Dog Tags volunteers from 2014 -
JP Hays who was a private in the Marine Chorps , UB student volunteer and a true blue jar head

I am please to announce that private hays is now Major JP Hayes . Well done Marine we are all very proud of you

🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

Its official, Sam has formally adopted Dexter. We have two new members of the Dog Tags family.
A shout out to Diamands in the Ruff for doing what you do - helping our Veterans and making the match happen

Sam and Dexter Welcome! We’ll be seeing you out and about.

One of our first placement Brad Fluent saw our post of the check presentation and had this to say...

"8 years ago my life was changed forever. I was early in recovery and needed all the help I could get. Dog Tags New York came to the rehab I was at to speak about the dog tags program. I knew right away that I wanted to be involved with this program. Joe and Susan went out of their way to help me out and place a dog with me. That dog was savana. She has changed my life forever. She is truly the love of my life. I've had so many trials and tribulations and I have fallen and gotten up so many times in the last 8 years. There were times when I didn't want to go on. Savannah was the one thing that kept me going. She continues to do so today. Getting Savana was the best decision I've made in my life. She is truly a godsend. I got her when she was 3 months old and she just celebrated her 8th birthday. She is with me 24 hours a day. I owe my life to the DTNY! Not only did they place the dog with me, but they've also supported me when I needed someone in my corner. I would recommend this program to any and all veterans. As I said, I don't know what I would do without them"

Thank you Brad, you and those like you are our mission.

The Niagara University Student Veterans Organization is putting on a series of meat raffles to fund a trip to Pearl Harbor to participate in the December 7th rememberance ceremonies. Please come and support the SVO. You can purchase tickets via venmo at:

https://venmo.com/u/Karl-Hinterberger?fbclid=IwAR0RlJ0_yL5rGyuatg-VNxuyFI45sDWoD-WgRXqj1QDcLmAu8jCIIWKy6wg

Niagara University Student Veterans Organization hosted our check presentation from Grand New Flag

Dog Tags New York Receives $3,000 Donation from Grand New Flag to Support Work with Veterans On Monday, Feb. 19, Dog Tags New York received a $3,000 donation from Philp Kauppinen, owner of Grand New Flag, during a reception in the university’s student veterans lounge.

A Huuge Thank you to Phil Kaupinnen of the Grand New Flag Co for their very generous donation and contineued support for the program.

God bless you Phil!

And another Thank you to Niagara University and the NU Student Veterans Association for their support and the use of the student Veterans lounge for the check presentation.

Save a dog - save yourself.

Yesterday we had a great time visiting Mrs. Bickestaff class at West Seneca Elementary School. The kids made us Valentines Day cards which was a very nice surprise. Ruby had an absolute blast from all of the petting and attention she received.