Shelter to Sailor:
A black lab named Raider is on a mission. He’s what you’d call a “morale dog” from a San Diego nonprofit organization named Shelter to Soldier, where rescue dogs are trained to become emotional support animals for military veterans.
And now, he’s training to set sail on the U.S. Navy ship, the USS Makin Island next year, a first in the program. “Raider is a one-year-old lab mix adopted from Labs and More Rescue currently in training with Shelter to Soldier as a shipboard Morale Dog through our Canine Ambassador program,” the Shelter to Soldier program said in a June 26 Facebook reel that highlights Raider’s training.
“This initiative is designed to support the emotional wellness, morale, and mental health of sailors and marines.” The USS Makin Island is the first to partner with Shelter to Soldier, which occurred after the program’s director, Nicky Moore, began to bring therapy dogs to Navy ships, NBC San Diego reported. “Every single time it was like, ‘I really wish we had a dog that stayed on board.’ Like, ‘Can we take this dog on deployment with us?’
They said yes! Raider is going on the USS Makin Island “offering support through structured interaction, presence, and engagement,” and he’s set to have his own room on the ship along with five handlers.
He is a very, very, very good boy.
