Ground broken for service dog training site in Robinson
U.S. Army veteran Ben Keen, who served two tours of duty in Iraq, and his service dog, Bolt, attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the Pennsylvania campus of Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs in Robinson Township, Washington County.
The 102-acre campus of the Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs Pennsylvania Campus along Beagle Club Road in Robinson Township will train service dogs that are paired with veterans and first responders.
Presentation of the colors during the groundbreaking of the Pennsylvania campus of the Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, a nonprofit that provides service dogs that make a difference in the lives of those struggling with a variety of disorders
Jack Wagner, Regional Development Director of Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs Pennsylvania campus, talks about the difference service dogs make in the lives of veterans and others in need during a Friday groundbreaking ceremony of the new campus.
Tony Accamando, who launched the nonprofit Life Changing Service Dogs for Veterans, speaks at the groundbreaking of the Pennsylvania campus of Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs in Robinson Township. Accamando's organization supports the efforts of Guardian Angels, a Florida-based nonprofit that provides service dogs for veterans and first responders.
Carol Borden, founder and CEO of the Florida-based Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Pennsylvania campus in Robinson Township, Washington County.
Construction of a $25 million state-of-the-art center for raising and training service dogs for veterans and first responders in Robinson Township, Washington County, is set to begin.
A groundbreaking ceremony of the Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs Pennsylvania campus was held Friday morning.
Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, based in Williston, Fla., has paired more than 300 service dogs with partners across the United States. With the new campus, the nonprofit will be able to serve hundreds more.
Founder and CEO Carol Borden said the first-of-its-kind, 12-building campus will serve Pennsylvania – which has a high concentration of veterans – and the northeastern region of the United States, and will create hundreds of jobs in the region.
“After visiting Pittsburgh for nearly a decade, we have had the pleasure of meeting many incredible people in Southwestern Pennsylvania and throughout the region who have embraced and supported our mission. It felt right to bring our first campus outside of Florida to this area,” said Borden, whose late father was a disabled veteran of the Korean War and whose son served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and also is disabled.
“I don’t wear the Army boots, but I’m able to give back, as my piece of what I can do for my country and for the people who have done so much for us,” she said.
Guardian Angels is hoping the project is completed within 24 months.
Jack Wagner, who is the organization’s part-time regional development director, was among those who helped bring Guardian Angels to the Pittsburgh area.
“Where we’re standing is the location where we’re going to see the finest and best training facility for (service) dogs in America, and it’s primarily going to support veterans, 90%-plus,” said Wagner, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam and a Democratic politician who served in several government positions over the years. “Today is a special day. It’s going to help so many veterans into the future.”
Tony Accamando, a Washington County resident who co-founded the nonprofit Life Changing Service Dogs for Veterans, also played a pivotal role in luring Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs to the Pittsburgh region.
On Friday, Accamando, a veteran of the Vietnam War, recalled a day in 2015 when he met a military veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder who was accompanied by a service dog he had been paired with through Guardian Angels.
“He proceeded to tell me that this dog was a service dog and it helps him with his PTSD, and that he had a traumatic brain injury as well. And he told me if it wasn’t for this dog, he probably would be dead, and he told me the story of how the dog had saved his life,” Accamando recalled. “And I was struck by that.”
Accamando and a friend, George D’Angelo, flew to Florida to meet with Borden and tour the Williston campus. When they returned, Accamando and D’Angelo, also a veteran, decided to raise money for 22 service dogs in 22 months – it’s estimated that 22 veterans die by suicide each day.
To date, Life Changing Service Dogs has raised nearly $2 million to help Guardian Angels provide for service dogs.
“Twenty-two veterans a day committing suicide, it’s unfathomable, and with only 1% of the population today involved in the military, one has to ask in earnest, what’s the responsibility of the other 99%?” said Accamando.
Since Guardian Angels started 13 1/2 years ago, none of the veterans paired with a service dog has died from suicide.
“These dogs save lives, prevent suicide, and give veterans a chance for a wholesome, fulfilling life,” said Accamando.
Also in attendance at the groundbreaking was Ben Keen of South Park, and his service dog, Bolt, a German shepherd he was paired with in 2019.
For Keen, who served two tours of duty in Iraq and suffers from PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and balance issues sustained from injuries, Bolt has made a significant difference in his life.
“I tell people she’s not a cure, she’s a tool toward a better life for me,” said Keen. “If you look at a lot of us (veterans), you don’t necessarily see a disable person. We might look OK, but you can’t see that we have a brain injury. You don’t see those invisible wounds. For me, anxiety is huge, and with Bolt, I’m able to go out into the public again.”
Since 2010, Guardian Angels has paired nearly 400 dogs with veterans in 30 states. It takes more than two years and costs about $25,000 to train each dog.
The new campus will have multiple training facilities for the dogs, along with a dormitory for veterans to spend two weeks getting to know their dog before they go home.
John Campbell, a lifelong Robinson Township resident who retired as an Air Force chief master sergeant after serving more than 40 years at the 171st Refueling Wing at Pittsburgh National Airport, said the nonprofit is a welcome addition to the community.
“As we observe Veterans Day, I am grateful that the Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs are making their home right here in our township, where they can help those servicemen who gave so much for us and our country,” said Campbell. “These well-trained dogs will help those with PTSD and other disabilities live a better life. This is such a wonderful organization to add to our community.”