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A New Adventure

Welcome to the DogsInVests website and our first newsletter. After the sale of a business and facing an empty nest, my husband Paul and I were obviously asking the question, “What’s next?’ Looking back over our journey and the good fortune we have had over our lifetime we concluded that it was time to give something back. So, taking both our business backgrounds and our great attachment and affinity for our 13-year-old Labrador Retriever Homer we decided to start a non-profit organization to train and place service dogs with deserving individuals. Homer by the way is the inspiration for most of the artwork you see on our website, thanks to our daughter Katherine’s creativity.

After consulting with our legal and financial advisors, all of whom were very encouraging, we decided to proceed. We purchased a beautiful 12-acre property just outside Palmyra Wisconsin adjacent to the Kettle Moraine Forest and starting planning our facility. In May 2018 we broke ground and Morton Buildings got to work building our 5000 square foot facility. We moved in July 2018 and welcomed our first employee.

Megan is a trusted former employee from our business with a fantastic professional background. She serves as our Administrative Director and we are so fortunate to have her with us on this journey. Additionally, this past summer we also added our fourth Board Member Barb F. Barb is a longtime friend and neighbor. Barb has a background in Occupational Therapy and more importantly a great insight on autism. Barb has a 25-year-old son with autism. As Paul and I had originally focused on providing service dogs to individuals with autism, we thought of Barb early on as a potential Board Member. Barb agreed and has joined us as Director of Patient Services. We are truly blessed to have Barb’s knowledge and personal experience to reference as we begin the process of finding the right dog to serve someone’s needs. Barb has also been a great resource for contacts within the Autism community. Most recently, we have added a fifth member to our Board of Directors. Barb S. is a veterinarian and will be filling the role Director of Animal Health and Welfare. Barb is an extremely busy professional with a booming vet practice and we could not be more grateful she accepted our offer. It is wonderful to have someone with her extensive knowledge to assist us in assuring the best scenario for our service dogs. Finally, another exciting addition to the team is Dog Training Specialist Patti. Patti is a certified and highly respected local trainer. Patti will be assisting us in implementing our training programs.

We will have a variety of programs including puppy raisers, socialization, obedience and advanced specialized training. Patti has been so enthusiastic and helpful and brings a great wealth of knowledge and experience I know will make a difference with the dogs and eventual owners. Paul has taken on the position of Executive Director. He created an outstanding business plan and is currently looking for DogsInVests first puppy. I’m kind of jealous. I have been tasked with the role of Director of Development so I would be remiss in my duties if I didn’t ask for your support. We are currently looking for volunteers in various capacities and of course donations. Please like and share us on Facebook and visit our webpage frequently for updates and upcoming events and fundraisers. It is very much appreciated. Well, I have to say I’m relieved to have completed my first newsletter it was stressing me out a bit but I’m going to go hug my dog now so it’s all good.

Happy Harvest.

- Michelle

New adventures at DogsInVests

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