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2nd Annual K9 Sgt. Denny Dog Walk Supporting Military Working Dogs & Service Dogs for Wounded Warriors

Looking for a great “doggie and me” event? The K9 Sgt. Denny Dog Walk to support military working dogs and service dogs for wounded warriors. Will be held on Saturday, May 10 (rain or shine) at the NJ Army Guard Training Center located at Camp Dr and Sea Girt Ave Sea Girt, NJ.  

The event will feature demonstrations by military working dogs and police department K9s, and special awards for most patriotic costume, biggest, smallest, farthest traveled, most unique.  Please bring an item or two for our military working dogs and our two-legged warriors!

Pre-event registration is $25 per dog; day-of-event registration is $30 per dog.  Tickets are available at www.runwithdennis.org or by calling (732) 431-1713.

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The event is presented by the Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski II Memorial Fund & the Middletown Lion’s Club. 

The Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski, II Memorial Fund provides care and support for those serving our country and their families. The SGT. DENNY PROJECT provides support for military working dogs and their handlers with hard-to-obtain items to support the training and welfare of these canine heroes. It also supports the training and placement of service dogs for our wounded warriors.

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The program is named for SGT. Denny, a two year old German Shepherd who was stationed in Afghanistan with his handler Michael Brozowski, a Monmouth County native. SGT. Denny is a trained military working dog who can detect chemicals used in the manufacture of bombs and can sniff out 123 different types of explosives.  Military working dogs are also trained trained to sniff out narcotics and/or track humans.

Nearly 600 military dogs are serving today in Afghanistan and the world. Much is made of the bond among soldiers, but the union between soldier and dog in a combat zone is just as tight. Handlers and canines patrol together, day after day, linked by a leash and an innate understanding of each other. Sometimes they sleep side by side on military cots and they face the same dangers together. Military dogs in Afghanistan die as a result of attacks, heat exhaustion and other causes. 

For those returning home from combat, the transition back into society can be overwhelming. The hyper-vigilance and hyper-reactivity to situations, sensations, sounds and smells that kept them alive in the war zone often continue despite the peace of civilian life.  Service dogs are trained to help wounded warriors with many of the fight or flight reactions and health issues they face upon returning home from combat. Funds raised from this event will go toward purchasing dogs from K9s for Warriors and Canine Companions for Independence.  All of these service dogs are ADA approved and certified.

     

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