Where does time go?

Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog like mine.

I know I lost last weeks blog entry somewhere between my brain and the keyboard. I did do some traveling to the coast for a couple nights on the beach with Iris and my wife. I even brought the camera out and snapped some pictures which is something I have not been doing all that much of lately. Unfortunately my getting things done button does not appear to be working for me.

Many people would say I am to hard on myself, that I accomplish a lot but when I look at what I do it never seems enough. I can tell everyone that the article that Truck Camper Magazine  published has kept me going in front of the computer screen and phone like I have not been in a very long time. I have had comments and request from all over. Soon one of the Military organizations I belong to will be publishing their own interview also both in the print and online versions. I will of course let everyone know when I know. All I can say about any and all of the media that does come out is thank you from the bottom of my heart, it is not about me but getting the message out to help our Veterans who need help in transitioning back into civilian life. I have my Service Dog already and am on the way back now it is all about helping others to find their way.

Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog like mine.

So that pretty much covers last weeks entry or what should have been so on to this weeks update. I mentioned that I have started growing my twitter presence which is a learning experience for sure. I used to think that just having people follow you was the key to "winning with twitter". Now I have been building relationships with followers and actually interacting with those I follow. It has been interesting and much more time consuming then I had originally planned for. I am still learning and playing but as I seem to grow by 30-50 new followers daily and expand my reach from just the service dogs for Veterans to truly pushing for Veteran Advocacy which is something that I find to be very important for me and others to have a layman to help them through the many land mines that wait for them once out of the military. The abbreviated format seems to really work well for this work so I am enjoying it and hope that others will help guide me to be more effective also.



Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog like mine.

Saturday I took off for Long Island via the Bridgeport Port Jefferson Ferry to head out to the Cousin's Paint Ball for Patriots Fundraiser. This was the second year that I was involved in this event. This is a perfect example of a 3rd party fundraiser that I am more than happy to support. The group of people that put this together do it for a love of their country and our veterans knowing that they want to give back in a fun way. They had people from all over there participating and the day was a great success. I wish that I was still able to get out there and rough it up with them but well there is a reason I have the service dog and the doctors would not be at all happy with me nor my family. See guys I am getting better at being more adult. So many thanks go to all those involved with the event and who knows maybe they will invite me again next year.

This week is filled with family obligations so I am not sure what my travels will be but I can assure you that I hope to get out to somewhere. I would love to hear from your organization or group and come for a visit all you have to do is ask. Two weeks from now I will be in Houston for the National American Legion Convention (not driving to that one). The new meds are working great but I am still not comfortable enough to make that long a drive on my own so I have been warming my arms up and SW Air has already saved space in case I can not get enough lift with my paddles.


Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog like mine.

Till Next time, Happy Trials!

Attention: I have a Personal Fundraising Page for VetDogs Now! Please follow this link and make a donation to help another veteran like me get a service dog like mine.

Getting the Word OUT!!!!

Last week can be summed up in the title of this weeks blog. I have had a few adverse effects from the new meds so needless to say I have been less mobile. I hate not getting out and being active but I have also learned that when my body starts to act up I had better slow down or things can get messy or worse I can end up in the hospital.

The great news of last week was that on Tuesday Truck Camper Magazine did their feature article on Iris & I. The Article started to draw emails very quickly. Comments started to fly in to me via email, facebook, twitter and phone. My Twitter account has grown by almost 40% in a matter of one week and the number of new Facebook friends and followers is pretty cool also. All I can say is thank you to all of you for getting the word out.

People like Mike Wolfe from History Channel's American Picker's Show and a couple radio shows down in NC that I know of that passed the word really helped also. I was supposed to go to a Truck Camper Rally in the White mountains but physically I could not do the drive so I am sure that did not help my getting the word out.

So in short what's coming up in the near future?

I am working on coming up with a way to help fund some of these trips that I have been doing. Many of the trips I do I pay for out of my own pocket especially lately and I am finding that I am overstepping  just a tad. I also have to come up with a way to put some transportation cost together quickly to help get me down for the Cruise Line Fundraiser that I won the right to help out. After looking at the current ticket rates it is going to stretch the budget to make this all come together on my fixed income. So if anyone has any ideas on how I should go about this please let me know.

I have the Paint Ball Fundraiser on Long Island. I hope to have the camper out there with Iris and myself to cheer on the guys and gal's that come out for this worthy cause. If anyone is interested in playing you still have time to sign up. Last year they had teams from all over there and even had a tank (for paintball). It was fun times for all.

There is so much follow up work I am doing at the moment to get the word out any help would be greatly appreciated. I am also looking at getting some Video Blog links added in here. One of my friends suggested that I attempt to grab one of the talks I do on Video. I do have links already at www.kphyfe.com for radio interviews that were done last year if anyone is interested.

Till next week safe travels.

Kent & Iris

The Heat is ON!

As I sit here on Monday wondering where my brain has gone to because the heat has fried it I hope to find something to write. The past week was as hot as it really ever should think about getting here in the northeastern part of this great country. With the humidity the feel like temp was between 105 and 110 so the weather soothsayers told us daily. Personally I have spent time in a few desserts and jungles and this was not as bad as that but a close third or forth given my age and medical condition. I know "suck it up buttercup" comes to mind but hey it's my blog.

So the week itself was pretty slow for us. We did the two phone interviews while sitting in the shade at the beach. Life is great, how did we ever survive without cellphones and wireless technology? We did however call it an early departure from the beach due to the heat and the fact I just could not seem to cool down in the evenings. So back to the home AC unit.

Thursday I was supposed to run the Camper down to the sign place and get the look over but again the heat was just to much for me. Something about the meds I am on that seem to make me want to fall over everytime I stand up in the heat that makes being out in it less desirable. So the camper north to New Hampshire did not happen either. Knowing the temps on Sat were going to be in the high 90's before the humidity did it's magic just made the idea of sleeping with no AC to much for this not so healthy old man. Guess I am getting smarter in my old age for all of you that worry I push to hard.

Since I did not get down to have the camper looked over I spent those days hiding in the AC at the house. I did spend a fair amount of time on the internet working on coming up with new ways to get the word out about VetDogs and also teaming up with the Power Lifting Community that even though I am broken seems to have accepted me as one of their own. Guess it really helps to have a soon to be 22 year old son (tomorrow 23 July) who is a moose and lives for the strength stuff.

I did head up to New Hampshire on Saturday morning to meet up with the Granite State Strongman/Women Championship and take pictures of a pretty awesome event. No ordinary weightlifting going on here that's for sure. Check out the pictures at my website I wish my son was able to be there but he was out getting his tattoo beefed up some. He had had a Cross now it really looks cool.

This coming week I have nothing planned as far as fundraising is concerned so people call me get me busy. Especially now my youngest just turned 19 2 weeks ago and started her Physical Therapist Assistant Program at New England Tech today my wife and son work full time so I find myself with more time to dedicate to helping other veterans. Especially since the new medicine the doctors put me really seem to have made a huge difference with controlling the events.

Thursday I will head to northern New Hampshire to attend my first New England Truck Camper Rally. I am looking forward to a good time meeting new friends and showing off my little rig. I know a number of the people are looking forward to meeting Iris also. Tomorrow there will be an article published online in the Truck Camper Magazine which is a great online magazine that has lots of great information and story's about people like me that feel all the tires needed for camping should be on your truck not on the camper.

Well thank all of you for following and a special thank you to TCM for making a donation to America's VetDogs I really look forward to showing off the article.

Dog days of summer

Just a quick update this week. Iris and I have slowed down and taken some time for ourselves this week. We're resting relaxing and all around wishing that the hot and humid of summer in New England would tone back just a bit. 

My wife, Iris and I decided to escape the swelter of the inland heat to catch the ocean breeze and relax in one of our favorite places, Charlestown Breachway, Rhode Island. Here are a few pictures of Iris hanging out this morning. 

Here's the view from where she was laying.

Yes she likes hanging in the sun also!

Well this week we have a couple phone interviews, a meet and greet with thirty two signs about them possibly being the company that wraps the camper and then the New England Strongman championships. More next week till then stay cool enjoy the summer.

Here is a post from Facebook this morning pretty much sums this up for me. Water shade serenity her views guess this is what they call a service dogs life. Our camper is the central stop for many campers wanting their animal fix since the campground has a no pet policy. So glad I carry info on VetDogs and the guide dog foundation, so many people want to know more and how to donate. I tell them every penny counts and soon the camper will too! It will have it's own text to donate number so people can quickly donate via there cell phone.

Strength in numbers

So when given an opportunity to take on a new path or look on life I jump. When that path allows me to spend more time with my son and his friends that is even better. "50' closer to a cure" is a group of power lifters that have decided to use their strength to raise awareness and money for charities.

My son who has been into lifting and physical fitness for sometime now has gotten into the strongman side of things. My not being allowed to be active in this type of activity can now be lived vicariously through him and others competing while raising funds for good causes. The best part is that I am able to document the competitions with my camera skills (yes the proud dad syndrome).


Last week Iris and I were down in Plainfield, CT shooting pictures of these guys and gal's pulling a firetruck and this week we were up in Revere, MA watching them do a whole series of strongman exercises from pulling a tri-axle dump truck to a Viking Squat. You can see the pictures at http://photo.kphyfe.com/revere/  all profits from any sales of these pictures will go towards paying for the wrapping of the camper and gas to get Iris and myself along with the camper to the competitions.

Please spread the word that these very good people are helping our communities all over. They have also said they want to and will be working out a way to help America's VetDogs. Yes the pun was intended...

For all those wondering I did get back up to New Hampshire with the camper for some relax time after the time in Chicago and the trip into NYC never came to be. So last week ended up being a nice relaxing week for me.

There was a neat twist that surprised me for sure, I received a call from the group that had sponsored the trip in February for the VetDog Charity cruise. Jen and I won the two tickets for paradise (of course Iris also). We are very excited about this trip and are working out the details of how we will make it all work out as far as travel and cost. Flying makes the most sense with Jen and her work schedule but taking the camper and talking about VetDogs all the way down and back is my preferred method. We will have to see how it all works out, either way it is out of the budget cost so we may even think about having some form of a fund raiser for the fundraiser. Let me know if anyone is interested in helping me out with setting something like that up for a travel fund. We will be on the ship for 7 days and the funds raised onboard will be donated to America's VetDogs.

Finally a moment to reflect

So why am I starting off with the image of the button that Iris hit's? Well it always amazes people that she is actually trained to hit a button that calls directly to 911, so I figured that today a quick view of that would remind us all why Iris is so amazing and such a life saver to me. She still practices with this button and soon we will have a new modified version to work with the GPS enabled button that makes our trips in the camper less stressful for everyone else.

After what seems like a month of sundays Iris and I have had a few days of doing nothing. Yes nothing is a good thing once in a while especially if you need to take care of yourself and don't really do a good job at that. We finished our trip to Chicago up on Thursday afternoon getting home to more rain. As if the rains in Chicago that had me delayed a day were not enough, go figure.

This weather pattern has allowed us to put the camper on hold along with the yard work and any other kind of four letter words. We did have one trip over to Providence to see the doctors yesterday where they confirmed that I am doing fine at this point but should relax a bit over the next weeks to get some more energy back. We do not know if the new medicine is causing the extra tiredness or if it is the extra activity. Of course if you ask me I will claim that it is the meds and I really just need to push through the phase and keep going so I do not miss out on anything. 

I figured I would pop a picture of Iris and I hanging out at the Mystic Aquarium with one of the Beluga whales to show off some of our past travels. She is so great. She  really could care less about the whales but boy the whales were super interested in her. We hope to get back down to visit with them again soon.

We did get an email on Friday asking if we would be willing to take a quick day trip into NYC to do a TV interview if it came up but have heard nothing else on that at this point. The good news is that I have already worked out to grab some Daddy time with my daughter if that does come to fruition. If not Iris and I plan on hiding in the downstairs TV area on the 4th with the tv louder then normal till the fireworks are over and maybe Friday we will get out and get some pictures if all goes well. Rumor has it the Sunflowers may even be out in Griswold.

Let's talk about Chicago, what a trip. I can't say thank you enough to the open hearts of the members of the NCMS https://www.ncms-seminar.org/Home/index.asp they were wonderful host. America's VetDogs was their primary charity for this years convention and they raised a good amount of money there while at the convention and I am sure when the attendees get back to their local groups and explain about how they were touched by VetDogs even more will happen. I know for a fact that a good number of people want to get into the puppy raising side of things along with sponsoring dogs and a host of other functions. So many of them are prior military and or have been around the military that they really want to help our nations veterans.





The Young lady below is Melissa Stockwell an amazing young women soldier.

Melissa Stockwell

@MStockwell01 Follow her on Twitter

3x Paratriathlon World Champion, Paralympian, Prosthetist, Motivational Speaker, Triathlon Coach, Army Veteran, and lover of the red, white and blue. Go USA!

melissastockwell.com

I only wish that I could bottle the energy I took away from my talking to each and every one of them so that I could pass it along to others that have not been bitten by the charity of helping others. To listen to all of their stories of friends and families being affected in so many ways pushing their hearts to open and freely give to other Veterans they have never met but know need service animals to change their lives was such a blessing for me. Iris truly has rescued me but the people I come in contact with daily out there in the community that she touches with her eyes and story of helping me continues to rescue others.

All I can say is thank you all that allow me to carry this message to so many.

Yes this is Iris's newest Boyfriend Jake as they sit in the conference hall. They even hung out holding paws! So cute. Iris just wished he did not live in Chicago and that they both were not always working so often. 

Late post from Chicago

Well Iris and I are sitting in the Marriott downtown Chicago waiting for or ride over to speak at NCMS convention. This group of security professionals have decided to make America's VetDogs their charity cause for this year. Wells Jones and myself will be speaking to the entire group first thing this morning then doing handshakes the rest of the day till a dinner tonight. They put on a nice social last night and many of the individual groups from around the country also want to do something autonomously which we hope to help facilitate while we're here this week.

Many of the members and leaders of these groups are past military and work very closely with the military now so it was a great fit for their organization they told me in our discussions last evening. This is a wonderful way to get groups involved as a whole and makes it easier on individuals also so if anyone out there knows of organizations that might be interested in sponsoring a puppy or naming a puppy vetdogs does a real nice job of tracking that dog through the process and even facilitates a meeting if you want with the recipient veteran upon graduation. I know the grads in my class really enjoyed meeting all the people that helped make getting our dogs possible.

On another note, Iris and I will be heading north into the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire when we return to the east coast. So next weeks entry will hopefully have picture again. In the meantime here is one from the super moon enjoy all!

Great news on all fronts

After a weeks absence we are back and writing. Just because we've been remiss in putting pen to paper does not mean that we have not been busy little campers.

Before we start talking about travels lets get the best news out of the way. Our stay, and yes I mean our, Iris was able to stay in the hospital with me after the first night. The even better news is the new medicine that I was trying out has been working very well and appears to have had the desired effect. Thank God for modern medicine. Iris has actually been letting me sleep through the night which is actually something new to me. She still wakes me if I am having nightmares but the fact that she lets me sleep the rest of the time is something new, I have even had to set an alarm clock a couple times to make sure I am up in the morning.

 So as you can tell by the pictures of us in the hospital Iris made herself very comfortable. The staff loved her and constantly asked if they could take her for walks (I never let them). I had telemetry on that allowed me free reign of the hospital and up to 30 ft outside so I was able to break her on my own. During our walks we were able to answer many questions about service dogs and what they do along with hand out information about America's VetDogs. Hopefully some of the veterans I spoke with will be able to put their applications in and move on with their lives in the same way I have.

Once we left the hospital we hit the road running. Or maybe I should say stopping and getting hit??? Not but a couple miles down the road we were hit from behind by a truck that accidentally hit his break and gas peddle at the same time. The insurance person just finished the estimate prior to my starting today's writing and I will say I was surprised by his estimate. They say there is almost $6,000 in damage done to the rear end. Not to worry though it will all be fixed next week and no one was injured which is the most important part of that side story.

Last week Iris and I flew up to the New York State VFW Convention where we spoke to both the VFW and the Women's Auxiliary. It was a fun time got to meet another veteran and his service dog. It is alway great to share time with brothers esp others with similar experiences where words are not needed to understand. His service Dog was a beautiful Lab from America's VetDogs that was all dressed up for the occasion by Dennis's youngest daughter. Both his wife and daughter were able to drive down from the Ft Drum area where he still lives. I love hearing how the families are affected by these service dogs. I know how much Iris means to the Phyfe family at large but to see it in others seems to make it really stand out in my mind. Thank you Dennis and I look forward to hearing you get up and share soon, you did a great job telling your story at the tables the next step is to get you up front.

Our Flight home was quite the ordeal! We flew up on US Airways and got routed through Philly which is a bit out of the way but acceptable.  The way home we were on United and flew from Buffalo to Cleveland to get back to Providence. Talk about the long way around the horn. Thought we were back in the army or something with that routing but we made the best of it. One very big lesson learned is that the TSA and Airport people really do not yet have a handle on service animals and how to handle them. We have had a bone of contention with the fact that every airport we have been to so far has had their break area outside on the public side of the terminal. This is a huge inconvenience for anyone traveling with a service dog who has a short layover and long flights. Having to clear through security and carry all your bags out of the airport and usually to the same area the smoking area is is a major pain. I would love it if people started writing congress and TSA asking to create an area inside of security that service animals could be taken to go to the bathroom. Nuff said I know!!

Ok for all those wondering yes we did go camping again even with all that flying. We did a trip up into southern New Hampshire and then another down to the coast of RI. The weather has been less then desirable but that will not stop me nor Iris from getting out and enjoying the outdoors. The picture show is a shot taken from the front seat of the truck while Jen is still asleep with the fog and peaceful water where we camped. The ability to put the camper in the back and run out to a spot is just such a freeing feeling I wish everyone could do it. But since so many can't I will do it for you. This week I will be going to the Massachusetts state prison in Framingham to speak to the puppy raisers. I also hope to go to either Vermont or New Hampshire to camp for a couple days.

Until next week God Bless!


   

Late but forgotten (many excuses)

Yes many excuses I am sure but the reality is I forgot. Lot's of things happening that have had Iris and I very busy. As mentioned in the last entry we did our planned trip to Smithtown, NY and had a great visit at the Foundation (America's VetDogs).

Some of the things we did while there were a good amount of video that hopefully will be linked to the upcoming website that will be put in place to track the travel adventures of Iris and I. We also spent a lot of time talking about how to tastefully decorate the camper so as to represent America's VetDogs Corporate Image while still giving me the leeway to show that this is a personal gift of giving to insure other veterans are able to get more dogs for the future. I can not wait to see what the designers come up with.

That is a shot of the Truck Camper combinations floating for the first time on the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson Ferry. One of the best parts of this setup is that Iris and I will be able to ride on most ferry's or other toll systems for the price of a regular vehicle because nothing hangs over the bumper. This makes it much easier for us to get to any and all locations even those remote locations so if you want to have an event for VetDogs please let me know and lets make it happen. 

For those that do not follow me personally on my other social media sites I will not be updating this blog next week due to medical issues. I will be in the hospital for a minimum of 4 days but hope to be out ASAP with a clean bill of health to resume traveling. The worst part of the trip to the hospital is that I will not be able to have Iris there with me. She will be allowed to come and visit but because it is a Cardiac Care Unit and I will not be allowed off the unit itself I will not be able to take care of her needs. So for her health and safety she will stay with family at home.

I had better get out of the hospital in the 4 days because the week after that little stay Iris and I will be up in Downtown Buffalo speaking at the New York State VFW convention. My personal plan is that I will get out of the Hospital and take a couple days and head to a quiet little campground in Southern New Hampshire called Pillsbury State Park and hope to get some pictures of some loons and moose to relax before heading off to Buffalo. 

As part of my getting ready for the upcoming adventures I have a new toy to play with, a 17-40 Canon L Series Ultra wide angle lens. I took a few shots with it yesterday of Iris and I think it will be a fun one to give a different perspective. Here are a few shots I took just playing around with the camera and lens outside.

As always be safe everyone and thank you all for following our travels.

Wrapping things up

Ok so that is a bad title but I have never been one to leave a bad pun alone. Iris and I will be leaving CT on Wed for a trip to Smithtown, NY the home of The Guide Dog Foundation & America's VetDogs. We will be sitting down with the folks down there to discuss the plans and design for the camper/RV wrap. Because this organization has helped change my life and so many other veterans lives the last thing I would want to do is start this campaign on a sour note with them by doing something without their input.

The Great news though is that this means we are moving forward and the dream of having a moving billboard that constantly makes everyone aware of the needs of our returning veterans is one step closer. After a long phone call with the marketing folks they came up with some great ideas. Some of those ideas should really help things along as far as getting the message out and allowing people to track the travels we do.

Already the Livin-Lite Company "http://http://www.livinlite.com" has already posted information about the camper and America's VetDogs in the testimonial section of their website along with highlighting our travels on their facebook pages. I have personally had many emails coming to me asking questions about the camper the travels and Americas VetDogs. This is such a great feeling to have that pull of being a part of something that is going to do great things for so many people.

Some of the ideas that are coming out of the brainstorming are a follow page that will be better at informing everyone what is happening then this personal blog currently does. On that page there will be a way to make donations and see goals that we will set up. Personally tracking the financial side is more than I am interested in but the being able to have peoples comments and stories could really be something in my opinion. The financial stuff is great because I do not have to do any of it so I can focus   on spreading the message.

I have had two professional photographers offer to get shots of Iris and I doing stuff so hopefully we will get more then just the camera phone shots up sooner than later. Thank you to Maggie and Bonnie for the offers and watch out I know that Iris is a great subject but getting a shot of me that doesn't break your lens is going to be a challenge.

Just so you know that Iris and I are traveling still we spent more time down on the beach while the pre-season is still keeping others away and also made it up to the lower mountains of New England for some nice walking and relaxing. With the trip out to the Island this week we will work on a few of the trip plans for the summer and holidays. I know that we have had request from SC, NC, DE, MI, MT, and TN so far for us to come visit. I also have been in contact with the person who raised Iris after she was rescued from the pound while she was at UGA which got me to thinking that I would love to visit the puppy raising program that UGA so graciously does for the Guide Dog Foundation. I have a relative that had a daughter just graduate from there and her comment was that she thought that the dogs were only for Blind people. It would be great to let them see that the graduation rate on dogs has been increased because dogs can now be placed as service dogs or guide dogs.

So many topics so little time. I guess I should wrap it up ASAP (I know another terrible pun)! I thank everyone for their support and please pass the word about what I am doing so that we grow this mission. Prays to all of you and I hope to see you on the road soon.

Kent

The week in Review:

This past week was a week of slowing things down some while doing the doctors visits of course. I truly believe that one of the reasons the VA schedules so many appointments for me is they want to see Iris walking the halls, she seems to put smiles on so many people staff and patients included.

On one of our visits last week we had an experience that was quite interesting. For those of you that have my Facebook Feed this is old news but for those that do not you may find it interesting. Many times since I have had the blessing of having Iris I have had the opportunity to educate business's and individuals about service dogs and where they are allowed and how they are used. It is something I love to do and Iris makes it so easy to do. She has such a wonderful personality that disarms people and allows them to feel at ease around her.

So on with the story, Iris and I had a doctors appointment with the Providence VA Cardiologist so we approached the VA as always through the main entrance to check in. As we rounded the corner to the sign-in desk there was another person with a "Service Dog", I have that quoted because this dog was not vested nor was he under control. I immediately placed Iris in a sit to make sure I had control of her and then back out the door. I was not going to turn our backs to this other team especially since the "Service Dog" was a Pit Bull. I am not one of those people that feel pit bulls are an evil breed set on this world to do nothing but fight and bite. However I do believe the way these dogs are trained and handled will determine how they act. This veteran's method of getting control of his dog was to hit his dog with his fist on the top of the head which if you ask me is no way to treat any animal be it dog or human.

What was the outcome of this encounter? Iris and I waited outside until the person finished checking in so we would not tempt his "Service Dog" and they went on to their appointment. Once the coast was clear we went in checked in and proceeded to our Appointment. Little did we know that the wheels had been set in motion by others by contacting the VA police units and soon after arriving at our appointment one of the shift leaders came to where we were. He unfortunately was rather ignorant to the rules and regulations for service dogs and the VA. Seeing an opportunity I whipped out my handy iPad and proceeded to allow him to read the ADA and VA reg's. He ask many questions and was very interested in learning more. Iris and I have done other education seminars at this facility so I suggested that if he felt it would help that we could come back and do one for his officers.

During the time we were talking the other team actually walked past were we were and his dog decided that Iris still looked like a nice lunch snack and they were both asked to leave and escorted out of the building. The VA is not required to adhere to the ADA because it is a federal facility just in case my readers did not know that. Although the ADA does state that the Service Animal must be under control at all times and not be deemed a nuisance or danger. If it is it can be asked to leave and denied access in the future also.

We did go back later that week and do a training session with the day shift for the VA Police and it went extremely well. This particular VA has a number of Service Dogs that go through it with no issues regularly and this is the first time they have had an issue that they have had where they have had to ask someone to leave. I am grateful that it was with me and not another veteran that may not have the wherewithal to handle the stress's of dog on dog issues and ADA, ADI access all at the same time. This was a win win solution for everyone except the person the person with the pit bull service dog that is now unable to have that dog in the VA.

That brings me to my last point. It is a personal point but I feel strongly about this and hope that when people that are looking for a service dog they will take this into thought. There are no rules on the type of dog that can or can't be trained to be a service dog. Many people love certain breeds and I understand that with all my heart, I personally love Lab's and Malamutes. I know that the Malamute scares some people and when taking that into account I do not think it would be a good breed for me to have as a service dog. My service dog is there to allow me to be healthy happy and a part of the community, if I have a dog that draws attention to itself through fear because of breed I in fact am putting pressure on myself in the community I want to regain access into. In my opening sentence's I mentioned how Iris has this ability to disarm peoples fears and I think that America's VetDogs knows this and picks dogs that have this quality. Getting a well trained well suited service dog is paramount in my recovery and placement back into society. As a disabled person wanting to be enabled I need to be prepared to look past my breeds of choice and accept a breed of acceptance to really make things work well.

Ok those are my thoughts for the week. Soapbox dismounted enjoy the day it is what we have.

“We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.” 
― Chuck Palahniuk

Great time to be alive!

Here we are again only two days later then I originally planned to publish this weeks blog. I will admit that the reasons for not getting it out on time are completely acceptable on my scale of reasons for missing my self imposed deadlines. I was camping with my wife and Iris out on a deserted beach in RI. So as much as I want to share the adventures if I am in the middle of them I will not stop them most likely to write.

The past week has been a busy week for me.

Of course last weeks blog we discussed the Annapolis 5k race for America's VetDogs, since then I have received some more pictures from a great professional photographer who specializes in pet photography. She is married to an active duty Navy Flyer and wants to let any veterans and active duty people know that if they want professional pet work done, give her a call she will volunteer her services. Can't beat that if you ask me. Her name is Bonnie Grower and her web address is http://bonniegrower.com check it out. Here are a couple of shots she took while at the event.

Last Friday and Saturday I was asked to take part in an informational day with the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton MA. I was up there with another Graduate from the Guide Dog Foundation which is the parent organization of America's VetDogs. The two of us were there to discuss training, use and many other aspects of guide and service dogs to the disabled communities. The event was a fund raiser for the school itself but the exposure for both The Guide Dog Foundation and America's VetDogs was excellent and well received. We gave out lots of handouts and hopefully raised awareness and created new potential donors for these organizations. We had so many people completely taken by Iris & Tom the other guide as we demonstrated the uses of these dogs in everyday life. Here is our morning setup before the crowds took over.

OK that should be enough for this week hope everyone enjoys our posting. If you want more or less please drop me an email at kent@kphyfe.com and I will try to my best to tailor this to give you all what you want. Remember this is the month that Memorial Day fall's in if your school or organization would like to have a veteran or active duty service member come speak please don't wait till the last minute before asking. I know that Iris and I love to go out and speak when asked but our schedule gets busy early.  

Hello all, I know I've said this in the past but I hope to make this work this time.  Been almost a year since the last entry.

So what's going on? Simple, lots and lots! Iris and I have traveled quite a bit in the past yr some for America's VetDogs and some for family fun. (Lots for those pesky doctors)

That plan to put together a roaming billboard is becoming a reality. 3 weeks ago I purchased a brand new camplite 5.7 truck camper for my 2006 Toyota Tacoma and since then we have traveled to RI, MA, MD and have plans on being in Boston later this week.

I will update more later today but for now take a moment and go to http://photo.kphyfe.com/avd_5k to check out the many pictures from the successful fundraiser done in Annapolis MD last weekend. I heard through unofficial channels that they raised over 50,000 dollars to go to America's VetDogs.

Busy Busy Busy!

Sorry for not staying on top of this blog. Iris and I have been gallivanting all over the place spreading the word about VetDogs and The Guide Dog Foundation.

UPDATE: as of last Friday Iris was 12 in the national polling for the HeroDog Awards. Please take a moment to go vote today if you have not already done so. The link is  http://www.herodogawards.org/vote/?nominee=38969345# We have about 4 weeks or so to jump to the top.

We just finished up with a radio interview that will be aired tomorrow I will attempt to link that to our FaceBook pages and will put it on the webserver in time also. Here is the link for the to media files. http://www.kphyfe.com/Kent_Phyfe_Photography/Movie.html

I got a new camera last week so we all know what that means. Yes more pictures of Iris and the family so here is one of the more recent of Iris that I love. Iris

SO next week Iris and I will be in NY at the Guide Dog Foundation for Council training so updates will be short and sweet. Be sure to follow our Facebook pages for the most updates. The week after we will be down in Manhattan doing an interview for PBS. As I know more I will update.

Achievement Rule #1 - Ignore the Naysayers

Achievement Rule #1 - Ignore the Naysayers