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What a Year for War Dogs!

From incredible events that bring together the K-9 family to record-breaking fundraisers and more support for retired MWDs given than ever before, Our president, Chris Willingham, reflects on another busy year for our organization.


K-9 Veterans Day


As 2023 draws to a close, I’ve been thinking a lot about some of my personal highlights for what has been a very busy year. There are many moments to choose from:

  • Welcoming several new members to the team, who have increased our capabilities to make us more effective than ever before.
  • Seeing scores of people choose US War Dogs as the beneficiary of their fundraising efforts, from ultra marathon runners to college students selling hot dogs.
  • Receiving personal donations from our loyal supporters and those who have been moved by our mission to support us financially.
  • Adding new corporate supporters to our roster and working with loyal and established brands, whose fundraising efforts make an immeasurable difference to the services we can offer.
  • Our first commemoration of K-9 Veterans Day at the Navy Museum in Washington D.C.



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Volunteers, supporters and friends - you’re all a valued part of our organization


This short list of highlights represents a multitude of special moments for me – from the opening of an envelope and reading a personal letter that accompanies a financial contribution to our cause, to watching dog teams from all branches of service salute the fallen at our K-9 Veterans Day celebration, back in March. But if you forced me to pick my all-time favorite highlights from 2023, it would be the strides we’ve made to increase the care we provide to MWDs – active and retired. In 2023 we:


  • Provided 300 care packages and specialized gear requests to dog teams both on deployment and working on home soil.
  • Arranged to cover the cost of emergency veterinary care to 21 dogs, to the tune of $97,000
  • Covered the cost of prescription medications to 1,200 retired MWDs, saving handlers and adoptive families $134,514.
  • Adding The Dawgs Project and The Ddamien Project as official US War Dogs partners, joining our longstanding chapters; US War Dogs Chapter 3, Michigan War Dogs Memorial, and Mission K-9 Rescue.



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Meet some of the K-9s and partners that we are supporting


Expanding the ways that we can support our K-9 community gives us a huge sense of pride, but we are only able to continue to do this, with the help of our generous donors and friends. To every single person, business, community group and funder who has supported our cause - I can’t thank you enough. Please know that you are making a real difference to our organization and to the dogs and families who rely on us.


A look back at the Fall


The last quarter of this year has been filled with so many things to celebrate and be grateful for. We were honored to be invited to the rededication of the Guardians of the Night MWD monument at Lackland Air Force Base, TX, in October. On that same weekend, our War Dogs board member, Alex Schnell, picked up puppy program arrival, OOx, who is learning all about the big wide world while Alex and his wife Maddie foster him until he is ready to return to Lackland for basic training. 


Our board came together to attend the rededication of the K-9 monument in Texas


Deciding to foster OOx was part of the grieving process, having lost Bass earlier this year. US Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) multi purpose canine (MPC) Bass, passed away following a battle with cancer. He was 13 years old and had enjoyed an illustrious career comprising five deployments, for which he was decorated with the PDSA Dickin Medal and the Animals in War and Peace Medal of Bravery. 


OOx is a fast learner


OOx is continuing to thrive under Alex and Maddie’s care and we can’t wait to see him embark on his career.




We were thrilled to be the subject of a month-long fundraising from veteran-owned brand, Vortex. Throughout November, proceeds from the sale of the firm’s dog collars were donated to our cause, with regular posts on Vortex’ social media pages, helping us to gain exposure to their millions of fans and followers. We can’t thank Vortex enough for their incredible support.


Veteran-owned Vortex supported us with a fundraiser throughout November


Our care package program kicked into gear in time for Christmas, with gear items and gifts being sent out to teams across the globe. Care packages play a special part in our heritage and we love being able to spread some festive cheer with a selection of quality items, hand-picked for deployed K-9s and their handlers.


As we look ahead to 2024, we promise to continue to be there for this community and to help MWDs and their handlers – active and retired – to show our honor and appreciation for them and to alleviate the financial burden of their care, as much as we can.


All that remains is for me to say thank you for your continued loyal support and have a safe and peaceful Christmas. We’ll see you in 2024!


K-9 leads the way!



A Final Update for 2024!

December 28, 2024
A Final Update for 2024! The last three months of 2024 have been action-packed, with US War Dogs’ suite of programs providing well-deserved support for our K-9 community. A busy final quarter means that the overall care we’ve been able to provide this year has been incredible! Let’s dig into the details… Supporting Our Retired K-9 Heroes We’ve signed up 91 new retired MWDs to our Rx program and spent over $167,000 on treatments through our Emergency Care program. We are particularly proud of this program, as it was developed in response to the need arising from within the community and through conversations with handlers and adoptive families about the challenges they face.  Since rolling out this program last year, we’ve not seen a single Go Fund Me page for retired MWDs, needing support with treatments. This is something we are exceptionally proud of. Read more about some of the recipients of care through the program, like Rex, SSeneca and Gunner.

In Conversation With… US Army dog handler and Purple Heart recipient, Alec Alcoser

December 28, 2024
In Conversation With… US Army dog handler and Purple Heart recipient, Alec Alcoser

War Dogs Turns 25!

September 27, 2024
War Dogs Turns 25! As our big birthday year fast approaches, we have some very special dates for your calendar in 2025, as we look forward to celebrating our quarter-century in epic style.

War Dogs Summer

September 27, 2024
War Dogs Summer Our president, Chris Willingham, takes a look back at our work and our impact across July, August and September.  The last three months have been super busy for US War Dogs. Our vital support for the K-9 community continues to increase as word spreads further about who we are and what we do. We love nothing more than signing up new retired MWDs to our Rx Program and providing vital support when dogs and their families need it most, and this last quarter has been no exception. We were thrilled to welcome 18 new dogs to our Rx Program this quarter, including US Navy patrol and explosive detection dog (PEDD) Ivo, who retired with his former handler, Dan. Notorious as being the most aggressive dog in the kennels at NAS Lemoore, CA, six-year-old Ivo has become the model house dog in retirement, lounging and enjoying meeting new people. Ivo was retired with lumbar-spinal stenosis, so the provision of medications through the Rx Program will really help alleviate the financial burden for Dan and his family. Welcome to the pack, Ivo!

Volunteer Highlight: Kim Roberson

August 16, 2024
Volunteer Highlight: Kim Roberson The team at US War Dogs is almost completely made up of retired, honorably discharged or current serving members of K-9. Kim Roberson is the trainer at Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska. She takes excellent care of our social media and we are blessed to have her as part of the team. We chatted with Kim to learn more about her military service and experiences and why she chose to dedicate her precious free time to US War Dogs.

Supporting our K-9 Heroes – Q2 Update, 2024

June 29, 2024
Supporting our K-9 Heroes – Q2 Update, 2024 An update from our president, Chris Willingham Our mission to provide practical support to MWDs, their handlers and families, has been in full swing during the second part of this year and we are thrilled to share with you some facts and figures about the kind of care we have provided, by means of your generosity. Veterinary Care Take-up of our care programs has continued to grow this quarter, as word spreads about our mission and the kind of help that we provide. From April to June, we received 21 Rx Applications and spent over $35,000 on medications for dogs on the program.

Memorials and Memories

June 29, 2024
Memorials and Memories The second portion of 2024 has been significant for many reasons. Alongside the delivery of service to help retired MWDs in practical ways, we have also been busy supporting the K-9 community in other ways too. Our president, Chris Willingham, reflects on three special events this quarter that War Dogs has been proud to be a part of: the dedication of the K-9 memorial at Fort Drum, NY, the US Army’s Annual MWD Symposium in Michigan and the fourth annual US Marine Corps K-9 handlers’ reunion at Camp Pendleton, CA. Memorializing our K-9 Heroes When retired US Army colonel Christine Stark contacted US War Dogs to ask for help with a memorial that the K-9 team at Fort Drum had spent a decade working on, the board and I were intrigued to hear more about the project. As you may have read in our interview with Christine, the memorial took on new life when the Eddy family wanted to make a financial donation to the K-9 section on base, in memory of their late father, William Eddy. When Christine volunteered to act as conduit between the family and the Army – utilizing her years of military service – plans were set in motion to connect the family with their aspiration to honor the MWDs that had served out of Fort Drum. US War Dogs has a long history of supporting the dedication of monuments to honor K-9. It is part of our mission to raise the status and awareness of what our MWDs bring to the table and how their service has been pivotal in protecting our nation’s freedom. A monument has the power to do that and we are honored to have played a part in bringing this poignant tribute to life.  I was fortunate to attend the dedication ceremony of the monument in May, which was attended by base personnel and the Eddy family, who were both proud and emotional to see a permanent tribute to their father unveiled.

In Conversation With… Retired US Army Colonel, Christine Stark

June 29, 2024
In Conversation With… Retired US Army Colonel, Christine Stark After spending a 32-year career in the US Army, Colonel Christine Stark (ret) had her fair share of experience and a well-earned respect for K-9. But little did she know that a chance meeting with the daughter of a Korean War era veteran would ignite a passion project that had MWDs at its very heart: The dedication of a memorial to honor the MWDs who served out of Fort Drum, NY. Although Christine never worked directly within K-9, her role as a unit commander meant that she often had K-9 teams within her sphere of responsibility. “It became a tradition to invite me to the kennels to don a bite suit and test my mettle against the dogs when I joined a new detachment. I never turned down the opportunity – and have the scars to prove it.”

In conversation with… Vietnam dog handler Sebastian Cardella

June 29, 2024
In conversation with… Vietnam dog handler Sebastian Cardella

Volunteer Spotlight: US War Dogs Vice President, Chuck Rotenberry

March 28, 2024
Volunteer Spotlight: US War Dogs Vice President, Chuck Rotenberry Former US Marine Corps dog handler and trainer, Chuck Rotenberry, has been our organization’s vice president since 2021, supporting the board in making positive changes to increase support and ensure the future of US War Dogs. But before joining our team, Chuck enjoyed a rich and varied career in K-9 – bringing with him hard-fought life experiences that include a serious combat injury that totally changed the course of his life. So, on Chuck’s Alive Day, we spoke to him about his career, his combat injury and how giving back has become inherent to him.
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