Dedication and Heart in Service Dog Training for Veterans

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Sarah Moffitt. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

Sarah Moffitt’s journey as a volunteer for Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) began in 2019, and since then, she has been passionately supporting the organization. Her dedication to raising service dogs and her commitment to the veterans they serve make her an exceptional volunteer – always willing to go above and beyond to meet the needs of WCC, its service dogs in training and the veterans benefiting from their companionship. 

Raising a service dog is no small feat. It requires full-time commitment, patience and love, all of which Sarah provides in abundance. As a puppy raiser, she ensures that these future service dogs receive the best care and training possible. In addition to this full-time role, Sarah also serves as a puppy sitter, hosting dogs that need new placements or more specialized training, or simply a respite for other puppy raisers. Her willingness to take on more challenging dogs without hesitation is a testament to her dedication and passion for the cause. 

On average, Sarah volunteers six to ten hours a week. Her volunteer duties are varied and impactful. She helps lead classes for veterans, teaching them how to train service dogs that will eventually be given to other veterans. This process, known as Mission Based Trauma Recovery, involves veterans taking an active role in preparing the service dogs while benefiting from the therapeutic animal-human connection. Despite being a therapist by profession, Sarah’s work with veterans in this context is less overtly therapeutic, focusing more on the therapeutic process that naturally occurs as veterans engage in training and supporting young pups. 

Sarah’s role extends beyond just training the dogs. She has been instrumental in running puppy parent classes, troubleshooting and training raisers. She works with groups through veterans’ treatment courts and other agencies to create a supportive community for veterans. Sarah also supports veterans by taking dogs out into the community for training outings, providing crucial real-world experience for the dogs.  

Read on to find out more about Sarah’s volunteer work and why she’s so eager to support this cause. 

Tell us about your volunteer role. 

I am a volunteer trainer with Warrior Canine Connection. I help run groups and individual sessions with our service dog training instructors to help our veterans learn how to train our service dogs in training. I intermittently will help puppy raise or puppy-sit. I usually get some of our more sensitive dogs that need a soft touch or support in building confidence, because those are some of my strengths in training. I will help other trainers with whatever they need, if I have the space in my schedule to help. 

Why is this issue so important to you? 

I was raised in the Air Force as a dependent for my entire childhood and my sister married into the Army, so our family has always been impacted by military service. I’m passionate about our veterans – and also their families – receiving the support they need. I’m also a therapist by trade: an art therapist and marriage and family therapist. I really believe in alternative therapies and the impact they can have on individuals and families. As soon as I started working with WCC and our dogs, it was clear how effective the process can be in helping our veterans. 

What inspired you to get started with this initiative? 

The dogs! Well, first I met Amy Guidash, the program leader. I had moved to Asheville, NC, in the hopes of developing a dog training business, but initially got a job at our local hospital in the Emergency Department where Amy was also working. She was right at the beginning of setting up the Asheville Program and was looking for help. It seemed like a great opportunity.  

The first dog I remember training was Tallman. He was the sweetest yellow lab and he and I really clicked. I got to help teach him how to interrupt emotional distress by using stress cues. I think that was all it took! I fell in love with the dogs, the process and seeing our veterans do the same! 

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization? 

I would love to be able to spend more time supporting the Asheville Pack. In my dreams, we have a lovely training space that allows space for veterans and their families to come together and build community. I would love to see our capacity for more dogs grow, to create more puppy raisers and train more puppies. Because we are a small satellite, we have fewer dogs and they work really hard! We want to be able to give the dogs more down time as they are growing.  

I would also love to see us partner with other groups in our community to continue to build opportunities for our veterans to come together in lots of different settings. Additionally, I would love to see us have more partnered teams, meaning our veterans teamed up with a dog of their own. It takes a lot of work and investment to train a service dog and the demand is high. 

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work? 

Seeing our community grow and watching the veterans we work with be able to expand their lives. We have veterans who were very isolated and unable to handle social situations that go on outings with us and participate in events. It is amazing to see.  

It is also so very cool to see some of veterans that are teamed up with an actual service dog. Seeing the flexibility they are able to have in their lives and relationships as a result of the relationship with their dog is truly inspiring. I also just love spending time with Amy and Michele. We have so much fun with each other and the dogs always make us laugh. 

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer? 

I’ve really been able to re-connect to a military community and that has been valuable to me. The civilian world really is different and the camaraderie and support in the veteran community feels like home to me. I’ve learned to slow down, which is not my strength! Our dogs are low drive and I’m a high drive kind of girl so taking the time to be really present, take in the environment, have clear communication and helping the dogs to really think things through has helped me down-regulate some of my own stress in life.  

I have been able to build a non-traditional schedule around my desire to volunteer and have changed the way I think about my working life. I want to fill my life with things that fill me up and give me joy and volunteering with WCC absolutely delivers. And I have made some amazing and resilient friends and have come to realize that, in the end, community is what matters most to me for myself and what will help our veterans and families as well.  

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about? 

Having purpose and getting involved is powerful medicine. I work in a service-oriented career, but volunteering allows me the freedom to give in ways that fit my life and my available energy. You get to have fun, make friends and build awareness. 

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering? 

If you want to volunteer with WCC go to our website to see how you can get started. We are always willing to have people come in and see what we do and any little bit of help is greatly appreciated. If you want to volunteer in something else, think about the things that you love to do and see what opportunities there are locally for you to engage in.  

I’m considering volunteering at our local community garden, or helping with hiking trail and river clean-up. I’d also love to help kids learn how to train dogs. I think just seeing what your interests are and connecting to other people is the way to go. I’ve done a lot of reaching out to strangers to learn more about things I’m interested in. It can be anxiety provoking, but I’ve found that most people are out there looking for like-minded individuals and are happy to connect. Start small and then see how things bloom! 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Sarah? Find local volunteer opportunities.