Shelly Holbrook, news@greenepublishing.com
Lifelong Madison County resident, Chris O'Brian, has a great deal to be excited about in 2022. In 2021, O'Brian began Forgotten Coast K9, a non-profit organization which trains dogs for members of law enforcement and military affected by their service. The goal of Forgotten Coast K9 is to provide service dogs to first responders and military to help aid in their emotional and psychological well-being through private and corporate donations. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression are often experienced by the individuals who have served and protected our country, at home and abroad. In fact, approximately 22 military and first responders lives are lost each day in the United States due to suicide. Forgotten Coast K9 strives to reduce the amount of military and first responder suicides that happen each day through their service dog program. Individuals who work with Forgotten Coast K9 have experienced reduced depression, anxiety and PTSD, while receiving a dog and learning how to work with it and train it. These special service dogs are trained to be very attentive to their handler and have shown to help increase emotional and psychological well-being in their owners.
On Thursday, Feb. 3, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Forgotten Coast K9 held their first graduation for trainers and their service dogs in Madison. The individuals who graduated participated in a program called “Build a Battle Buddy,” which is offered through Forgotten Coast K9. In this graduating class, three veteran graduates completed the certified dog-trainer program, and each completed the training with their own service dog. These graduates received their puppies when they were just eight weeks old, and that is when they began training with their pups. Much of the training is done online, so what this means is that Forgotten Coast K9 can and does effectively help law enforcement and service members all over the country. The online training portion of this program actually begins before the participant even receives their dog. They work online, being educated on how to begin the process and what it will take to ensure successful training with their service dog. For eight to 10 weeks prior to receiving their puppy, trainer participants have been online building foundational skills. When the learning trainers receive their pups, then the real work begins, and O'Brian shares that this whole process of getting trained and receiving their puppy is all therapeutic. In fact, O'Brian shares that when he calls to tell a potential trainee candidate that they have been accepted into the program, their demean and voice instantly begin changing. It gives the training veteran something to get excited about and work towards, which helps decrease their depression, anxiety and whatever else they may be battling. Forgotten Coast K9's first graduating class consisted of three veteran graduates: Brooks Andrews, a United States Air Force Veteran who worked with his service dog, Bane; Shelby Faucher, also a United States Air Force Veteran, and she graduated with her dog, Lexi; and, Valerie Hollingsworth, a United States Marine veteran, who graduated with her dog, Tiny Dog.
Great things continue to be on the horizon for Forgotten Coast K9 – which means great things are in store for members of law enforcement and veterans. O'Brian and several board members from Forgotten Coast K9 were able to lobby in the Florida legislature for increased awareness for their charity to help aide in mental health and emotional well-being for veterans and first responders. O'Brian was able to speak before the Florida House of Representatives and bring along his dog, Sophie, to discuss the importance of the work they are doing at Forgotten Coast K9, and how they are striving to minimize the number of service member and first responder suicides.
In addition to the potential legislative awareness, Forgotten Coast K9 has also recently had a song written just for their business, by Nashville artist and country singer, Joe Michaels. This specially-written song, titled, “The Pain You Don't Know,” was released through social media and their website on Friday, Feb. 18. The song will be combined with video footage from Forgotten Coast K9, and it is about service members and first responders and the struggle that so many of them have with PTSD. This song and video footage will be put together in a special music video and will be used to help promote Forgotten Coast K9 and the work they're doing, as well as acknowledge the emotional and mental trauma endured by so many service members who feel alone in their pain.
Forgotten Coast will soon begin their next round of training, with the hopes of eventually having graduating classes in the size of seven graduates at a time. In addition to working steadfastly with veterans who are training their pups, O'Brian and his team at Forgotten Coast K9 work on raising funds for their charity and helping educate and promote what they do and why they do it.