Taz & Ty's Home Page

Jen with 3 adopted border collies Ty, Taz, and Reese with Trainer Skip Brandon

Reese, Ty, Taz and Jennifer Watwood with Trainer Skip Brandon

I have worked in the medical field for seventeen years at a very prominent medical clinic in Central Florida. After meeting my husband we moved to Kentucky and I wanted to take a break from the medical field. I started working with different types of dogs learning their behavior, temperaments, and training them. While I was in this transition I was able to witness firsthand the difficulties that Soldiers were having after coming home from Iraq. Even though my husband and I were not married at the time he deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom I hearing his stories after coming back truly worried me. This is when I discovered what I need to do to give back to our nations Heroes that have given so much but get nothing in return.

Many Soldiers returning injured are laid up in hospital beds and are still separated from their families for an even longer period of time while they are recovering from the physical and mental wounds. A dog is truly a man’s best friend no matter what kind of mood they are in the moment a dog is brought in the mood drastically changes.

TAZ is a rescued Border Collie from the South Carolina Border Collie rescue and he is approximately 2 years old. Many Scientist believe that Border Collie’s have a brain capacity of a ten year old child. I have been able to take from a green dog to a well trained companion. We have trained together with some of the Countries premier Dog Trainers Cindy Duane- President of the International Association for Canine Professionals, Justine Oakwood of Full Moon Dog training right here in Richmond Hill. Taz’s training includes Basic and Advanced Training Certificates and he is currently a member of the American Kennel Club’s Cane Good Citizens.

My vision and goal is very simple First and foremost I want to play an intricate part in our Wounded Warriors transition. I simply want to give our Soldiers and outlet for five or ten minutes to allow them to get their minds off of what is going on and be a kid again with simply playing ball, walking, talking, or whatever they would wish to do with TAZ. This is a very simple idea but I believe that it is a necessary part of their recovery and would allow them to find themselves again. Help me help our Warriors and set them up for success during their long road of recovery in which they face.

Jennifer Watwood