Trans America Cycling Day 40 - Rest Day in Orange Beach, AL


1000 TADSAW Service Dog Teams Accredited

 Train A Dog-Save A Warrior (TADSAW) has announced that their 1000th service dog team has been accredited.  This is a major milestone in the life of the TADSAW program.  It means that 1000 veteran lives have potentially been saved.  The number may even be a conservative estimate, because for every warrior/service dog team that is accredited from having passed “final exam” tests, there are many more teams that have entered, received a dog and trained in the program.  Just because veterans for whatever reason could not make it through the entire program doesn’t mean that they did not grow and improve their lives from the experience with their dog.  The veterans would have cared for and trained their dog under the tutelage from the TADSAW trainer for some period of time.  In most cases the veteran still has their dog.  Even though they didn’t attain the status of Medical Alert Service Dog, the veteran and their dog are probably companions for life and soul mates that will care for one another well on into the future.


We toast Bart Sherwood for making all of this possible from his initiation of and nurturing of the TADSAW program.  He is the one who evaluates and counsels veterans who are thinking about applying for the program, through hours of phone calls each day.  Bart is the one who finds TADSAW trainers to train the warrior/service dog teams.  Without Bart none of this would have happened in the TADSAW program.  Three cheers for Bart for meeting such an important milestone!


Toast from the Save-22-A-Day Bicycle Tour to TADSAW and Program Director Bart Sherwood
for accrediting 1000 Veteran/Medical Alert Service Dog teams

Interview of TADSAW Trainer and Veteran with Service Dog

 On May 8 a TADSAW trainer, Manuela Connatser, and a veteran/service dog team (Robby and Reesie) that she trained were interviewed on WBIR Channel 10 television in Knoxville, TN.  The veteran explains how his Medical Alert Service Dog has changed his life for the better.  The interview is quite moving.  View the interview at: 

                                                    TADSAW television interview

TADSAW Announces 3 Times Match for Donations 
Supporting TADSAW Through the Save-22-a-Day Bicycle Tour

1. TADSAW has identified three donors who have each pledged $10,000 in matching funds for donations supporting TADSAW through the Save-22-a-Day Bicycle Tour.  Their pledges are in appreciation of the efforts of the cyclists who have cycled across the United States to benefit our Veterans.  Donate by going to the save22aday.org website and selecting the DONATE tab.

2. Donations associated with the the tour will be matched 3 for 1 until the total pledge of $30,000 has been exhausted.   This means that if $10,000 is received in contributions, the total donation to TADSAW with three equivalent matches would be $40,000, enough for 16 TADSAW certified Veteran/Medical Alert Service Dog teams, a new life for 16 Veterans and 16 shelter dogs. 

3. Donations qualifying for matching funds will be accepted through December 1, 2019.  Help TADSAW to reduce the number of veteran suicides by donating now!  Remember, if you give $100, TADSAW receives $400 to help veterans! 

There was plenty for riders to do on the rest day.  A beach walk was a distinct possibility, since the back door of the Sleep Inn was less than 100 yards from the beach on the Gulf of Mexico.  A swim was ill advised.
Waves were large on the beach at the morning's high tide


Red rip tide flags were up, warning bathers not to swim because of the danger of being pulled out

 Some went to the Flora-Bama complex with restaurants and live music down the road a few miles at the Florida and Alabama state line.

Flora-Bama boisterous, rambunctious carryings-on

 Others went to a Bryan Adams concert at the Wharf.
The Wharf prior to the concert

 Then there was the natural beauty on display.
Sunset


Nightscape
  


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