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Best Friends Partners with 'Heroes and Hounds' To Send Holiday Care Packages to Military Canine Teams

Best Friends Pet Care today delivered more than $5,000. worth of supplies and over $800 in cash to the Heroes and Hounds program for holiday care packages for military canine teams on the front lines. 

The Heroes and Hounds program is a year-round drive to provide military dogs and their human handlers with much-needed supplies. It was started by Simsbury Animal Control Officer Mark Rudewicz, a retired Marine, in 2009 to show appreciation for military dogs and their handlers.  Over the past four years, Rudewicz has shipped more than 1,000 care packages to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

This is Best Friends second donation to Heroes and Hounds this year. In October, Best Friends staff delivered more than $8,000 worth of pet supplies – collars, leashes, water bottles, chewing bones, towels, and toys -- for the holiday care packages. According to Officer Rudewicz, it was the largest donation in the program’s history.

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Not satisfied to stop there, Best Friends invited its customers to join the effort to thank canine military teams.  “We started a Heroes and Hounds drive in 20 of our pet care centers in the northeast,” said Robin Williams, director of marketing for Best Friends, “and our clients were eager to support the cause.”

Best Friends plans to continue to partner with Heroes and Hounds in the year ahead. “This is such an important program,” said Williams. “There are more than 1,400 dogs serving in the military, and we owe them and their handlers our gratitude and support.”

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For more information about the Heroes and Hounds program or to donate, contact Rudewicz at 860-658-3110, or Best Friends at 203-846-3360.

Best Friends Total Pet Care provides pet boarding, grooming, doggy daycamp, training and veterinary services.  Based in Norwalk CT, the company has 50 facilities nationwide, including four locations in Connecticut.

 

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