Rear Adm. Richard Buchanan, USN (Ret), kneeling at right in large photo, and wife Amy, second from left in large photo, co-raised a puppy (below) with neighbors Ken and Melinda Wellman. (Photos courtesy of Richard Buchanan)

By Kathie Rowell

Puppy cuddles and kisses are a welcome benefit of a statewide service project for the Florida Council of Chapters.

In addition to offering financial support to Dogs Inc, a nonprofit that trains service dogs, MOAA members volunteer at its Bradenton campus, help identify veterans and Gold Star families who could benefit from a service dog, and serve as “puppy raisers” or “puppy parent hosts,” taking dogs into their own homes. The council has received two Community Outreach Grants to from The MOAA Foundation to support the project.

Rear Adm. Richard Buchanan, USN (Ret), and his wife, Amy, who have served as both puppy raisers and puppy parent hosts, felt drawn to participate after meeting a former Air Force officer with PTSD who had benefited from a service dog.

“We heard how this service dog changed his life so dramatically and offered him the opportunity to avoid the suicidal ideations that he had been experiencing,” Buchanan said. “Seeing that was very important to us, and we wanted to participate in that particular process.”