K9s for Camo

A teenaged Joe Denti committed a heinous crime, taking the lives of his mother and step-father. He served 34 years in the Jefferson City Correctional Center and was released last year. In this episode, he explains how three decades in prison changed him from an angry teen to a contrite and grateful man and how dogs healed him.

Kevin Weaver has a huge job trying to meet the needs of thousands of US veterans who need a hand-up navigating life after service. In this episode, he talks with Lissa Hamblen about the challenge and the incredible people he's met leading The Warrior's Journey."

New K9s for Camo board president, Mike Brown has big plans to launch the program forward including a massive public event to raise capital.

Local Podcaster Jim Farrell invites Lissa Hamblen to discuss K9s for Camo among other topics. Here's part of that episode. Catch the full version on No BS with Jim Farrell wherever you get your podcasts.

From the outside looking in, Rocky Lippold appears to have an ideal life traveling the country in an RV with wife, Bridget. He still works as an accountant and they explore new campsites and cities as full-timers on the road. But after retiring from his military service, Rocky struggled with anxiety and couldn't sleep due to an extreme case of hyper-alertness. He learned a service dog might solve the problem but his wife is allergic to dogs so he dismissed the idea. That is, until Cooper came along.

Dozens of dogs in great costumes, adorable children and candy? Why wouldn't K9s for Camo be there to spread our message? And we quickly learned most of the people at this Trunk or Treat do a lot to promote the love and care of dogs.

Many hands certainly make light work and that's our hope as a local sales force at Big Cedar steps up to fundraise for K9s for Camo. In this episode we take board members to attend a meeting of the Bluegreen Wilderness Vacations team who will spend 30 days bringing in cash for K9s. It starts with a very early morning trip down south.

Dr. Ellen Ratcliff spent 18 years in veterinary practice before finding a job that puts her at the center of a potential medical milestone. If her employer, Loyal, is successful, it will create a drug that will lengthen the lifespan of dogs. In today's episode, Lissa learns how this former Fair Grove, MO veterinarian is unlocking the keys of longevity for dogs.

On June 21st, Veteran Dan Holman arrived at the Jefferson City Correctional Center to share two things- a letter to an inmate inside and his service dog, Nico. The letter is brand new and explains how life-changing Nico has been in Dan's struggle against PTSD. The dog will reunite with handler Michael Boston who spent months getting him ready to serve.

Jennifer Leibi has a unique role within the Department of Corrections in Missouri. She coordinates Puppies for Parole - utilizing incarcerated men and women to train dogs within 16 institutions. Many of the animals come from local shelters and the hope is, the offenders will get them trained to become sought-after pets once they return to the shelters and eventually a forever home. These same inmates train the K9s for Camo dogs and it's Jennifer that keeps all of it organized and successful. She would say she's "just a cheerleader" for the programs that restore the offenders who once saw no hope on their horizons.

K9s for Camo provides service dogs for veterans but once a year, our bylaws allow a dog to go to a deserving member of law enforcement. Former Taney County, MO deputy Darin Carter received his dog, Dozer, in November of 2022. In this episode, he explains what happened on the job in 2016 that changed his life and how Dozer is now his own first responder.

Behind every good fundraiser you'll find hardworking volunteers trying to turn fun into money.  Taylor Hayes and Joy Weis are meeting for lunch to go over plans for Tails & Ales, one of K9s for Camo's biggest money makers.  So many details have to be ironed out and Lissa wants to get a first look at what donors can expect when they arrive on April 11th.   As it turns out, she's late to lunch because another fundraiser is starting to percolate.

On November 17th, 2021 Kelly Brown got a knock on her door and saw two police officers with stricken faces.  They were there to tell her their colleague, her husband Matt, had taken his own life.  He had served 21 years as a police officer, 25 years in the National Guard.  This episode depicts Kelly's heartbreaking experience as she and her children learn to live without the man they loved- a soldier and officer who finally gave up fighting against his past trauma.

For 20 years, retired Army ranger,  Dan Holman dreaded going to sleep.   Nearly every night he would have terrifying nightmares caused by PTSD and they made sleep fitful and scary.  Lissa met Dan and his wife, Julie, in April of 2022 and then again 10 months later, before and after they welcomed a dog named Niko into their home.  Will Niko be the answer to calming Dan's sleep and alleviating his anxiety in public?  We find out in this episode.

September 17th and 18th was hot in Springfield, Missouri and running a booth at Cider Days required shade, water and dog treats.  Producer Lissa Hamblen is one of the board members spending time at the K9s for Camo booth where t-shirts, coloring sheets and stickers awaited our visitors.  Even service dog, Banks joined in, looking dignified in his signature jacket.  Several people who approached our tent had stories of service.  Others had stories of struggle that keeps them fighting the same battle they thought they had left in the war zones.

At the Sho-Me Jeepers event, drivers had coolers, radios, maps, etc. packed in their jeeps ahead of the three-hour run.  One of them, Jessica Mooney, carried something else in her backseat - three puppies.  In this episode, she describes to Lissa Hamblen how she wants to be a trainer for K9s for Camo and Founder John Lopez explains why people like Jessica are so desperately needed.

When jeep lovers get together on a Saturday for some backroad fun, K9s for Camo is riding shotgun.  Lissa and Joy find out how these local jeep enthusiasts use their passion for the vehicle to benefit their local community.  In the ride on September 10th- K9's for Camo received the proceeds.

In this episode, Lissa honors the work of K9 "Lor" who became a fan favorite on Live PD.  "Lor" took down hundreds of suspects during his law enforcement career and was a beloved family dog in his retirement.  After many illnesses, the strong, powerful former officer died at age 13 but his impact in Greene County will live on.  

Charity organizations live and die on money and there's never enough.  On June 23, 2022, the K9s for Camo board and Executive Director, Joy Weiss crossed their fingers that a fundraiser at a local brewery would bring enough interested donors to fund the services provided to veterans.  This episode starts with podcast producer, Lissa Hamblen completing one small but important task that will be critical to making a good impression on this important night.  Will the event bring the money?  Stay till the end of the episode to find out, PLUS we're starting our training tips with our expert staff.  

In August of 2021, an 11-month of puppy was found in a desperate situation.  The white Great Pyrenees mix had his front paws bound together and some awful person had thrown him into a creek.  With sheer will and determination, the puppy scraped and paddled to the banks of the water and was rescued.  "Banks" soon was in the hands of John Lopez, the founder of K9s for Camo and he was about to embark on an experience that took him to prison, to a loving foster and now to a veteran who needs a gentle giant of a dog to help him avoid falling.  

This is the first meeting of "Banks" and Vietnam veteran, Jim Fite.  Fittingly, they will spend their first night together on Memorial Day weekend.

After two years in the virtual only realm, Visioncon 2022 is back IN PERSON April 29-May 1st and will welcome thousands to the Springfield Expo Center.  If you love cosplay, graphic novels, anime characters, flash fiction, light saber training and much more, this is your event and K9s for Camo is the benefitting charity.

In this episode, Lissa Hamblen learns what participants can expect from Emcee and Celebrity Wrangler, Zack Wilson. 

"To improve ourselves, we have to improve our environment."

Retired journalist Lissa Hamblen shares perspectives of three Jefferson City Correctional Center inmates who work as trainers for P4P and K9s for Camo.  They describe rediscovering a sense of humanity they thought was long lost before dogs entered the prison.  Joseph Wilson, Jason Barr and David Manwarren were brought here because they are criminals but now they're known as something else -canine caretakers.

  "We get a little piece of our humanity back."  

   Words from an inmate at a Missouri prison who spends hours each day training a rescue dog for someone else to eventually love.  The inmates know the dogs they train - the ones that often steal their hearts - will have to graduate someday, leave the prison to make another person's life better.  Still, the task is cherished and considered a privilege.  Retired journalist Lissa Hamblen goes behind the walls at the Jefferson City Correctional Center to learn how Puppies for Parole and K9s for Camo improves life for the staff, inmates, dogs and eventually a deserving veteran.  

Ben Stephens is in training for a task that has more than once reduced him to tears.  In his words, he wants to face "what scares me."  On March 20th, Ben will virtually complete the Bataan Death March Memorial Run.  It honors the tens of thousands of American and Filipino soldiers who surrendered to Japanese forces in 1942 and were forced to march more than 60 miles through blistering jungle heat. Thousands died, many others survived only to be imprisoned in POW camps.  The Bataan Run is made for people with strength, training, and endurance.  Ben had none of this when he began training months ago.  Still, he wants to honor those fallen soldiers and benefit his two chosen charities, K9s for Camo and Gis for GIs.  He's ready to test himself but there's a major obstacle- he's recovering from knee surgery.  Can he complete the 27 miles?

Mikey Miller was looking at life behind bars when he made a decision in the prison yard that would determine his fate.  A dog named "Minnie" wagged her tail against his leg, begging to retrieve a thrown ball, and it was the signal to Mikey that his next choice would alter the course of his life.  Either choose "Minnie" and a program that would enhance his future or choose a bad move behind prison walls.  In this episode, journalist Lissa Hamblen learns how K9's for Camo was one of the programs that steered Mikey away from a lifetime of wrong moves toward a life helping veterans and pet owners.

In this episode, K9s for Camo founder, John Lopez, meets James Wright at one the nation's busiest retail outlets to test his service dog, Tango.  She's undergone re-training and will see her veteran for the first time in several weeks.  Will she pass the public test?  We also learn more about why Afghanistan veteran, John Lopez, started K9's for Camo and hear from one veteran who tearfully explains how he felt only safe at home until his dog, "Chase" proved he was covered in public.

On a brisk, fall afternoon in Springfield, MO, veterans and their families gather at a local brewery.  With them, their four-legged lifelines that make being in this public arena a possibility.

Journalist Lissa Hamblen charts the impact of K9's for Camo, an organization created to reduce stress and provide coping strategies for veterans.  With each dog presented to a vet, three lives are saved.  First, a dog is adopted from a local rescue.  Second, prison inmates find a renewed purpose by learning to train the dogs, a skill they can take with them after release.  Third, the dog is presented to a deserving veteran struggling to live with the scars of service, such as PTSD or medical issues.

Follow on this journey as we explore the work of trainers, offenders, and volunteers.  Hear the powerful stories of veterans who say they are able to live again thanks to K9's for Camo.