About the VVK-9 Centers & Programs

“American Service Dog Rescue Program” “Police Narcotics & Rescue Dog Program” “Save a Pet – Save a Vet Program”

No Dog Rescued Goes Back To a Shelter

The VVK-9 “American Service Dog Rescue Program”

The Purpose of this program is to train and place service dogs for the benefit of disabled peace officers or fire & rescue personnel, in order to help restore their physical and emotional independence, as well as to provide a service for other American’s heroes with mobility problems and other disabilities.

The VVK-9 “Save-A-Pet Save-A-Vet Program”

The purpose of the VVK-9 Save-A-Pet, Save-A-Vet Program is to train and place service dogs for the benefit of disabled Wounded Warriors, in order to help restore their physical and emotional independence. These skilled and loyal dogs are also trained to provide service for other Americans with mobile disabilities.

The VVK-9 “Police Narcotics & Rescue Dog Program”

The purpose of this program is to insure that no dog rescued goes back to a shelter. Dogs that are rescued, but cannot complete the “American Rescue Service Dog Program”, are instead trained as narcotics detection or search & rescue dogs. These dogs are then donated or sold, at a reduced cost, to police departments, sheriff's offices or other law enforcement agencies.

VVK-9 is the only service-animal training program to utilize disabled persons in a residential, animal-assisted therapeutic sober community to train the service animals. Within this community, master canine trainers teach residents and other VVK-9 program participants how to train the rescued dogs as service dogs, therapy dogs, companion dogs, facility dogs and dog handling, pet supply sales, kennel work and other pet industry marketable skills.

The VVK-9 Centers Respond to Strict New Federal Laws

VVK-9 was developed in response to the recent changes in the Federal Definition of Service Animals, under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Until recently, most, if not all, service-dog training programs raised funds to provide service animals that were trained by inmates in jails or prisons. This met the less-stringent requirements, as they existed before March 15, 2011.

On March 15, 2011 the Federal Government requires that the Service Animal is individually trained to do work or perform tasks, something that cannot be accomplished in a prison, with training provided by inmates. VVK-9 does not charge end recipients of service animal any fee and pays to bring the disabled individual to the VVK-9 Center for the mandatory training with the service dog at no cost.

VVK-9 raises donations for this purpose and has hired paid staff to be able to train the service dog in the community and with the end recipients in 2011. Before 2011 all staff were non-compensated and volunteers.

Call us today at 877.498.7838 Visit us online: www.VVK-9.org Email us: info@vvk-9.org

DISCLOSURE NOTICE TO GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE READ PRIOR TO DONATING

ACCURACY OF INFORMATION:

VVK-9* is a non-profit tax exempt 501(c)(3) charity, the Board of Directors wants you, the public, to have complete and accurate information

prior to making the decision to support our programs. We furnish you this information as a caveat that you should rely only on authorized

distributed information and information provided by VVK-9 Program, PR Department. Please make requests directly to the program PR

Office at info@vvk-9.org or review our official web site at www.vvk-9.org.

If you have encountered any of our trainees in the community, received any calls from our call center or were approached by any individual representing

himself as part of VVK-9 Programs, please be aware that these individual may or may not suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or any

number of other mental health issues. NOTE: This does not mean that any particular person that you may encounter has a disability.

VVK-9 participants are not authorized, or sufficiently informed, to answer specific questions about the policies, procedures, financial information,

program services offered or where donations are utilized. Trainees have historically demonstrated an inability to accurately deliver correct information to

the public until they have completed all the phases of the two year VVK-9 Program.

If a trainee provides you with any information other than his/her personal story and how the program has assisted him or her, such information is

not to be considered accurate nor representative of the views of the program, and may be the interpretation and understanding of that one

particular individual, based upon limited or assumed data.

For correct information contact 877-498-7838 and request the PR Department.

HOW ARE YOUR DONATIONS USED:

Your donations support disabled persons in our programs and rescued dogs in the various Service Dog Rescue Programs, cover operating

cost of programs and administration, are used to assist other non-profit organizations or qualified persons with grants.

The VVK-9 Program engages persons diagnosed with PTSD and other mental health or substance abuse issues in a mission to train service dogs, as part of their rehabilitative training. Training service dogs provides a way for persons with PTSD to practice emotional regulation and give their daily life focus

and purpose. The dogs help to facilitate social relationships with members of the community, since a critical element of training is properly socializing the

dogs. The person’s life skills, financial and time budgeting, and dog training are core responsibilities in the VVK-9 Program. The participant learns

everything through hands-on training, including fundraising, canvassing in the community, sales, dog walking, dog handling, dog training, pet

supply sales and other pet industry related skills as wells as fundraising, telemarketing and one on one sales.

While the participant in the VVK-9 Program is either publicly socializing the dog to the community or learning fundraising basics, the service

beneficiary may receive on-the-job training pay, based upon the Federal Minimum Hourly Wage Requirements, of up to $7.25 per hour. They

may further earn overtime and bonuses, based upon academic and performance review standards.

In addition, program participants and other qualified persons may receive educational grants, housing grants, transportation grants, relocation

grants, clothing grants, food and basic needs grants, if qualified, and they meet the federal emergency income or poverty requirements

guidelines for these grants.

The persons performing fundraising do not keep any percentage of what is collected daily in fundraising. They are paid on debit cards or by

check from the General Account of the organization. 100% of what is donated by the community goes to the program; it is then apportioned to

fund programs, participants and K-9 training services, as well as operational expenses, as authorized by the Board of Directors. The pay the

program participants receive is a program service, and it comes from a combination of all revenue collected by the group to support the overall

mission.

WHY THEY EARN AS THEY LEARN: We at VVK-9 could provide these trainees with free room, clothes, transportation, medical and board, and not pay them for work time while in the

program, like other non-profits with in-house programs. But all too often we get a graduate from one of these programs telling us, “Sure, I learned how to

work in a thrift store, but when I left the program, I had no idea how to manage my money or what rent and utilities cost, and became homeless.” For this reason, we feel it is more important to pay the participant and charge for normal life expenses as part of our budgeting class in the program.”

LOSS PREVENTION POLICY:

Your donations are taken, sealed, directly to one of our secure 24-hour monitored cash-count facilities.

VVK-9 is designed to train individuals who are disadvantaged or disabled, many of whom are chronically homeless and unemployed; some have substance

abuse histories or arrest or criminal records. We carefully screen all persons employed or participating in the VVK-9 Programs. Persons found to have criminal records or substance abuse histories are placed in positions that never allowed unsupervised access to donations, valuables or secured information.

VVK-9 maintains the highest level of accountability and loss prevention as established by outside private security consulting firms and monitors the

workplace on a 24 Hour basis with remote access and long term retrieval and review capabilities.

VVK-9 maintains a zero-tolerance policy for employee dishonesty and performs regular loss prevention techniques that are standard practice within the

industry.

The VVK-9 Program Differs From Other Service-Animal Provider Programs

Here's how:

1. VVK-9 utilizes mostly rescued animals.

2. VVK-9 instead of training prisoners in custody to train the recued animal, VVK-9 trains persons suffering from PTSD and other disabilities in a residential life skills and employment training center.

3. VVK-9 Centers primarily trains veterans and others with disabilities to train the dogs, instead of prisoners, which also provides these individuals future marketable skills in the pet industry that will provide them realistic employment opportunities after graduating the VVK-9 Program.

4. VVK-9 Program does not flunk rescued dogs back to a shelter, but trains these dogs as rescue or narcotics dogs for donation or low cost sale to law enforcement agencies whose budgets do not have funding, or in the case where the dog cannot complete one of these programs, as therapy or companion dogs for persons with emotional disabilities.

5. VVK-9 Centers are designed to meet the new changes in the ADA requirements for ADA Service Dogs and VVK-9 pays to transport and house the end user of the dog at the center for a minimum of 13 days of individual training with the service dog in the final stages of training free of charge.

6. VVK-9 has a special program for Wounded Warriors that covers ALL COSTS to acquire the service animal where other programs normally require the end recipient veteran of the dog to pay for transportation and housing for the individualized training portion of the program as they cannot bring them to the jail or prison where the dog is trained.

In addition to training veterans in the VVK-9 Center in pet industry work, VVK-9 offers veterans sober living, support services, linkage and hands-on training in three separate employment areas. The East Coast VVK-9 Center opened March 15, 2011.

Call us today at 877.498.7838 Visit us online: www.VVK-9.org

Email us: info@vvk-9.org

VVK-9 is registered with the Division of Charities at the Attorney General’s Office in Florida, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Virginia, California & Pennsylvania. More detailed financial information can be found at the respective attorney general web page or by contacting VVK-9 directly.

* VVK-9 is a DBA of Veterans Village & K-9 Training Center and was originally incorporated as Veterans of America, Inc. in Florida.

2011 CHANGES IN AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT

Effective March 15, 2011, the ADA definitions read, substantially, “Service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not service animals for the purposes of this definition.

“The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the handler´s disability. Examples of work or tasks include, but are not limited to, assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks; alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds; providing non-violent protection or rescue work; pulling a wheelchair; assisting an individual during a seizure; alerting individuals to the presence of allergens; retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone;

providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability, particularly for individuals with mobility disabilities; helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities, by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors.

“The crime-deterrent effects of an animal´s presence, and the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort or companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of this definition.”

Key changes include the following:

1. Only dogs will be recognized as service animals. 2. Service animals are required to be leashed or harnessed except when performing work or tasks where

such tethering would interfere with the dog's ability to perform. 3. Service animals are exempt from breed bans as well as size and weight limitations.

4. Though not considered service animals, businesses are generally required to accommodate the use of miniature horses under specific conditions.

Until the effective date, existing service animals of all species will continue to be covered under the ADA regulations. Existing policies that were clarified or formalized include the following:

1. Dogs whose sole function is “the provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship” are not considered service dogs under the ADA. 2. The use of service dogs for psychiatric and neurological disabilities is explicitly protected under the ADA. 3. “The crime deterrent effects of an animal's presence” do not qualify that animal as a service animal and

“an animal individually trained to provide aggressive protection, such as an attack dog, is not appropriately considered a service animal.”

There are very few providers of service animals capable of meeting the new 2011 guidelines

and VVK-9 needs your support.

Call us today at 877.498.7838 Visit us online: www.VVK-9.org

Email us: info@vvk-9.org

DONATIONS Your Donations Help Rescued Animals and Our Servicemen and Servicewomen

VVK-9 Centers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 100% of funds collected as donations goes to VVK-9 and on an average between 65% and 75% of each dollar donated goes towards direct program services. VVK-9 strives to keep administrative cost below 35%.Current 990 reports are available for inspection upon request.

Housing, training and treatment planning of a wounded serviceman, servicewoman or other person suffering from PTSD or other disability can cost upwards of $50,000 over 18 month program. Caring for one of the dogs-in-training can cost between $5,000 and $50,000.

Your valued contributions make it possible for us to provide these service dogs to wounded warriors or law enforcement agencies, while training persons with disabilities with marketable skills, for future employment.

Make a donation to VVK-9 using PayPal. It’s fast, free and secure! If you have not used the PayPal system before, it only takes a moment to register. The following credit cards may be used on PayPal in a safe, secure environment:

Visit www.vvk-9.org to donate.

If you wish to make a donation by a check, please make the check out to VVK-9 and mail to the following address:

1516 Sawgrass Corporate Parkway, 4th Floor Sunrise, Florida 33323

Board of Directors

Betty Mae Souter-Freeman Ph.D. – Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Freeman is a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist. Dr. Freeman’s dissertation was on Animal Assisted Therapy. Dr. Freeman is considered an expert in competency and forensic psychology by the courts, and he has developed our animal-assisted therapeutic program in hopes of assisting persons with disabilities become more self sufficient.

Mike Clark – Advisor and Senior Dog Trainer

Mike Clark is a two-time U.S.P.C.A. Police Dog National Champion, and he has over 30 years of experience. He has trained hundreds of dogs in all areas such as patrol, narcotics, explosives, arson detection and search and rescue. Michael is recognized as one of the leading K-9 handlers and instructors in the United States. He has won top honors in Regional as well as National Competitions. Through his academies many K-9 handlers have gone on to become leading instructors in other agencies and have won numerous awards of their own. Michael’s Patrol Dog Academy was featured in the videoK-9 COP.

Roy I. Schwartz –President/Treasurer Mr. Schwartz recently retired after 15 years volunteer service as a member and officer of the Board of Trustees of the House of Hope, the premier Level-2 addiction recovery rehabilitation treatment Center in Broward County, Florida. He has been in the practice of public accounting as a Certified Public Accountant, as well as operating numerous sober-living programs in South Florida, many catering to the veterans and those suffering with mental health issues

Joe Lopez – Director

Joe Lopez has suffered from multiple disabilities since birth, and Mr. Lopez’s mother was an Immigration and Naturalization Officer who was very active in airport operations. Mrs. Lopez often took Joe to work as a child, and the drug dogs fascinated him. Following Ms. Lopez’s passing, Joe took over the civic responsibility and became a Member of the Board, carrying on the family tradition of service.

Other Board Members and Advisors are added from time to time based upon committee needs; contact the public relations officer.

Board of Advisors-Liaison

William D. Baumgartner – Liaison U.S. Coast Guard

William D. Baumgartner is a United States Coast Guard rear-admiral, who serves as the Commander, Seventh Coast Guard District. His previous assignment was as the Judge Advocate General and Chief Counsel of the United States Coast Guard. In this capacity, he was the Coast Guard’s senior legal advisor, and he was responsible for all aspects of the service’s legal program.

A native of Collinsville, Illinois, he is a 1980 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where he received a Bachelor of Science Degrees in Marine Engineering and Electrical Engineering. He holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from the University of New Orleans, and a Juris Doctor Degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he also served as an editor on the Harvard Law Review.

Previously, Baumgartner served as Chief, Office of Maritime and International Law, at Coast Guard Headquarters and headed the U.S. delegation to the Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organization. He has also served as the Staff Judge Advocate for the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami.

Florida, and as the Chief of Staff for Homeland Security Task Force Southeast, an interagency task force charged with planning and executing Caribbean mass migration deterrence and response operations. Previous legal assignments also include tours at the Eighth Coast Guard District, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Coast Guard Maintenance & Logistics Command Pacific, in Alameda, California, and Naval Legal Services Office West in San Francisco, California.

Prior to joining the Coast Guard's legal program, Baumgartner specialized in surface operations and served as the Commanding Officer of USCGC Point Verde and USCGC Penobscot Bay, as a deck officer on USCGC Dependable, and as an operations center controller for the Eighth Coast Guard District, where he directed Search and Rescue, law enforcement and other Coast Guard operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

Robert Oliva – Liaison U.S. Navy

Robert Oliva is a 10 year veteran of the U.S. Navy and is the liaison between VVK-9 and wounded U.S. Navy personal that request service animals or training in the VVK-9 Program.

Harman Spam – Liaison Army

Harman Spam is a veteran of the U.S. Army and trained in the Ranger Unit and is the liaison between VVK-9 and wounded U.S. Army personal that request service animals or training in the VVK-9 Program.

Juan Munoz – Liaison U.S. Marine Corps

Juan Munoz served with the United States Marine Corps and is the liaison between VVK-9 and wounded U.S. U.S .Marine personal that request service animals or training in the VVK-9 Program.

Mike Clark – Liaison Law Enforcement

Mike Clark is a retired Broward County Sheriff and two-time U.S.P.C.A. Police Dog National Champion, and he has over 30 years of experience. Michael’s Patrol Dog Academy was featured in the videoK-9 COP. Mike is the liaison between VVK-9 and wounded law enforcement personal that request service animals or training in the VVK-9 Program.

VVK-9 is seeking advisors and liaison for U.S. Air Force, Fire & Recue, and welcomes persons of all walks of life to volunteer service on an advisory capacity.