On Thursday I met Arlo, a five-year old Bullmastiff representing the non-for-profit organization, Resilient Heroes. Resilient Heroes works to provide mental health services to first responders and military servicemembers. Arlo is a certified therapy dog and works with members of Law Enforcement and Military Veterans who experience stress, trauma, grief, and emotional distress. Arlo's owner, Elizabeth Pol, is the CEO of Resilient Heroes and an active Chicago Police Department officer. This visit was an important reminder of the tremendous impact working dogs can have on people's lives.
Most recently, I was proud to help introduce the bipartisan Honoring Our K9 Heroes Act, which establishes a grant program for non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations to provide essential veterinary care for retired Federal and Military working dogs. These dogs make sacrifices in service of our country that result in long lasting effects on their quality of life and exorbitant veterinary fees for their handlers. This legislation will ease the burden of these costs for owners and help provide life-saving care for our hero dogs.