The year was 1953 and the place was the Westchester County Dog Show when a seven-year-old rookie dog trainer stepped onto the podium with his pet boxer, Suede, to receive the Blue Ribbon. “I can still remember all the details,” recalls Rick Kaplan, president and founder of Canine Angels. “That is when I first knew that I had a special gift.”

Kaplan would go on to a successful career in business, while maintaining his skills as a dog trainer. After retiring in New York and moving to Myrtle Beach five years ago, he filled his days with golf, the beach and living the good life—but something was missing. A personal medical issue and his need for assistance from his canine companion Freddie in order to return to his normal life formed the catalyst for Canine Angels, a non-profit organization that rescues shelter dogs and trains them to be service or therapy dogs to veterans, free of charge.

Kaplan has developed a unique training technique in which he integrates the pack mentality of wolves to form an “alpha male” relationship with the dogs. When we visited him at his home, we were greeted by 11 dogs ranging from Terrier to Pit Bull to Labrador. The dogs sat at attention as he laid out their dinner bowls one at a time, calling each by name while the others waited their turn. As each dog finished eating, they picked the bowl up in their mouth and returned it to Kaplan. What made this even more impressive was that some of the dogs had been with him for less than a week. Kaplan explained that for every dog that makes the grade as a certified service dog, five others are placed as either non-certified therapy dogs or well-trained, adoptable pets. Any way you look at it, a dog’s life has been spared and a human life has been enhanced.

According to the Veteran’s Administration, there are about 10,000 disabled veterans between Wilmington and Pawleys Island, the stretch where Canine Angels finds its recipients. For Kaplan, it is bittersweet to pour his heart into the dog and then turn it over to a new master. But it’s worth it. His devotion to local veterans is clear. “Their mission was to keep us free, our mission is to give them back their freedom to enjoy life,” he explains.

Kaplan says it is just as important to train the recipient as it is to train the dog, because every situation calls for a different skill set. He spends up to a year evaluating the dog/owner relationship before he turns over full control to the veteran. This ensures that the quality of care is being met for both the veteran and the dog and makes the transition easier to handle for Kaplan, who readily admits to shedding tears when placement is made.

Canine Angels is made up entirely of volunteers and placed 30 service dogs last year. They expect to exceed that amount this year. The average cost of just the basic needs for the 6–9 months it takes to train a dog is more than $4,000, so donations are critical. Persons wishing to make a tax-deductible donation can contact Rick Kaplan by phone at (917) 575-6235 or by email at  rickypiper@aol.com. The website is  www.canine-angels.net.