Hero Dog Award

Sherwood says, “Dolly is my friend, my partner, and my medical equipment with a loving beating heart. She has changed my life completely. I don’t know what I would do without her.” Dolly inspired Sherwood to write two children’s books, Pawsibly the Best Medicine and Emotional Support is Ruff.

Sherwood trained Dolly herself by taking her to casinos and arcades to teach her how to press buttons, and to acclimate her to crowds and distractions in public. It’s not all work and no play for Dolly, the black lab spends her time off-leash dock diving. She has competed twice in the DockDogs World Championships. While dock diving is a favorite pastime, Dolly loves any activity involving water.  Retired Army Command Sergeant Gretchen Evans was connected with her dog Aura in 2015. Aura helps Evans maintain a sense of normalcy and safety after losing her hearing. “I became deaf when I was 46,” explains Evans. “I was injured in Afghanistan from a rocket blast… I got Aura through America’s VetDogs, which provides veterans of all branches service dogs to mitigate their disabilities, regardless of what they are.” Evans says Aura was the first hearing service dog VetDogs trained, so there was a learning curve, but Aura has taken to it easily. “If you come to my door and ring the doorbell or knock I won’t hear that,” Evans says. “I miss a lot of nice people and UPS packages, so when she hears a sound she comes to me and she nudges me with her nose on my leg and then my command to her is, ‘Where is the sound?’ And she takes me wherever the sound is.”