Shelter to Soldier™ Graduation of Liz Carmouche and Charlie
November 12, 2016
On October 29, 2016, Schubach Aviation generously hosted one of our graduation ceremonies at their beautiful private hangar. The graduation of veteran recipient, Liz Carmouche, and her Shelter to Soldier™ service dog, Charlie. Schubach Aviation was our first red star Corporate sponsor and they have continued to support our mission for over 3 years now. Through their continued support, Schubach sponsored Charlie, taking care of all fees associated with his care, training and graduation.
Charlie was found as a stray in Chula Vista, CA. Animal Services took him in and cared for him, but he wasn’t getting adopted. Our friends at Rancho Coastal Humane Society transferred him to their shelter to get some “fresh eyes” on him to see if someone visiting their shelter would adopt him. They took great care of Charlie, but sadly once again, he wasn’t getting adopted. After many months of being in a shelter, our Founders, Graham & Kyrié Bloem, went to Rancho Coastal Humane looking for dogs to adopt for our program and met this special pup. RCHS had affectionately named him Scuttlebutt. He was reserved but very sweet. He did well during his evaluation but it was clear that he needed confidence building and lots of training. Of all the dogs we have worked with so far, his stay with us was one of the longest simply due to the time it took to convince him that some people were worth trusting. He excelled with his training but he “picked” his people. Ultimately, he chose Liz Carmouche. We were so excited when he met Liz and they worked together to build mutual respect and admiration. They truly are a perfect pair and are meant to be together.
Schubach Aviation never lost hope or interest in Charlie throughout his training, they continued to inquire about his progress and they were ecstatic when they learned that he was matched.
In addition to being a United States Marine Corps veteran, Liz Carmouche is a well-respected Mix Martial Arts fighter, with a promising career in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). Liz is on the UFC 205 fight card at the one and only Madison Square Garden’s and her pal, Charlie, will be making the trip with her to NYC. Liz is also the proud owner of the MMA gym, San Diego Combat Academy.
Charlie has settled into his new role as her service dog at work and during training. We are so excited that these two have officially started their lives together, and couldn’t think of a better partner for our special boy, Charlie. Keep up the good work, you two! We will be here every step of the way.
Click the icons below to follow us on Instagram and Facebook; learn about the dogs we currently have in our program and stay updated on their training progress and veteran matches!
