It was a real dog’s day out at the Ladies 18-Hole Golf Association luncheon in December at the Briarwood Country Club, 20800 N. 1325th Ave., Sun City West.

The Briarwood golf ladies were visited by Rob Rockstroh and his service dog, Charlie, who shared their story of how and why they came to meet. This is the third year Briarwood officials chose to support and donate to this charity.

The Soldiers Best Friend program, which began in 2011, is designed to provide military veterans who are experiencing symptoms of post traumatic stress syndrome with trained service dogs to assist in these vets’ everyday living experiences.  So far, 362 dog teams graduated from the program at a cost of approximately $5,000 for each.

The Soldiers Best Friend program differs from other service dog programs in that the veteran and his or her dog train together, so the veteran in the role of handler builds an early close and trusting relationship with his or her service dog.

The veteran and his or her dog take 3-6 months to go through the program. During that time, they go out to all the usual public places together — the mall, the airport, restaurants, the barbershop, etc. This gives them both experience in being out in public in all types of everyday situations.

Some of the dogs chosen for the program are rescue dogs while others may be the veteran’s own pet. The dogs chosen for training just need to qualify by being young enough and able to pass the introductory personality and behavior qualifications. 

Residents can assist in Briarwood’s fundraising efforts by donating directly to soldiersbestfriend.org/donate. Prospective donors can also contact the Briarwood ladies golf association charity representative, Sue Dziegielewski, at 248-330-8614.