Steven Cook will speak to the Rotary Club of San Marcos at noon on March 4 about the United States Veterans Service Dogs (USVSD) program. Cook lives in Kyle and is active with the VFW Post there. He is also the Director of Fund Development for the service dogs program, which helps veterans reclaim independence through expertly trained service dogs. Rotary meets San Marcos VFW Hall, 1701 Hunter Road. Visitors are always welcome at Rotary meetings.
Cook served in the 7th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army from 1989 to 1992. His deployments included Operation Just Cause in Panama (1989– 1990) and Operation Desert
Storm (1990–1991). Cook earned several awards, including the Army Achievement Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with two Bronze Stars, the National Defense Service Medal and the Multi-National Forces and Observers Medal.
USVSD was founded in 2018 by Cody Bellanger, who headed a program to train retrievers to assist diabetics. He was approached by Texas VFW to place VFW members with service dogs to help mitigate the disabilities veterans face within their everyday lives.
USVSD started a breeding program and a puppy-raising program to ensure the dogs coming into training got the best possible start for becoming future service dogs. The program now trains and places dogs with veterans to help mitigate the effects of PTSD, mobility, and hearing complications from military service.
