Rick Kaplan

Canine Angels Service Dogs

Canine Angels is a nonprofit based in North Myrtle Beach, SC, that rescues dogs from shelters to train as service dogs for disabled veterans and first responders. Our working dogs are assisting America's heroes with physical limitations, PTSD, TBI and hearing impairments. They are free to eligible veterans whose mission was to keep us free. Ours is to give them the freedom to enjoy life again. President and founder, Rick Kaplan, has put his decades of experience training dogs to work for our veterans and first responders who have physical or mental limitations and need assistance. Fully trained Canine Angels service dogs are typically able to perform dozens of tasks on command -- from bringing dishes to the sink, fetching medication from the fridge, putting clothes in the washer, to pushing a shopping cart down a store isle. They also learn golf course etiquette, since so many of our veterans enjoy golf. Our Angels can carry a club, retrieve an errant ball, or get a rake from a sand trap. They stay off the green at all times and remain totally still during a golfer's swing. Canine Angels serves the Grand Strand from Georgetown, SC, to WIlmington, NC. Veterans from beyond the area can also apply for a dog if they are able to travel for training. About 50 dogs are in various stages of foster care and basic obedience training at any given time. Canine Angels also has therapy dog teams that visit nursing homes, medical facilities, and schools, where they bring cheer. The dogs are part of a reading program in Brunswick County schools, where second-graders look forward to reading stories to the dogs. They are a receptive audience, which builds the children's confidence.