Geddy's QRF is a pit bull rescue and rehabilitation center that connects, certification ready, therapy dogs with a qualified Combat Veterans

Geddy's QRF(Quick Reaction Force) is a pit bull rescue and rehabilitation center that connects, certification ready, therapy dogs with a qualified Combat Veteran. In the military a "QRF" is a combat unit that is poised to respond to a crisis on very short notice. Geddy's QRF a Non Profit Organization that seeks out and rescues pit bulls on the kill list at local shelters. Through daily personal training, rehabilitation and socialization, we equip our QRF Certified "Battle Buddies" with the tools needed to act as a "QRF" to his or her veteran owner in crisis dealing with PTSD. We are committed to lowering the number of pit bulls that are euthanized daily. We are intimately aware of the number of Veterans that choose to end their life every day (well over 22) and are highly motivated to lowering this number until it is zero. We realize the potential in pairing rescued therapy dogs with veterans and how it will benefit not only the veteran and the dog, but the community as well. In the Infantry, we are trained to always be there for the buddy to your left and right. After finishing our military service, some of us find it hard to connect in the same way we once did with our battle buddies. Some of us intimately know the benefits of having a trusted battle buddy next to you in a fire fight, but its easy to overlook how having those same people around you 24/7, even when you weren't in theatre, was essential to our mental health in between deployments. How easy it was to walk down the hall when you were dealing with money problems, and ask your buddy if he could spare a beer. Of course he could, and did happily, offering that classic phrase that any lazy private with more money to spend than his allowance ever gave has proposed to a friend in need, "I buy, you fly?" as he throws you the keys to his car. You see whether it was on the battlefield or back in the barracks, we combat veterans have always had a battle buddy near by to have our backs. In the civilian world, no humans can quite seem to live up to the level of connection some of us are seeking. Its not their fault, its no ones fault, its just the product of going through hell and making it out with a few burns over and over again with the same group of comrades happy to go though hell for you. For me personally, after getting out of the Army I felt this inability to connect with others. To be honest, I still from time to time do, but by rescuing my best friend Geddy, I've learned to connect once more. His ability to help me through my darker times is a tool that no medication can provide. This is something that I am very passionate about, as it is something that has helped me personally, better cope with my own symptoms of PTSD. Geddy's QRF is committed to our mission statement and plan to do it with a triple R battle plan (Recruit Retrain Redeploy). In phase 1 the Recruitment Phase, we identify a pit-bull in need that possesses the traits needed to be trained as a therapy dog. In phase 2, or the Re-Training phase, we work daily to Rehabilitate and Train each pit bull to Therapy Certification standards, so that once he or she completes the third phase he or she will be equiped with the tools needed to certify as a Therapy Assistance Dog. In Phase 3. or the Re - Deployment Phase, we work diligently, through a stringent applicaiton process to find a qualified candidate and deploy our newly qualified "battle buddies" back to a forever home with their new owner. This provides the dog with a mission critical task while simultaniously providing the veteran with an alternative way to manage and cope with their symptoms of PTSD.