Helping vets and dogs in Hamilton and beyond
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years at this newspaper, it’s that Mercer County residents love a good story about helping out veterans. I mean, who doesn’t? We’re all Americans, we all know the sacrifices made, we all want to help.
If there’s a second thing I’ve learned in all my years at this newspaper, it’s that Mercer County residents love a good story about helping out dogs. I mean, who doesn’t? We’re all humans, we all know what good boys they are, we all want to help.
Now obviously, the issues facing veterans and the issues facing dogs are not comparable. Not even close. But I also know that outside of kids, veterans and dogs are pretty high on the list of “things that breathe” that other people want to help.
Which is why when I found out about Vets N Pets Hamilton, I knew I had to help publicize it.
This is a calendar-circle situation, folks. So grab your Sharpie and put a big ring around Sunday, November 3 at 11 a.m. at the south entrance of Veterans Park in Hamilton. Technically, it’s a mile-walk for charity. But it’s more. Food trucks, bands, ceremonies, and more. It’s for everyone. And the money raised will go towards It’s a Ruff Life Rescue, a Mercer-based dog rescue outfit, and Team Foster, a veteran-run charity that works to partner rescue dogs with veterans suffering from combat-related disabilities.
So already, this is good stuff. Register at vetsnpetshamilton.com, come out on November 3, have a good time, help raise money for dogs and veterans. But wait: There’s more.
The day is the brainchild of Christina Canitano of Howell and Elizabeth Ricigliani of Hamilton. Canitano works for SeniorBridge, a home health care company for the elderly, and Ricigliani works for Brookdale Assisted Living in Hamilton. The two of them, through their employers, have worked together in the past on charitable events for veterans. This year, they wanted to do something a little different, and brought the dog angle into it.
“We came up with the idea of doing this walk, and it turned into something entirely different and bigger,” Canitano said. “It just got way bigger than we thought. We thought it would be a ‘health care professionals come and hang out’ thing, and we sent out our first Facebook blast, and it exploded. The event organically unfolded for us.”
In short: Interest in this event has gone way past expectations. So much so, the duo started their own charitable organization Vets N Pets - that, while still evolving, will seek to plug a major hole in the “vets and pets” marketplace, namely, where pets go when servicemen and women are deployed.
The goal? To create respite homes for pets across the nation so the men and women fighting for us don’t need to worry about their dogs, cats, and whatever elses’. The homes would be staffed by veterans themselves.
Pets and vets. Seriously. How can anyone not support this mission?
For more info about the upcoming event - I’ll see you there - check out facebook.com/VetsNPetsHamilton/