It is an understatement to say that 2011 was a huge year for Stiggy’s Dogs.  We paired more veterans with psychiatric service dogs than any year before.  We met new people and supporters, some of whom we can even call our Friends.  In the midst of this activity, we’ve built lasting relationships with businesses and individuals that can help take us into the next phase of Stiggy’s development.  All in all, frustrations and growing pains aside, it was a good year.

Now that we’ve officially entered 2012, it is important for our supporters to know where we stand.  The question we get asked most frequently is this:  When will you be training more dogs?  The answer is not always so simple.  We need to find the right dogs, make sure they are ready for the tasks ahead and prepare ourselves physically and mentally.

As a result of the frenzy of 2011, we have found ourselves in a situation where some time is needed to refine our policies and protocol, as well as to bring on our new staff members in a formal way.  This time is so vital to our growth as an organization.  If we weren’t to take these next few months to plan, prepare and review we would be doing everyone a disservice, including the dogs and veterans we intend on serving.

For the next sixty days we will be reviewing our policies and procedures, brushing up on our training techniques and requirements and just generally doing those things that we weren’t able to fully do in 2011 or those that we are now realizing need to be done because of our successes in 2011.  In that time we’ll be preparing our first ever Stiggy’s Dogs Annual Report—an important document that will help us promote Stiggy’s and seek external funding.  We’ll also be addressing our plan for the upcoming year.

Just as is true in the military, it is not possible to plan a new mission while simultaneously running the previous mission.  In other words, it is not possible to plan and regroup while training a new recruiting class.  This break isn’t a break—it’s a strategic planning session; it’s our Annual Training.

For those worried that we’ll disappear, you’ll be surprised to see how much we’re around during this time.  We plan to bring you updated stories about our currently deployed Stiggy’s Dogs and their veterans.  We also hope to bring you information on some exciting partnerships that are currently in the works.  If you thought 2011 was a big year, you haven’t seen anything yet.

In the meantime, consider being a Friend of Stiggy’s.  For a $30 donation, this program allows the biggest Stiggy’s Dogs supporters a way to get involved and help promote Stiggy’s worldwide.  As always, if you have any questions, concerns or comments, feel free to e-mail us at info@stiggysdogs.org.  We’d love to hear from you!