Mutts With a Mission EFD Program
MWAM was co-founded in 2008 by Brooke Corson alongside her brother, Keller Elliott, and husband Joe with the goal of placing highly trained, world class Service Dogs with qualified disabled veterans, law enforcement and first responders. That dream became a reality in late 2009 when MWAM’s first service dog and veteran pairing was made.
“It all started when she [Brooke] was mobilized at Ft. Benning,” said Tara Stover, Marketing and Social Media Manager, MWAM. “She had her pet dog Angus with her and was able to see him interact with the soldiers and seeing the difference those interactions made she was inspired to start MWAM.”
Based in Hampton Roads, Va., MWAM has trained and paired over 100 service dogs with the qualified individuals who needed them and as well as training facility dogs for the first responder community. In 2019, MWAM’s commitment to the highest standards of excellence were recognized on the world stage when they received full accreditation from Assistance Dogs International (ADI).
The organizations’ location led to a natural bond with the U.S. Navy.
“The relationship started with ship and command visits with our service dogs in training,” said Stover. “Those visits and interactions led us to wonder how we get the dogs to assist sailors during deployments aboard ships?”
In 2023 MWAM partnered with the U.S. Navy to answer that question when they launched the EFD program. The program’s purpose being to place highly trained MWAM Facility Dogs with the U.S. Navy. Unlike Service Dogs, EFDs are not assigned to an individual. Instead, they are trained to work with entire crews, helping sailors and Marines reduce stress and strengthen morale. The launch of the program makes MWAM the first and only organization authorized to place EFDs aboard ships and installations to support active-duty sailors.
“The program started with Ike and Sage being the first two placed,” said Stover. “And from there the program has continued to grow and expand with four EFDs, Ike, Sage, Fathom and Rudder stationed aboard ships on the east and west coast and a fifth, Demo, stationed in Oklahoma.”
The job of all EFDs is to support sailors during long deployments and stressful environments, reduce the stigma around mental health and encourage sailors to seek professional support and to serve as a catalyst for conversations that otherwise might not happen. By improving the well-being of sailors, EFDs indirectly strengthen operational readiness and mission effectiveness.
All dogs with MWAM go through an intense training process.
“Our puppies enter the training program typically by 8 weeks old,” said Stover. “When they enter our program, the trainers select the puppies based on a variety of tests including temperament, behavior and personality testing. Once they go through these evaluations and are selected to join the program, they are placed with their puppy raisers who raise the dog, bring them to training classes, expose them to a variety of environments, and basically taking them from elementary school through high school so to speak. After the dogs have completed their training with their raisers they come back to us for their final training and evaluations just like in college. This whole process takes about two to three years, as our labs graduate around two years old and our Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs graduate when they are about three.”
While EFDs go through the same training as all other dogs being trained by MWAM they also receive specialized training for their service with the Navy, which increases the length of the process. These training additions include how to navigate ladder wells, group interaction and even helicopter training.
“There are restrictions on which ships the dogs can be stationed,” said Stover. “They must be based on LHD’s or carriers due to the needed space for the dog but because they are helicopter trained, they can service the other ships in their strike groups as well.”
It is not just the EFDs that must go through a selection process and intense training. All EFD handlers must go through a selection process and evaluations as well.
“The handlers who work with our EFDs are active-duty personnel who volunteer for the additional duty,” said Stover. “They can apply for the program through their chain of command which will review them first, and if they get approved, they will get sent to us. We then train them how to work with and care for the dog and really evaluate them at the same time to make sure each handler and dog pairing is a good fit and is what is best for the dog.”
Unlike a service dog meant for an individual, EFDs are a team effort. Each EFD has a primary handler with several secondary handlers, teams can vary from roughly five to eight handlers depending on where the EFD is located.
In the few years the EFD program has existed its impact has been profound and has expanded quickly given the training requirements for each EFD. The program has given active-duty sailors new comrades to their crews and increased the bond shared aboard the ships hosting these task-trained working dogs. This has directly benefited the Navy, as a healthier, more connected crew willing to seek help is better positioned to maintain cohesion and effectiveness during deployments and while dealing with operational stress.
“This partnership has expanded so much in these first three years that we are incredibly excited to see how the program grows going forward,” said Stover. “While we are limited, based on the number of dogs we can train, we are excited to keep working with the Navy, to place dogs where we are able, where they are most needed and watching to see how this grows and changes, what the future needs are and adjusting accordingly.”
Being there when a member of the crew or individual sailor needs to talk or reconnect, could be considered ultimate the goal of MWAM’s EFD program. It might be as simple as a cold, wet nose on their cheek or a wagging tail going down the passageway. But to that sailor, to that crew, that simple act can make a lasting difference.
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