Fit as Fido

Endal Junior Makes the Rounds at 99 Air Squadron

07.02.2010 // Fit As Fido // Dawn A. Marcus, M.D. // 1 Comment

If you’ve been a regular at Fit As Fido, you’re very familiar with Endal Junior, his human Allen Parton, and their commitment to help service men and women through Hounds For Heroes.

Here’s the latest EJ report. Like his predecessor, Endal Junior continues to prove himself to be a tireless supporter of the troops. Here in the United States, we’re preparing to celebrate the sacrifices our service men and women have made since our country’s independence, so it’s an appropriate time to salute our brothers and sisters in uniform across the pond — and one of their biggest (and cutest!) supporters, EJ!

This week, Endal Junior and his sidekick Allen Parton visited the Royal Air Force of the 99 Air Squadron. Here’s EJ and Allen with RAF and Hounds for Heroes Reservist dog Ikea.

EJ, Allen, and reservist Ikea with RAF personnel in front of a Globemaster

EJ joins RAF crew on a test flight of the C17

Of course, my first question for Allen was, “What’s a Hounds for Heroes reservist?” Allen explained, “A reservist dog is really a supporter dog. A reservist can be any dog that has achieved accredited and proven behavior. Reservists are marked by wearing special jackets. Reservist dogs work at events to help reduce the pressure on the full working Hounds for Heroes dogs, like EJ. The title reservist dog is easily understood by the military personnel we visit. Our puppies who provide this same service are called cadets.”

Full working Hounds for Heroes dogs, reservists, or cadets — you can easily see how spending time with these giving dogs has brightened the day for these hardworking men and women who give so much of themselves every day to protect their fellow citizens. Cheers EJ – keep up your great work! (Yes — Allen does good work, too, but let’s face it — those smiles are all for EJ!)