It is a motto of the United States Marine Corps. Rhea (pronounced “Ray”) Hambright served in the Marines including fighting in the Vietnam war.
There Rhea, a lifetime dog lover, worked with German Shepherds. “You know how we knew when there was going to be an ambush? We would put our hand on the dog’s chest. You could feel their heart speed up. That’s how you knew.”
These days, Rhea works hard keeping up a 500-acre farm in Fayetteville, Texas. He lost his wife Betty a little over a year ago. Still, he’s remained active in his local Lions Club, the VA and going to car shows. Rhea likes to stay active.
His new sidekick, Beatrice shares a similar work ethic. “She is laser focused on the mission,” Rhea says. “I could tell that early on just by the way she locked eyes with me.”
We trained Beatrice to help Rhea with a variety of customized behaviors: opening the fridge and fetching a bottle of water, tugging off a jacket and even helping with the laundry.
“She actually puts the dirty clothes in the washer, then pulls out the wet clothes and puts them in the dryer, and then puts the dry clothes in the laundry basket. After that, she pulls the laundry basket to me in the bedroom, so I can fold the clothes,” says Rhea. “She is really going to change me life.”
Like all of SDI’s clients, Rhea received Beatrice completely free of charge.
Although Rhea still misses his wife, having Beatrice by his side will bring back some of the fun, joy and companionship that he’s missed.
“You know, I always called my wife Bea. And that’s what everyone calls Beatrice – Bea. I know my wife sent her to me.”
We have moved Bea in with Rhea for their three months of weekly In-home training. They should graduate by the end of the year.
Sponsor: James A. Buddy Davidson Charitable Foundation
Beatrice Adopted From: Guide Dogs for the Blind, Career Change Dog
Due to the City of Austin extending its COVID restrictions through December 15, 2020, we have rescheduled our 21st Mighty Texas Dog Walk to Saturday, March 27, 2021.
The time and location are the same:
305 S. Congress (Austin American-Statesman)
9:00 Gates open
10:00 Walk starts
All registrations will be honored.
We look forward to welcoming you to this PAWsome family-friendly, Guinness World Record fetching festival, benefiting Service Dogs, Inc
Want to be popular? Give this amazing calendar to anyone you know who needs a lift.
And that would be everyone, right?
12 months of our Facility Dogs, Chanel, Lady, Rudy and Fresca, bringing much needed smiles to emergency workers. Proceeds benefit the next Facility Dog we’re training for first responders in the Rio Grande Valley.
IT ADDS UP
Donate every time you shop, at no cost to you!
It’s easy:
– Amazon app: Settings > AmazonSmile
– Web browser: Go to smile.amazon.com and activate your account.
– We are listed under “Texas Hearing & Service Dogs”
Our year-end goal is $10,000!
Austin Attorney Dan Christensen
Will Match Your Donations Up to $5,000!
To celebrate their South Austin grand opening, DC Law will match all gifts to SDI up to $5,000!
Founder Dan Christensen joined the SDI board at the invitation of SDI Founder Sheri Soltes, herself a former trial lawyer. “We are grateful to Dan for his leadership and generosity,” says Sheri.
Dan’s daughter, CJ, volunteers for SDI as a photographer.
Each donation up to $5,000 total will double in value from a matching gift from DC Law. Thank you, Dan!
DC Lawrepresents the victims of personal injury in Austin and throughout other parts of Texas. We pride ourselves on providing excellent client service and exceptional representation. Founding partner, Dan Christensen, is a former military member and former prosecuting attorney who has devoted his career to helping others. He now focuses his practice on helping those harmed by the negligence of another. In addition to Austin, our personal injury lawyers also service Travis County cities which include Rollingwood, Round Rock, Elgin, Jonestown, Manor, Bee Cave, Lago Vista, Sunset Valley, Lakeway, Creedmoor, the Williamson County cities of Georgetown, Cedar Park, and Leander, as well as other areas of Texas.