Golf tournament will raise money for K9 Care of Montana

A Philipsburg-based nonprofit is turning to the Flathead Valley for support in its mission to provide service dogs to veterans.

K9 Care of Montana is donating three service dogs to Wounded Warrior Project alumni, and, for the first time, to a chapter of the national Project Healing Waters organization in Helena.

The dogs are being raised and trained by David Riggs, chief executive officer of K9 Care of Montana, from the time they are puppies until they are a year and a half old. The level of training needed to serve a person with a particular mental or physical disability may cost between $6,000 to $22,000, Riggs said.

To help cover costs and raise money to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project and Project Healing Waters, Riggs has organized a charity golf tournament Aug. 18 at Meadow Lake Resort in Columbia Falls. This is the first charity golf fundraiser for K9 Care of Montana, and Riggs is now seeking sponsorships and players.

“I’ve got to get the word out,” Riggs said.

There a variety of ways to donate. People may sponsor tee signs with their business or organization name for $100. Businesses and organizations may also sponsor a hole on the course for $200.

“This allows a business to come out, set up a booth on a hole and give out general information about their services,” Riggs said.

Players may register to golf for $125. This includes green fees, golf cart, lunch, silent auction and prizes. Event registration begins at 6:30 a.m. Aug. 18, with a shotgun scramble at 8 a.m. followed by lunch, an auction and an awards ceremony.

With the use of two adaptive golf carts, veterans from the Wounded Warrior Project will tee off along with other players.

Riggs understands just how necessary a service dog is to regaining independence and readjusting to life. A spinal injury at the age of 17 put him in a wheelchair for 18 months. During that recovery period, Riggs used dog-training skills he learned working at a kennel to train his own service dog.

Five years later, as a side effect of medication used to treat the spinal injury, he was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, a disease that destroys bone tissue and joints. Riggs once again needed a service dog to help him as he underwent back surgeries and hip and shoulder replacements.

During an interview last week, Riggs brought along his Labrador retriever service dog, Rocky.

Whether the task is to open the refrigerator for an amputee, help an autistic child socialize or lay at the heels of a veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder, service and therapy dogs are life-changing companions.

It was not until 2007 that Riggs formally organized K9 Care. The turning point in establishing the nonprofit occurred after he attended a bridge dedication near his house in Philipsburg for Pvt. 1st Class Kyle Bohrnsen, who was killed in Iraq after his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.

“I already had thoughts about K9 Care, but that made me think how important it is to provide benefits and show support to our wounded veterans, and K9 Care continues to have events honoring our veterans,” Riggs said.

K9 Care of Montana continues to expand its services, which include organizing outdoor sports opportunities with service and therapy dogs.

“We’re training about a dozen dogs, and right now we’re in the middle of building a state-of-the-art kennel facility to hold 20 dogs,” Riggs said.

For more information or to make sponsorships, call Riggs at (406) 560-2230 or tournament chairman Garth Boksich at 212-0263, or visit www.k9caremontana.org.

Donations may also be sent by mail to K9 Care Montana Inc., 11 T Heart Ranch Lane, Philipsburg, MT 59858

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.