Tribute Comfort Dogs

18/09/2026

For the Ones…. one more time today. ♥️🦮🚓🚑🚒⛑️🇺🇸

The ones we are honored to show up for.

And the ones who make it possible for us to keep showing up.

On this North Texas Giving Day, we’re grateful for every donation, every share, every kind word and every person who believes in the work of Tribute Comfort Dogs.

There’s still time to support us tonight. And if a donation isn’t in the cards, sharing this post helps too. (Link in comments)

Thank you for being part of our little Org. Thank you for helping us be there when we’re needed. 🐾🇺🇸

17/09/2026

For the Ones…. 🇺🇸🚓🚒🚑⛑️

The ones who answer the call.
The ones who run toward it.
The ones who stand the watch.
The ones who serve, protect, respond, rescue, comfort and carry on.

They are why we do what we do.

For 11 years, Tribute Comfort Dogs has been showing up for our service members, veterans, first responders and their families.

For the celebrations, deployments and homecomings.

For the really hard days, after a critical incident, at a funeral or memorial.

And sometimes simply because it’s been a long day and having a dog beside you makes it a little better.

Today, we’re asking you to help us keep showing up.

Your North Texas Giving Day gift helps provide the training, travel and resources that make this work possible.

https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/donate/Tribute-Comfort-Dogs

17/09/2026

Psssst…Brie has something to tell you 🦮

Tomorrow is North Texas Giving Day. 🎉

For 11 years, Tribute Comfort Dogs has shown up for our military, veterans, first responders and their families…during some of their hardest days, and some of their very best ones. 🇺🇸

Tomorrow, we’re asking our friends to show up for us. 🥳

If Tribute Comfort Dogs is a mission you believe in, we’d be honored to have your support this North Texas Giving Day. ♥️

And if you’re one of those people who likes to get things checked off the list early… early giving is already open. 😉

https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/donate/Tribute-Comfort-Dogs

16/09/2026

True that! 🎉
Tomorrow is North Texas Giving Day 🥳

We are ONE day away from the biggest giving event in the nation... and it shows. 😅

We are ready! See you tomorrow, North Texas 👋

16/09/2026

And wait there is more….Bill wasn’t the only one to receive an award at his retirement ceremony. 💐

I was presented with an Honorary Commission of the Yellow Rose of Texas. Earlier this year, members of Bill’s unit nominated me for this special recognition and they presented it to me during the ceremony.

And now that the excitement of the big weekend has come and gone, I finally sat down and read it again.

The Yellow Rose of Texas recognizes outstanding Texas women for significant contributions to their communities and to the State of Texas in the preservation of our history, the accomplishments of our present, and the building of our future.

Wow! 🥲 That is a lot for me to take in.

Tribute Comfort Dogs is officially 11 years old.

Over those years, we’ve attended many funerals and memorials. Deployment ceremonies and homecomings. We’ve met so many first responders, service members, veterans and their families.

My dogs have always given me the courage to be there with others during some of the most difficult times. Looking back, the most meaningful moments are when I simply sit with someone and listen, and I let the dogs speak for themselves. It’s amazing the stories people share with them about service, sacrifice and loved ones.

In my younger years, I would have never imagined voluntarily attending most of these events, because they are hard. Really hard. We’ve been there for some incredibly difficult days and some really, really good ones too.

I’ve always known how special dogs are…how they can create a bridge and reach people when sometimes words can’t. And I believe the simple act of showing up for those who do so much for the rest of us is the least we can do.

To the members of our unit who thought enough of that work…and of me…to put my name forward, Thank You. 💐🇺🇸🦮🐾

I’m incredibly honored…and still a little speechless, which we all know is quite the accomplishment. ♥️😂

16/09/2026

Well, he did it. 🇺🇸

20 years in the United States Army and Texas Army National Guard… officially wrapped up with Bill’s retirement ceremony.

There have been deployments, training missions, drill weekends, missed family events and more military shenanigans than I care to know about. 😂

But along the way, there have also been some pretty amazing friendships that became lifelong ones.

Bill spent about 12 years with this unit as one of its founding members, so getting to finish this chapter with these guys was pretty darn fitting.

They presented him with a beautiful display representing his years of service, something we’ll treasure forever.

Proud of you, MSG Holland. ♥️🇺🇸
Smooches My Love 💋

Now about this whole “retirement” thing… 😎

15/09/2026

I asked Brie what was on her agenda today.

Apparently this is it. 😂 No vest. No road trip. No responsibilities.

Just her favorite spot on the couch, under the A/C vent, waiting for Texas to get its act together.

Summer has gone on long enough. We’d like to speak to management. ☀️🫠 🐾

14/09/2026

We recently rented a van and headed six hours south to hang out with a group very close to our hearts. ♥️🇺🇸

We spent the weekend with my hubby’s Texas National Guard unit, which I lovingly refer to as “our unit,” for their annual Family Weekend.

It’s the drill weekend that’s more about bringing the unit’s families together. Current members, former members, spouses, kids and pups…catching up over some amazing Texas BBQ and watching the unit’s annual lake jump.

This one was especially meaningful for our family because it was also my hubby’s final drill weekend after 20 years of military service. 🥲

It was so good seeing friends again. We headed home with promises to come back next year and stay in touch with people who have been such a big part of our lives for so many years.

All of our trips are special, this one was extra for sure. 🇺🇸🐾

12/09/2026

🐾 Maddie Update: Apparently “Rest” Is a Four-Letter Word

First up on our TCD catch-up list: Maddie. 💗

If you’ve been following Maddie’s journey, you may have noticed we’ve been pretty quiet about her continued training and evaluation.

There’s a reason for that.

Our crazy girl has been dealing with on-and-off lameness since December. Over the months that followed, Maddie saw multiple specialists and had plenty of rest, therapy and evaluations as we tried to determine exactly what was going on and what the best path forward would be for her.

We looked at options other than surgery, too. Ultimately, after a lot of research and consultations, we made the decision to move forward with TPLO knee surgery in June with a highly recommended surgeon who specializes in the procedure.

And then came recovery.

Strict. Rest…..With Maddie…..😳🤪

To her credit, she tolerated it to the absolute best of her ability.

To our credit, we survived it. 😂

For weeks, life in our house revolved around helping Maddie make good choices. Keeping her quiet. No running. No jumping…oh how we tried. Keeping her from deciding that she was obviously cured and therefore all restrictions did not apply to her.

Even Brie had to adjust to life under the “Maddie Must Make Good Choices Program”. 🙃 Brie was such a good girl with lil sis getting babied and so much more attention.

Maddie’s made good progress since surgery, although she continues to have some swelling around her knee. She’s still receiving PEMF treatments, and we’re giving her body all the time it needs to heal.

Which brings us to her TCD journey.

We’ve postponed Maddie’s evaluation and put her continued training on hold.

And we’re 100% okay with that. The health and well-being of our pups will always come before a training schedule, an evaluation date or a title.

And honestly, this unexpected break will give Maddie something else she needed…time. Time for her body to heal completely, and a little extra time for our enthusiastic, slightly crazy girl to mature before we ask her to take that next step.

When her body is ready, we’ll get back into training. When Maddie is ready, we’ll evaluate.

There’s no deadline. Our sweet girl gets to set the pace. 💙🐾

For now, Maddie’s job is to keep healing.

And our job is apparently to continue convincing Maddie that making good choices is not optional. Pray for our sanity. 😂

11/09/2026

9/11

This is a story about devotion. About remembrance. And about honoring those we lost. By Joshua Charow

I watched this small clip about James, who cares for the Memorial pools at the World Trade Center site. James was there on September 11, 2001.

It brought up a lot of feelings…and a lot of thoughts about what I remember from that day, the years that followed, and the different ways we choose to honor those who were there… and those who are still here.

25 years later, I find myself drawn to the stories we haven’t always heard.

The stories of those who survived.
Those who saved others.
The reunions.
Those who answered the call in the days, months and years afterward.
And those who have quietly made remembering part of their life’s work.

This year, I especially appreciate hearing more of those stories…not only what happened to people on September 11, 2001, but what happened after. Where life took them. How that day changed them. How they are doing today. And what remembrance looks like for them 25 years later.

James’ story struck me because his remembrance is something he does.

He was there that day. And today, he cares for the place where the names of 2,983 people are etched into the Memorial.

There is something incredibly meaningful about that kind of quiet devotion.

At Tribute Comfort Dogs, so much of what we believe about service is wrapped up in simply showing up. Sometimes for the big moments everyone sees. More often for the quiet ones nobody does.

Today, we Remember those we lost.

We Honor those who ran toward danger.

We Remember those who Survived and carried that day forward with them.

And we are grateful for those who, 25 years later, are still showing up.

Still telling the stories.

Still saying their names.

Still remembering.

We will never forget. 🇺🇸