While the fund has officially been in operation for three years, it was decades in the making.
Voytosh, the daughter of a U.S. Marine, attributes much of her inspiration for the fund to her father. Even before she earned her bachelor’s in biology, masters in animal science and Ivy League veterinary training, Voytosh’s father remained her constant supporter. Voytosh, whose lifelong goal was to become a horse doctor, claimed her father always encouraged her to pursue her aspirations.
“When I got into veterinarian school, my father got the license plate ‘PONYDR,’” Voytosh said. “The man sold his soul for me so that I would be a veterinarian.”
The inspiration for the fund did not come without pain and loss. Voytosh faced the loss of both parents, her uncle, two of her beloved Rottweilers and a horse over the period of just a few months.
Voytosh believes customizing the vests is essential to the dogs’ comfort, since regular vests can cause rubbing and sores on the dogs. “In regular vests, they can’t really practice in them,” Voytosh said. “They only wear them when they’re in combat or when they’re doing work. With the custom ones, they can practice. I think it has to change their mentality because all of the sudden they have this heavy vest on them.”
When Voytosh started the fund, vests were not available for each dog due to military budget cuts. This, Voytosh explained, lead to public outcry, which spurred the government to begin providing vests for all military canines. “There was so much public concern for the animals that the government funds became more readily available, and hence my fund may start reaching out to police canines,” Voytosh said.
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