VADNAIS HEIGHTS, Minn. — A public celebration of life for Fargo Officer Jake Wallin will be held Wednesday, July 26 at the Scheels Arena in Fargo.
Wallin's family is asking that instead of flowers, people consider donating to Soldier's 6. The nonprofit gives trained service dogs to honorably discharged veterans, police officers, paramedics and firefighters, like Ryan Eckert.
He has served with the Vadnais Heights and St. Paul departments for 21 years.
"It gets busy sometimes," said Eckert, laughing. He started training with his dog, Hank, two months ago.
The dog is 2 years old, and while still a handful, he helped save Eckert's life.
"For me, I'd cope with drinking or staying busy," said Eckert. "And ignoring the signs of any mental-type issue you might have."
Eckert is also an Army veteran and turned to treatment that then led him to Soldier's 6. Ed Abrahamson started the nonprofit back in 2016.
He's still trying to figure out why Officer Wallin's family chose to lend the group their support.
"Why us?" Abrahamson asked. "It’s very humbling. We’re just trying to do the right thing."
Abrahamson is also a veteran and a retired police officer who was once gifted a service dog named Dax.
"And that just left such an indelible mark on me and my family that we decided to pay it forward," said Abrahamson.
The group pairs qualified candidates with a dog of their choice. It partners with local animal shelters instead of purchasing K9s which can sometimes cost upwards of $12,000.
"They're rescues, so we're helping them and they're helping us," said Abrahamson, who relies on the group's five elite trainers to turn the dogs into what he calls "lifelong battle buddies."
"The dogs are the easy thing," said trainer Mike Boehmer. "We have some people who come to us and say they’re broken; people aren’t broken, you’re in a different spot in life and you need to get back on track."
Boehmer says trainers, like him, are also therapists. He's a former police dog handler who recently retired after spending 17 years in law enforcement in Washington. He says it can take three to six months to fully train a dog and its companion.
"The training of these dogs is endless on what we can do with them," said Boehmer. "It's just what that person wants, what that person's needs are."
The continued commitment gives recipients hope and hopefully makes life worth living again.
"You do it because you want to help people," said Boehmer.
The group runs entirely on donations. Its next fundraiser is at the Inver Grove Heights Academy on Saturday, July 29, and runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It includes food trucks, a silent auction and a meat raffle.
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