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Special to Record-Eagle/Allison MerrillSgt. Alex Baron and his military service dog Tank reunite at a U.S. Air Force base in North Carolina after his first seven-month deployment overseas.DOGSArea kennel sends supplies, toys to military dogs overseasFROM PAGE 1Merrill pictured while working in finance and obtaining her Master of Business Administration. She’d always loved dogs, but that didn’t translate to a career until nearly six years ago when Sun Dog Boarding Kennel went up for sale.Merrill joined of the Military Working Dog Team Support Association shortly after buying the kennel. The nationwide volunteer group sends 200 quarterly care packages to military working dogs on bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.“They’re out there withthe men and women on the front lines, searching for IED explosives, drugs and weapons,” she said. “Their nose is one of the most important skills in the military in my opinion.” Merrill collects necessities like grooming wipes, paw wax, eye protection and bandaging for the dogs, along with clothing andhygiene items for their handlers. She sends the supplies overseas with dog treats and toys in themed care packages.“They go through these products so quickly on base because of the conditions they’re in,” Merrill said. “Every quarter we do a different theme just to keep it fun and exciting.”WESTBAYBEACHRES0RTTRAVER5ECITY.CCooo\
Newspaper Details
Traverse City North Coast
Traverse City, Michigan, US
Sat, Apr 01, 2017
Page 2
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Camille C.
USA 09 Jun 2025
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