OSS Valor Buddies - service dog program

# OSS Valor Buddies

### A Program Born From Purpose, Built in Honor, and Dedicated to Those Who Served

-----

## In Loving Memory of Corey N. Hart

### United States Marine Veteran | Dear Friend | First OSS Service Dog Owner | Apprentice Trainer

### *~ Forever in Our Hearts ~*

-----

Some programs are built from business plans.

This one was built from a friendship, a shared dream, and a loss that changed everything.

OSS Valor Buddies has been on my heart and in my plans since 2016 — long before it had a name, long before the paperwork, and long before the world knew anything about it. The seed of this program was planted in conversations with one of my dearest friends, one of OSS’s earliest supporters, and one of the most genuine human beings I have ever had the privilege of knowing:

**Corey N. Hart. United States Marine. Veteran. Friend. The first OSS service dog owner. An OSS apprentice trainer. And the biggest fan this program has ever had.**

Corey would be my partner in this program today if he were still with us.

He is not — and that is a loss I carry every single day.

Corey passed away in June of 2022, leaving behind a legacy of courage, laughter, loyalty, and love — for dogs, for people, and especially for his fellow veterans. But before he left, he lived out everything OSS Valor Buddies was always meant to be. His own service dog, Kiera — an FCI Dutch Shepherd — saved his life. Not once. Multiple times. Mentally, physically, and literally.

Corey knew what it meant to have a trusted K9 partner by your side when the weight of everything else felt impossible to carry. And his heart — always — was that other veterans like himself would have that same opportunity. That other soldiers and warriors coming home would not have to fight their hardest battles alone. That they too would have a partner. A dog. A lifeline.

That was Corey’s dream. It was our dream together.

I am honored to carry it forward in his name.

-----

## What OSS Valor Buddies Is — And Why It Exists

OSS Valor Buddies is being built specifically to help deserving veterans and first responders gain access to purpose-bred, properly trained service dogs — with the structure, accountability, and long-term sustainability required for a program like this to genuinely change and save lives.

This is not a spontaneous idea. This program has been carefully planned, prayed over, and developed for nearly a decade. It exists because I have watched firsthand what the right dog can do for a warrior who is struggling. I have seen it transform lives. I watched it transform Corey’s life.

That is why this matters. That is why this is worth building correctly.

-----

## Transparency From the Beginning

I believe in being honest with everyone from the start, so I want to be very clear about how this program will operate.

**OSS Valor Buddies will not be a free dog giveaway** — and I say that without apology, because most people do not fully understand what goes into producing and training a legitimate working or service dog. The genetics, health testing, intentional breeding, raising, socialization, veterinary care, nutrition, daily training, and years of expertise required to produce a properly developed OSS Dutch Shepherd is significant. These animals are not randomly bred. Every single pairing is intentional, evaluated, and planned for a specific purpose and a specific individual’s needs.

I am a single mother who has rebuilt this program from the ground up after years of hardship. I am worthy of fair compensation for honest, skilled, dedicated work — and the sustainability of this program depends on it being structured responsibly from day one. I learned the hard way that operating entirely from the heart, without structure or financial sustainability, eventually destroys the very person trying to help everyone else.

Corey would be the first to tell me to build this thing right.

So that is exactly what I am doing.

-----

## How the Program Will Work

Once fully operational, OSS Valor Buddies will be funded through:

- Donations and individual sponsorships

- Fundraising dinners and community events

- Matching assistance programs

- Fellowship and community support

These funds will help offset costs for qualifying applicants — but every accepted participant will still be expected to contribute a portion of the overall cost based on their individual financial situation and eligibility. A down payment and partial payment toward the dog and training will be required, with the amount determined by each applicant’s income and circumstances.

**Applications will be reviewed** by myself and a small nonprofit committee. To be considered, applicants will be required to submit supporting documentation, which may include:

- Physician or mental health provider letters

- Military leadership letters and recommendations

- Proof of need

- Financial documentation

- Other supporting materials to determine eligibility and assistance level

Approved candidates will be placed on a waiting list for a **specifically planned pairing and breeding** — designed from the ground up to produce the temperament, drives, and characteristics suited to that individual’s unique situation, lifestyle, and needs.

These are not pets. They are not random puppies. They are purpose-bred, carefully evaluated, working and service animals developed for a specific job — the same way Kiera was developed for Corey.

-----

## Coming Soon

Applications for OSS Valor Buddies will be available on the OSS website soon, along with updated training schedules, program details, pricing, and eligibility information.

In the days and weeks ahead, we will also be launching:

- Livestreams and podcasts

- Fundraising events and sponsorship opportunities

- Downloadable program information and resources

- Community updates and handler testimonials

Please stay connected through our website, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, the OSS Community App, and the Members Signal App so you do not miss any updates as this program officially comes to life.

-----

## A Final Word

Corey — I think about you more than you know.

I am grateful for every year of friendship, every laugh, every conversation about dogs and life and what we were going to build together one day. You believed in OSS before most people knew what it was. You believed in me. And you believed that every veteran deserved a chance to come home — really come home — with a partner who would never leave their side.

I am going to build everything we talked about. I am going to do it with everything I have.

This program is for you. It is for every soldier, warrior, and first responder coming after you — the ones who need a Kiera of their own.

I pray OSS Valor Buddies becomes everything we always dreamed it would be.

*Until we meet again — I’ve got it from here.*

-----

*With gratitude, faith, and purpose,*

**Jennifer O’Neil**

OSS — Our Shepherds Shepherds

*“We Walk By Faith And Not By Sight”*

-----

*OSS Valor Buddies — Founded in loving memory of Corey N. Hart, United States Marine Veteran. June 2022.*