Billy just might be the cutest member of the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races family.
But Billy’s cuteness has a purpose. The casino in West Virginia has partnered with Thin Line Service Dogs to sponsor his training to be a service dog for a veteran or first responder.
“One of our highest priorities each year is partnering with initiatives and programs benefiting military and first responders. We recognize their service and sacrifice and are humbled to assist them in any way we can,” said Scott Saunders, vice president and general manager of Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. “The mission of Thin Line Service Dogs is perfectly aligned with our values as a company and our continued support for the communities in our region.”
Billy will be in training for two years, said co-founder/head trainer at Thin Line Service Dogs, Anjanette Montano, who added that all of the dogs are named after a fallen hero.
Billy is named after U.S. Army veteran William “Billy” Joseph Cashman, who died on 9/11 aboard Flight 93, Montano said. In an odd coincidence, he actually helped build the Twin Towers. Just 63 years old at the time of his death, Cashman was traveling aboard Flight 93 with a long-time friend to go hiking in Yosemite National Park.
Cashman served as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and later he became a welder by profession and taught welding to union apprentices in the evening. Montano said Cashman was proud of the fact that during his 40 years with Ironworkers Local 46, he helped to construct the World Trade Center.
Montano and her husband Wayne, a Navy veteran and firefighter, found they needed a service dog in 2018. That need led them to form Thin Line.
“Our organization provides service animals to our disabled first responders and veterans at no cost,” she explained.
The nonprofit relies on a breeding program and does not have a brick-and-mortar facility. Instead, it relies on puppy trainers around the country to raise and train their puppies.
Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races sponsorship covers Billy’s training, veterinary bills and food.
Montano said Thin Line Service Dogs believes it is important to keep the memory of the nation’s heroes alive and that by speaking the name multiple times a day, they will be remembered and if by chance, some passerby asks about the dog’s name then the story gets to be shared and passed on.
“Our dogs save lives,” she said.
To learn more about Thin Line Service Dogs visit here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
