The SD Gunner Fund: Doing a World of Good           
Story by Katrice Williams

“I started the SD Gunner Fund to help others; I started it to help my family as well. All that the organization does is based on my own experience,” Britnee Kinard states.

Britnee is the president and chief executive officer of the SD (Service Dog) Gunner Fund, SDGF, a 501(c)(3) which started in 2014. Its primary mission is: “To provide assistance to military veterans, first responders and special needs [exceptional] children through the training and adoption of service animals.”

The animals are trained to support individuals with mobility, psychiatric and neurological disabilities.

Inspiration for SDGF

Britnee’s inspiration for her organization is none other than her husband Hamilton; the 20-year U.S. Army and National Guard veteran is a Purple Heart recipient and Global War on Terror Medal recipient.

In 2005, while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Hamilton was severely injured after his unit took an improvised explosive device (IED) hit. He was in a coma for three days; he suffered a brain injury along with 56 other devastating injuries. Hamilton was medically retired from the military in 2010.

Britnee, a successful business executive, walked away from her career to commit her time and efforts to the complete care of her husband. His condition broke her heart; Britnee, however, knew that it paled in comparison to what Hamilton was actually enduring.

“When you’re raised to be a provider for your family, especially in the South, you carry the world on your shoulders. Then, when you get out of the military, broken and disabled, and you can’t do any of that, it’s very daunting on a man,” she says.

Britnee reached out to any organization that she felt could help. She thought assistance would be easy for Hamilton to obtain; after all, he was a decorated military veteran who sacrificed life and liberty for his country. Britnee, however, faced the harsh reality that there wasn’t any place that would readily extend the assistance and support that her husband so direly needed … no place that did not include tons of red tape and overly extensive processes. 

“I found out first-hand the lack of support services offered to veterans,” Britnee reveals.

Service Dogs: Assisting Veterans, Exceptional Children & First Responders

In 2013, the couple gained a new friend that would change their lives named Gunner. Gunner, a Great Pyrenees, had been training to obtain his service dog credentials. After earning those credentials in 2014, Gunner became a mobility-based service animal for Hamilton.

“I chose Gunner, a big, fluffy, white Great Pyrenees that people started conversations about. It encouraged my husband to talk and to get out more instead of [withdrawing] from people,” she states.

Moreover, Britnee found that some organizations required that a veteran be on a waitlist for three or four years before receiving a service animal. She also learned that it was common for a service animal to be repossessed when a veteran could no longer afford it. That seemed unacceptable considering the severe conditions and mental health concerns that many veterans face, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Britnee wanted to be an instrument of positive change. After investing a lot of time, research and resources, she rolled out her nonprofit, which was named for Gunner.

 Britnee began SDGF to help individuals financially obtain and also maintain personal service animals. She eventually began receiving calls inquiring about whether SDGF also provided training for the service animals. With the assistance of qualified training professionals, SDGF embarked upon the service dog training side of it all.

All dogs are well-trained to best suit the needs of each client. Britnee first becomes well aware of each individual’s disability, along with the specific tasks they would need the dog to perform, in order to match the person with the absolute best service dog to meet their needs. That said, a 6'3" man would probably not be paired with a Chihuahua. Each dog is required to be behaviorally sound before training is completed; therefore, each dog works with several trainers.

“I want you to be happy with what you’re getting. I try to fit everything within the family’s expectations and their budget. Majority of the time, we’re able to make it work,” Britnee says.

The average starting expense to train each dog is approximately $10,000. SDGF can usually train about 10-15 dogs each year.

“I do not train based on quantity; I train on quality,” she adds.

Britnee believes in being transparent with clients so that they understand the needs of each animal. Hence, if an individual has a limited budget, they should be aware of the grooming expenses associated with acquiring a dog like a Great Pyrenees. Further, if a person has a compact car, a Great Dane would probably not be the best fit for them.

What is more, when Britnee’s oldest son Blayne, 13, was three-years-old, he was diagnosed with various disorders associated with autism. She noticed that having Gunner around the house helping her husband also made a world of difference in Blayne’s life. Her youngest son Maks, 10, certainly enjoyed having their furry friend, too.

“We noticed how much Gunner helped with our son Blayne even though he wasn’t specifically trained to assist him,” Britnee states. Seeing the benefit first-hand, she added servicing exceptional children to SDGF’s assistance list.

About a year later, she added first responders. That was important to her, as Hamilton served as both a firefighter and police officer while in the military.

“My husband served as a first responder, so first responders mean a lot to me,” she says.

Therapy Dogs: Facility & Educational Use

SDGF added therapy dogs to their “regime of training” three years ago. The dogs are for facility and organizational use only, not individual use. There are currently therapy dogs working for: Chatterbox Pediatric Therapy (Pooler and Richmond Hill), The Speech Path (Perry), Now We’re Talking Therapy (Bluffton), Memorial Health (Savannah) and Children’s Museum of Pooler.

In addition, SDGF launched an educational therapy dog program for the Effingham County School District. Two therapy dogs were initially placed to work in the school district.

“The Effingham County School District has the first ever therapy dog program in the Lowcountry,” she says.

In fact, the school district recently placed an order for 16 additional dogs. Data from the Effingham School System reflects how great the dogs are for the children.

“Testing numbers are up, and behavioral problems are down,” Britnee points out.

Dog Training

On average, the dog training process takes 18-24 months; each dog must have a minimum of 600 hours of training to complete the program and must also pass various certifications in phases throughout the process. Individuals are encouraged to train with their dogs at least two hours/day in order for the animal to enhance its skills. The goal is to maximize the potential of each dog.

The Impact

Britnee is grateful for the skilled and talented professional trainers that she has been privileged to work alongside. She, too, appreciates all the sponsors who have supported her organization over the years.

SDGF has provided over 50,000 hours of training for service dogs. It has served over 450 military and special needs families. It reached over 215,000 children between Georgia and South Carolina through its animal assistance therapy last year alone.

Looking ahead, Britnee would like to see more school systems understand the importance of therapy dogs.

“I’d love to see more therapy dogs in the educational sector. Teachers and counselors have been able to help kids in certain situations because the child trusts the dog; these dogs can move mountains,” she comments.

At present, SDGF services the entire Coastal Empire and reaches as far as Columbia, South Carolina, Jacksonville, Florida and Waycross, Georgia.

Britnee Kinard, LLC

Last year, Britnee started Britnee Kinard, LLC. She began offering business consulting regarding Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance related to service dogs.

She travels nationwide teaching classes on understanding Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) laws regarding service and emotional support animals.

“I teach businesses how they can accommodate service animals without violating laws. I also teach them how to spot fake service dogs and how to deal with such situations. I do a lot of speaking on caregiver services from my position as a wife and caregiver to my husband,” she states.

Get Involved

Individuals who would like to get involved with SDGF can assist by volunteering their time, providing their professional skills (i.e. dog training, marketing, graphic designing, etc.), donating items, giving financial donations or even becoming an annual sponsor. Please visit: www.sdgunner.org for additional information.

The SD Gunner Fund is doing a world of good for so many people.

“Just hearing my husband talk about what Gunner did for him and seeing his face light up is enough to sell the program for 100 years,” Britnee says.