NASCAR San Diego spotlights Navy resilience dogs

Mutts With A Mission is teaming with NASCAR and the U.S. Navy during NASCAR’s inaugural San Diego race weekend, June 19-22, to highlight Expeditionary Facility Dogs and Navy resiliency programs. The partnership puts the USS Carl Vinson and CAPT Rudder in front of a national audience as the Navy looks to raise awareness of support resources for sailors.

Why it matters: - NASCAR’s first San Diego event gives the U.S. Navy and Mutts With A Mission a national stage to spotlight mental health and resiliency support for sailors. - The partnership also draws attention to how task-trained dogs are being used to support service members in demanding military environments.

What happened: - Mutts With A Mission is joining NASCAR and the U.S. Navy at NASCAR’s inaugural San Diego event June 19-22 along the Coronado waterfront. - Expeditionary Facility Dog CAPT Rudder and the crew of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) are taking part in the weekend. - The USS Carl Vinson will serve as a visible centerpiece of the event for fans watching the waterfront racecourse.

The details: - CAPT Rudder is an Expeditionary Facility Dog trained and placed by Mutts With A Mission. - Expeditionary Facility Dogs are trained to support Sailor resiliency by helping break down barriers around mental health, starting conversations, interrupting detrimental behaviors and supporting deployment missions. - Mutts With A Mission says CAPT Rudder is one of six Expeditionary Facility Dogs it has nationwide. - Brooke Corson, director of Mutts With A Mission, said the organization wants NASCAR fans worldwide to learn about the dogs, the Sailor handlers and the Sailors they serve. - The organization said the NASCAR weekend provides a platform to show the growing role Expeditionary Facility Dogs play across the U.S. Navy. - Mutts With A Mission partners with the Navy to place trained dogs aboard ships where they help foster connection among service members in difficult settings. - The organization is accredited by Assistance Dogs International. - Mutts With A Mission provides its dogs at no cost to recipients, aside from an application fee. - The nonprofit says it also serves Veterans, Wounded Warriors, law enforcement officers and first responders with specially trained service dogs. - Mutts With A Mission also provides Facility Dogs to law enforcement agencies and Expeditionary Facility Dogs to the U.S. Navy.

Between the lines: - The San Diego race weekend functions as a public relations moment for a military support program that usually operates inside ships and other restricted environments. - The Navy and Mutts With A Mission are using the event to connect a popular sports audience with resilience and mental health resources for service members. - The USS Carl Vinson’s role in the backdrop helps turn an abstract support program into a visible, easier-to-understand example.

What's next: - Mutts With A Mission hopes CAPT Rudder’s story will drive greater awareness of the programs helping strengthen the health and well-being of military personnel. - The event may also broaden public understanding of how Expeditionary Facility Dogs are being integrated into Navy life. - More information is available through Mutts With A Mission on Instagram and Mutts With A Mission on Facebook.

The bottom line: - NASCAR’s San Diego debut is doubling as a showcase for a niche Navy resiliency program with a highly visible symbol: a working dog aboard one of the fleet’s best-known aircraft carriers.