By Arthur E. Benjamin

As our American heroes return from war, an estimated 20 percent of them have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) or both. That’s nearly 400,000 of our young men and women living with these permanently life-altering circumstances. For those of us who have not experienced what these heroes have experienced, we can’t possibly understand what they’re going through.

The good news, however, is we CAN help them live something closer to a “normal” life by supplying them with a “best friend” companion or service animal.

Though there is no known cure for PTSD, countless veterans have reported they are able to live much more functional lives with the assistance of a properly trained, four-legged helper.

But how do we train such an enormous amount of dogs and provide them to veterans in need? An organization that is very close to my heart – paws4people foundation – has the answer to that question. In their paws4prisons program, inmates train dogs that end up with PTSD suffering war vets, as well as severely disabled kids.

Did I mention the “double bonus” in this situation? That would be the dramatically reduced recidivism rates of the prisoners who participate in this wonderful program. While the vast majority of incarcerated people re-offend upon release and end up back in prison, the occurrences of this are nearly nil in prisoners who have participated in paws4prisons.

Paws4people was founded by an amazing young woman named Kyria Henry when she was just 12 years old. Her father Terry, a Vietnam vet and PTSD sufferer, has helped her along the way and is now also highly involved in the organization. These two are remarkably passionate about helping people and helping animals.

The foundation now provides service dogs to 100 people each year through its variety of programs and services. One ultimate goal of the foundation is to share its methods and standards with programs throughout the nation, leading to one enormous network of dogs in need being rescued, prisoners reforming their lives and people getting the service and companion animals they so desperately need. Another goal is to provide service dogs to more than 1,000 people each year.

Won’t you join in and help us? Click here to donate to paws4people via American Dog Rescue. We’ll match a portion of each dollar you donate, leading to an even greater donation to paws4people and the wonderful people and dogs they serve.

To support American Dog Rescue’s involvment with paws4people and paws4vets, please click here to donate.

Long a proponent of both animal rights and the many benefits of higher education, Arthur E. Benjamin recently had the honor of being featured in the APSCU’s (Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities) monthly newsletter.

As a member of the APSCU’s PAC (Political Action Committee), Arthur was chosen as a profile subject based on his deep love for and commitment to animals in need. The newsletter article primarily highlighted Arthur’s recent trip to Canada to visit baby harp seals and bring awareness to the urgent need to end the seal hunt [link seal hunt news release blog entry].

“I feel fortunate to be involved in so many critical and contribution-oriented efforts and the organizations advancing them, its all a part of helping people and pets, my life mission.” Arthur said. “I truly appreciate APSCU providing this additional opportunity to spread the word about important animal issues.”

Animal advocate’s passion takes him to the end of the earth.

By Emily J. Minor

Most people say they love animals for their cuddliness, their cuteness, and the fact that loving animals is simply politically correct. But for philanthropist, animal rights advocate and American Dog Rescue founder Arthur E. Benjamin, the devotion goes deeper. Much deeper.

Benjamin loves animals for their personal stories, for the lives they’ve led, for the lives he knows they could lead. Whether it’s the frightened, bedraggled Hurricane Katrina kittens that were rescued and given real homes, or the grossly abused circus lion moved to a new beginning atop a Tennessee mountain, Benjamin’s caring intuition for animals knows no boundaries.

Recently, he went to the ends of the earth to prove it.

For years, Benjamin has been schooling himself on animal’s rights, and helping through the Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation bringing awareness to zoo elephants forgotten in captivity, shelter dogs scheduled to be put down. Injured great blue herons restored and returned to flight.

When his beloved wife, Gail, died in 2004, he and Buddy, the family dog, teamed up to do even more. They started American Dog Rescue – a 501C charity that saves dogs and makes sure they have homes.

But even this Delray Beach entrepreneur – who each year raises as much as he can and donates hundreds of thousands of dollars under both charities – agrees that his recent trip to the middle of nowhere was something extraordinary, even for him.

“I can tell you, I’ve seen a lot in my life,” he says, “But this was one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever had.”

Canadian government still allows the hunting of seal pups – as barbaric as it sounds, and it’s barbaric. Clubbed to death before they can even swim, these pups are being killed for their coats, and it’s being done in record numbers. Between the dwindling ice cover, brought on by warmer climates, to the continuing hunt of these newborns, more than 300,000 seal pups die each year.

And that’s why Benjamin did what he did.

One week not all that long ago, the winter weather around him swirling, his flights delayed, himself a bit under the weather with a touch of something, Benjamin made his way to the middle of nowhere, about 100 miles off of the northeastern coast of Canada.

It took him 22 hours to get there: Three commercial flights, then a 90-minute helicopter ride. (They were able to land on five inches of ice.) Then a long walk, atop thinning ice covers, to the point where the pups were being born.

“I was determined to get there, because there’s only one time a year that they give birth,” he says.

Once there, he heard the most extraordinary sounds. Benjamin has listened to the voices of animals before – dogs and cats, horses and birds, lions and elephants.

But this was special.

“If you close your eyes, it’s like you’re in a human nursery,” he says. “The pups sound like babies.” And the surroundings?

“It’s white and flat as far as you can see,” he says. “It’s like you’re on the moon.”

This time of year, though, the ice permitting, hundreds of thousands of these baby seal pups – the very ones Benjamin reached out and touched on his recent excursion – are brutally clubbed to death by fishermen wielding nothing more sophisticated than a muscled arm and a weighted piece of wood.

The United States Humane Society, which supports the boycott of Canadian fish products until Canada outlaws seal hunting, says the slaughter is so archaic “most people are shocked that this is even legal.”

But it is, for now.

Now that he’s home, there’s a new collection of images Benjamin can’t get out of his mind: Those seal pup faces; the dark eyes and the whiskered black nose pushing along the tundra.

So young, and so beautiful. He knows they deserve a life.

Every animal does.

“My heart is bigger than I am,” he says simply. “I will do anything.”

Earlier this week, Arthur E. Benjamin had the opportunity to visit Panavision Studios in
Los Angeles with One World Futbol inventor Tim Jahnigen. Tim is filming for the upcoming documentary “Play,” which will describe his amazing journey to inventing a simple product that quite literally changes lives.

That product is the One World Futbol, an indestructible soccer ball that brings joy to so many children who wouldn’t know it otherwise. The product was originally inspired by refugee children in Darfur, who would literally play soccer with whatever they could find to use as a ball.

For every One World Futbol purchased through oneworldfutbol.com, a matching ball is donated to a child in need.

You can help support the making of “Play” and, therefore, the ability for more children in need to experience the simple joy of this indestructible ball. Click here for details on how to donate to this worthy cause via the Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation.

Arthur E. Benjamin joined Bill Pemberton on Prime TV to discuss his involvement in presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to Eric Pleskow at the Dallas International Film Festival. Arthur also discussed many of the philanthropic endeavors about which he is very passionate.

Throughout Arthur E. Benjamin’s career in business and philanthropy, he always had one primary role model in mind to attempt to emulate. That role model was Arthur’s late, beloved uncle Robert S. Benjamin, who served as the first chairman of United Artists and Orion Pictures.

Arthur’s affection for his uncle made for a very special experience on Friday, as he helped sponsor the Dallas International Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement award to Eric Pleskow.

Pleskow not only worked closely with Arthur’s uncle Robert during their careers; he also happens to be the past president and CEO of United Artists and Orion Pictures, respectively.

“I was proud to be a part of honoring Eric Pleskow for his profoundly positive impact on the film industry,” Arthur said. “But it was even more special to meet and honor someone whose career path was so similar to that of my single greatest inspiration.”

Placed in the middle of one of the nation’s biggest and most timely problems, Benjamin searches for resolution

DELRAY BEACH, FL (April 12, 2012) – Delray Beach executive and philanthropist, Arthur E. Benjamin, founder of American Dog Rescue, has recently been named Chairman of the Advisory Board for paws4people, along with its subsidiaries paws4vets, paws4prisons and paws4firstresponders. Through his new position, Benjamin hopes to continue to change families’ lives forever, and in the process, build the standards all such organizations can follow to solve three of our nation’s greatest problems by providing: service dog companionship for disabled veterans returning to the United States from Iraq and Afghanistan, and for disabled youth under 14, a low-cost supply of service dogs for disabled youth & veterans, and a low-cost way out of overcrowding the nation’s prisons, which keeps the cost of incarceration down and helps our economy.

American Dog Rescue is grateful to a 12-year-old, Kyria Henry, and her disabled Vietnam veteran dad, Terry Henry, for starting paws4people and sticking to it for the past twelve years. Thus far, the organization has trained and delivered more than 200 service dogs to qualified and needy recipients.

A leading organization in service dog training for those who need help to deal with physical and psychological disabilities, paws4people with the help of Benjamin, plans to increase assistance to our more than 600,000 vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD and MST disorders in the next 5 years.

paws4people delivers a unique combination of positive benefits to all those it serves. Utilizing dogs bred for service, as well as rescues and donated dogs that qualify, paws4 organizations provide companion and service dogs for disabled youth under 14 years of age and disabled veterans.

Dogs are started on the path to service being raised and trained to perform over 100 commands in five state and federal correctional facilities by inmates who qualify for the in-demand program. The dogs may be transferred in their training to two or more of these facilities. Inmates accepted into this unique program are committed to contribute the highest levels of training. The success of both the dogs and the prisoners is exceptional. This training period can be six to 18 months.

Next, the dogs graduate on to qualified disabled recipients, and only when a dog chooses a recipient does a transfer process begin. Usually, the potential recipient takes short periods of time with the dog before the dog is permitted to leave with them.

After the transfer is made and the dog and disabled person team is formed, the recipient with the dog continue to train at outside private facilities until certified as a companion or service dog team.  This certification, if at the service level, must be renewed yearly and ability for public-access demonstrated each year.

One potential private facility that the process of training and public-access certification may be completed at is the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Dog Assistance Training Program, a vital part of the paws4 network of organizations. This unique college program is the only one of its kind in the United States. In this program, students receive 12 credits for learning service dog training and help finish the training process for one of these dogs and with its recipient, and/or living with a service dog in training, giving it public-access experience and then transferring it to a qualified disabled recipient.

Those who complete the full four semesters not only receive a service dog trainer certificate from paws4 but receive their own service dog to employ in in-demand careers of special education, physical therapy, psychology social work and other integrative professions.

Another private facility that offers both an opportunity for the dog to complete their certifications and a chance for former inmate-trainers to build their own businesses in partnership with paws4people is “The Dog Wizard”, a paws4 for-profit “partner organization.” Here the training process once again can be completed for the dog and its qualified disabled recipient, but uniquely also present a former inmate a chance to build their own self-employed future and to contribute back to the paws4 organizations through shared ownership of a business that completes the total paws4 loop.

To help support American Dog Rescue and paws4people, please visit www.americandogrescue.org.

American Dog Rescue (ADR) is a tax-exempt, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to finding a home for every adoptable dog in the United States. American Dog Rescue is committed to placing healthy dogs in permanent homes that are the right fit for the animal and its family. Donations can be made by visiting www.americandogrescue.org/donate or calling (801) 944-3023.

paws4people consists of paws4prisons, paws4vets, paws4firstresponders, and other paws4 brands contribute standards to solve three of our nation’s highest needs, companion and service dogs for 600,000 PTSD and MST veterans returning to the United States from Iraq and Afghanistan in the next five years, a low-cost supply of service dogs for disabled youth and a low-cost way out of overcrowding prisons which keeps the cost to us all endless.

National animal advocate produces graphic video of Newfoundland seal hunt to express public outrage over clubbing of baby seals.

DALLAS, APRIL 5, 2012:  American Dog Rescue founder and philanthropist Arthur E. Benjamin has issued an urgent plea to Canadian government officials, on behalf of outraged people worldwide, to stop the cruel slaughter of seal pups that occurs off Newfoundland, Canada, each year—and is set to happen April 12, 2012.  In March, Benjamin and TV producer and actress Farah White teamed with the Humane Society of the United States to film the baby seals first hand. Benjamin and White have produced—and just released—a 60-second public service announcement (PSA) called “Stop the Seal Hunt” to let millions of people view the harsh reality of this barbaric practice.

“Once you see the PSA, you’ll find yourself thinking as I did, ‘This has got to stop!’ Farah and I flew into the arctic sea—where you can barely land a helicopter—to get a sense of these amazing creatures in their natural habitat,” said Benjamin. “It’s one thing to hear about these atrocities and quite another to witness them. The PSA captures both the beauty and gentle nature of these defenseless creatures, as well as the devastating massacre carried out in the name of fashion. Thirty-three countries around the world have banned their trade in seal products–it’s time to stop the hunt, now.”

The new PSA invites viewers to visit the special website Benjamin has established to empower members of the public to bring the slaughter of baby seals—merely for their furs—to an end.  Visitors to the site will find a variety of action steps, including: signing the Humane Society of United States petition, joining the boycott of Canadian seafood, downloading a “Protect Seals” app for iPhone, and donating to End the Hunt alongside  American Dog Rescue. Benjamin has pledged to match a portion of all funds donated via the foundation’s website at www.stopsealhunting.com.

MORE ON CANDIAN SEAL HUNTING

In most countries, buying and selling seal fur is a felony, meaning there is no longer a legitimate market for seal products. However, during the last 10 years, more than two million baby seals have been killed in Canada for their fur – 98 percent of those seals are younger than three months old. In just the last three years, an average of 300,000 seals a year were killed by commercial fishermen between fishing seasons in Canada.

The Humane Society’s campaign against the seal slaughter has driven down demand for harp seal products. The market price for pelts has plummeted (from $96 in 2006 to $18 in 2011), as has the number of seals killed per year. But that is not enough, and that is why Benjamin and White took the initiative to bring global attention to the subject.

ABOUT ARTHUR E. BENJAMIN

Arthur E. Benjamin is an internationally recognized corporate leader, philanthropist and animal welfare advocate. He has founded, acquired and/or grown numerous businesses, as well as nonprofit organizations, including American Dog Rescue and The Butterfly Effect Foundation (also known as the Gail L. & Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation).  His primary goal in business and philanthropy is “Better Lives for People and Pets,” fueled specifically by his passions for education, animal rescue and the fight against breast cancer.

This past weekend, American Dog Rescue founder Arthur E. Benjamin had the opportunity to attend a very special graduation ceremony at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, as more than 20 dogs were certified to move on into their lives of dedicated service.

UNC-Wilmington’s specialized program, in cooperation with paws4people, is the only one of its kind in the nation. The 4-year special training sets students apart as they pursue jobs in recreation therapy and education. They even get their very own service dog to take with them into their post-graduation careers.

Arthur was also recently named chairman of the paws4people advisory board. The paws4people and paws4vets programs help many people in need – from disabled children to injured war veterans – to get the service and companion animals they need to live life more normally.

“The positive impacts dogs have on the lives of their humans is well documented,” Arthur said. “But when a companion or service dog is placed with one of these disabled young people or one of our many deserving military heroes, the bond is even stronger and the impact even more profound. We encourage all American Dog Rescue supporters to join us in our enthusiastic endorsement of paws4people and paws4vets.”