Dogs2Vets program helping veterans heal

Chittenango facility helps veterans cope with effects of war
Published: Monday, October 10, 2011
By Alaina Potrikus / The Post-Standard

Gary Walts / The Post-Standard
Arthur Meyer, of Altmar, who is stationed at Fort Drum and was wounded in Afghanistan, works with his dog, Artemis, Friday at Clear Path for Veterans, a support facility in Chittenango for veterans dealing with war-related injuries and stress.

Artemis was found wandering near Fort Drum with more than 200 porcupine quills lodged in her face.

She found a new life with U.S. Army Sgt. Arthur Meyer, of Altmar, who was injured while serving in Afghanistan last year.

The pair are healing together through a new outreach center for military veterans at the former Skyridge Family Recreation Center on Salt Springs Road in Chittenango, on a 78-acre property that spans the border of Madison and Onondaga counties.

The facility was established as a country club in the 1960s adjacent to a nine-hole golf course.

But organizers thought the site’s pool, tennis courts and community center, which had fallen into disrepair from years of disuse, could hold immense possibilities for Clear Path for Veterans. The nonprofit was conceived as a safe haven for people recovering from the effects of military service, experiencing difficulties readjusting to civilian life and rejoining their families and communities.

“These men and women have voluntarily put their lives and health in jeopardy to support and defend our country and its principles,” said Steve Kinne, board president of Clear Path for Veterans and director of the Dogs2Vets program. “We owe them more than just our thanks — we owe them the opportunity to return from their military service and recover productive and meaningful lives.”
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