Limited edition bottles of Evan Williams Bourbon will soon feature Chris Baity, the Founder and Executive Director of Semper K9 Assistance Dogs, on their labels. As a finalist in Evan William’s American-Made Heroes program, Baity recently received one of the custom bottles as well as a $10,000 donation for Semper K9.
“We had 3,000 nominees this year and narrowed it down to six finalists after a 3 to 6-month review process,” remarked Julie Cole, Associate Brand Manager for Heaven Hill Brands, the distiller of Evan Williams Bourbon.
Evan Williams Bourbon is a proud American made and owned company whose annual contest honors brave military veterans who continue to serve their local communities after having served their country. The standard black labels that normally adorn their bottled bourbon are replaced with a patriotic color scheme bearing the photo and bio of the selected American-Made Heroes.
Baity is a Marine Corps combat veteran, former military dog handler and kennel master who founded Semper K9 with his wife Amanda in 2014. Their non-profit gives back to the military community by providing service dogs free of charge to veterans. Chris pairs with a local rescue group where he selects potential service dog candidates and trains them to assist with PTSD and mobility challenges. Aided by a dedicated team of volunteers, known as Team Semper K9, Baity spends 6-18 months readying these pups for their mission. On average it costs $20,000 to raise, train, and certify each dog but no costs are passed on to the veterans who benefit from Baity’s expertise.
“It’s important for me to help fellow veterans,” commented Baity, “The Marine Corps gave me a skill that allows me to help. Many veterans need that help and can benefit from a service dog.”
Veteran Kelvin Valdez received Belleau, a German Shepherd after she was donated to Semper K9 to be trained as a service dog. When he learned that Evan Williams chose Baity as an American-Made Hero, he wholeheartedly agreed with their selection, stating “Chris and his wife Amanda, along with the rest of the Semper K9 family, have given me back my chance at life. Chris and the work that he does day in and out has not only afforded me and my family this opportunity but many others as well. The Marine Corps motto is ‘Semper Fidelis’ (Always Faithful) and Chris is a true example of someone who lives by these words through his actions and much more.”
In order to train even more service dogs and reach a greater number of veterans like Valdez, Semper K9 is expanding their operation. They have purchased 33 acres of land adjacent to Marine Corps Base Quantico that will serve as the future home of the non-profit. After receiving the check from Evan Williams, Baity announced: “I plan to use the $10,000 for improvements at Semper K9’s new facility”. Perhaps a custom bottle of Evan Williams Bourbon will be poured to celebrate its completion.
Visit semperk9.org to learn more about this American-Made Hero.
Delia Engstrom is a writer, photographer, dog owner, and proud Marine Corps spouse who resides in Montclair.
]]>After graduating boot camp at MCRD Parris Island, Baity went to Marine Combat Training (MCT) at Camp Lejeune and then on to Military Police (MP) School in Ft Leonard Wood, MO. At the time he enlisted, the path to becoming a Marine Corps MWD Handler was to first become an MP. Upon graduation from MP school, Baity was selected to attend MWD Handler’s Course at Lackland Air Force Base with the 341st Training Squadron. Afterward, Baity was given the opportunity to create a kennel program at then HQ Marine Corps Henderson Hall, and he took it. He was stationed there throughout most of his military career, becoming the kennel master in 2005 after his first deployment to Iraq.
Being named ‘Top Dog’ at MWD Handler school put Baity at the top of the list to join a selected few Marines to attend a ‘Train the Trainer" course with the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) Oketz Dog School. “I was honored to be selected by the Marine Corps MWD Program Manager to attend SSD school in Israel,” said Baity. “The experience was invaluable toward my future endeavors to become an advanced dog trainer.” This experience also gave him a skill that not many dog trainers have, the ability to teach others how to train dogs.
Upon completion of this nine-month program, Baity had two billets in the Marine Corps. When he was stateside he was an SSD Section Trainer when he was deployed; he was Regional Kennel Master and SSD Team Leader. His next two deployments in the Marine Corps were to Iraq, attached to the 5th Engineer Battalion with the United States Army, in and around Baghdad. After his active duty service, Baity deployed to Afghanistan as a Contract Explosive Detector Dog Handler with RONCO Corporation as part of Afghanistan Central Command.
And when he returned home from deployments, he faced bouts of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as drug and alcohol use. Like many service members coming home from combat and trying to transition back into family life, it can be a difficult shift. “Trying to find purpose after the transition to civilian life is difficult,” he said. “Lack of job security, tumultuous family dynamic and the desire to continue serving weighs heavily on your mind every day.” For several years Baity felt at a loss, going from one contracting job to another.
But Baity has no regrets. All decisions he had made in the past led to what he believes is his true calling, Semper K9 Assistance Dogs. Semper K9 rescues dogs from shelters and trains them to be service dogs at no cost for disabled service members. “I wanted to take my skills the Marine Corps taught me and my post-deployment challenges to assist other veterans to overcome their own difficulties,” Baity said. He and his wife, Amanda, founded Semper K9 in 2014 and went right to work. After researching other organizations that had similar missions, they identified weakness in other groups and strengths from industry leaders to create what currently has a one hundred percent success rate with their services.
“The most important things to us were to utilize rescue dogs and ensure that our veterans are assisted at no cost to them,” said Baity. “Also, being a military family with small children, the family involvement was high on our list of priorities since our mission is to enhance the quality of life for our wounded veterans.”
Because of his dedication to Semper K9’s mission, Baity was awarded American Heroes Channel’s Red Bandanna Hero in 2016 and named a Washingtonian of the Year for 2017 by Washingtonian magazine. He has just been awarded Evan Williams Bourbon American-Made Hero, an upcoming national campaign honoring military service members for their integrity and selfless service. Baity’s success after service now radiates down to his five children; the oldest has eyes on Marine Corps OCS. “I am beyond thankful to have the support of a loving wife and children along with our team of volunteers.” Semper K9 currently boasts 125 plus volunteers for a relatively small organization. “I feel like the many trials I endured during combat deployments, and the transition afterward have paved the way for my continued life of service,” said Baity.
Semper K9 recently purchased 33 acres adjacent to Marine Corps Base where they plan to build a retreat-style facility for out of area veterans and their families to come and train with their service dogs. This next step in their progress recently caught the eye of national TV host Mike Rowe. Rowe and his crew surprised the Baity’s and Team Semper K9 with a visit for their new show ‘Returning the Favor.’ Their episode will air on Facebook Watch sometime this spring; you can tune in to find out what they were surprised with. If you would like more information about Semper K9 visit www.SemperK9.org or @semperk9 on all social media outlets.
]]>Rowe’s “Returning the Favor” is meant to be a humorous, inspiring and feel-good show that features Rowe as host, traveling the country in search of people who are striving to do good things and make a difference in the world around them. He then surprises them with rewards for their kindness.
Rowe and his crew recently surprised USMC Combat Veteran Christopher Baity and his wife Amanda, the founders of veteran service organization Semper K9 Assistance Dogs. While his television crew was filming a “documentary” about Semper K9, Rowe walked in mid-filming at their home office in Woodbridge. “I instantly recognized his voice when he said ‘Hello.’ as a voice I had heard before,” said Amanda Baity, Semper K9’s Director of Operations. “Once he peeked around the entryway I didn’t know what to think other than ‘OMG Mike Rowe is here in Woodbridge…in my house!”
Little did the Baitys know, members of their volunteer team had been plotting to surprise the couple for months. "It truly was a challenge to plan something of this size without them finding out,” said Tisa Newhouse, Volunteer Coordinator and board member. “There were some close calls but the look on their faces when the big reveal day came made all the long hours of planning and chaos more than worth it.”
Christopher, an Iraq War veteran, was an SSD and MWD handler and trainer in the Marine Corps and a CWD handler on a civilian deployment to Afghanistan. Also kennel master at HQ Marine Corps Henderson Hall, he started Semper K9 to give back to other veterans struggling with combat trauma while using the skills he was taught by the Marine Corps. “This honor to be chosen by ‘Returning the Favor’ is huge for Semper K9 and the veterans we serve,” said Christopher Baity, the nonprofit’s Executive Director. “This has given us a substantial advantage to where we can accelerate our programs and help more veterans faster.”
Their episode of Returning the Favor will air in Season 2 which is currently showing on Facebook Watch. To find out what the Baitys and Semper K9 were surprised with other than a visit from Rowe and being highlighted on his show, stay tuned. “We can’t wait to share with everyone!” said Baity.
To learn more about Semper K9, visit www.SemperK9.org.
About Semper K9 Assistance Dogs: Semper K9 Assistance Dogs is a combat veteran founded and operated 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides assistance dogs for wounded, critically ill and injured members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. Christopher Baity, Semper K9’s Executive Director, is an OIF combat veteran Marine Corps dog trainer and kennel master with three combat deployments, one civilian deployment to Afghanistan and two additional overseas deployments with military working dogs. To learn more about Semper K9 at www.SemperK9.org and follow them on social media: @SemperK9
]]>