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Local charity combines bluegrass, veterans and adorable puppies

Owasso Reporter - 5/24/2017

Ray Page knows that the health challenges facing veterans are grim, but fear is not what motivates him to help.

He deals in smiles.

Along with a group of friends and musicians, Page - a former air traffic controller in the Navy - keeps busy running a local charity called Help Us Give a Veteran a Dog. HUG, for short.

HUG seeks to combat the harmful effects of post-traumatic stress disorder or simply the doldrums of life's later years by providing a loving pet to veterans free of cost.

Wednesday, May 17 in Owasso, Page met Joe Romero at PetSmart in Smithfarm Market carrying a jovial 6-month-old puppy. The scene outside the store was a precious throwback: two old men fawning over a tail-wagging puppy like they were little kids again.

"This little dog here, he was the one," Page said. "You should have seen him meet Joe. When he reached up and licked Joe's tooth, oh man ? that was a photographic moment."

Romero, 69, is an Army veteran and an Owasso resident.

For 14 years, he had a best friend named Domino, a blue heeler who kept life interesting for the both of them. But since Domino passed, and since a certain little Shi Tzu named Spanky ran off, Romero and his wife Sherrie have been without a dog, some seven years or so.

Pat Gable, a friend of theirs and fellow parishioner at Rejoice Church, found out about the Romero's interest in a new dog and cooked up a little plan.

Her mother Virginia Whitney, 84 years old, had bought a few adorable puppies from a traveling salesman and only later realized what a wonderful mess she had gotten into. Pat Gable got busy asking around and finally found Page and the HUG organization.

A few similar groups operate in the Tulsa area, pairing certified service dogs or training dogs with folks in need, but HUG is unique in a few ways.

First, these are puppy companions, not trained or certified dogs - just buddies, as Page explained it.

Second, HUG's fundraising arm doubles as one of the best shows in town - Page and his pals are top-class bluegrass musicians.

They put on a show every third Thursday of the month in Collinsville's newly refurbished Veterans Building on Main Street. The musicians are friends and volunteers, not paid employees.

Page plays banjo, some guitar, and some dobro. Andy Goodnight and Loretta Culp provide the vocals. Don Johnson picks a guitar and sings. Kevin Randol cozies up to the stand-up bass, Mary Kim saws on the fiddle, and Billy Jo Collins sits down to play some mean harmonica.

Shows start at 6 p.m. and last about two hours.

"We'll play anything you want to hear, really," Page said. "But it's mostly Bluegrass Gospel. Songs with meaning, that's what we like to play."

A few corporate sponsors have jumped on, but the door is open for others. McDonald's has been a strong local supporter, even providing refreshments at the monthly shows. Gable serves as the Community Relations leader for three local franchises, happy to join the HUG effort. The City of Collinsville, of course, opens the doors of the Veterans Building for this monthly fundraiser. Home Depot has sponsored venue fees, PetSmart has stepped up, and Jenn's Java - a missions-minded coffee company owned by Page's daughter Jennifer DeCastro - has also thrown in support.

"The sponsors mean a lot," Page said. "They're glad to give."

The need is compelling. In a 2012 study, the Department of Veterans Affairs submitted a report estimating 21 U.S. military veterans die each day by suicide. Numbers remain near that average today.

"One life lost is too many," Page said in a phone interview. "One life saved through this program makes it well worthwhile."

It's not a matter of life and death for everyone, but for folks like Romero, the companionship is still invaluable.

"It's comforting, it really is," Romero said. "I really enjoy having (the dog) around, and I can't explain it, but it really is comforting. You really get attached to 'em."

HUG donated the dog and provided a bed and a crate. The group will also cover the cost of food and veterinarian bills for a year. This generosity caught the Romero's by surprise.

"We knew nothing about it before this," Sherrie Romero said. "We have eight grandchildren here in Owasso, and none of them have a dog. They love him, too, so this little pup is going to be well loved."

The grandchildren helped name the puppy, too. Romeo Romero.

"He seems like he's half Shar Pei, half Heinz 57, but he's a loving dog," Romero said. "So it's Romeo. When we laid eyes on him, we knew he was the one for us."

To learn more about HUG, email Page at bandrpage@aol.com.