5/9/26: The Colorado Wildlife Council & Colorado Gun Collectors Association & Freedom Service Dogs Today’s Guests: Kelly Weyend, West Slope Hunting Rep for The Colorado Wildlife Council joins to talk about the amazing work and mission of the CWC. Kelly shares a little about his personal story and his passion for the Outdoors. Take a few minutes and check the website for the Colorado Wildlife Council at www.CowildlifeCouncil.org. Also Rick Wilson, President of the Colorado Gun Collector Association to talk about their upcoming show, “The 60th Annual Colorado Gun Collectors Show” is a vendor expo where you’ll find firearms,
SPEAKER 06 :
Welcome to Sportsman of Colorado, Colorado’s premier outdoor radio show heard every Saturday afternoon on KLZ 560 with insights on hunting, fishing, archery, guns, and ammo from Colorado’s top outfitters featuring the industry’s leading experts on how to enhance your experience in the great outdoors. Now, here’s your host, Scott Watley.
SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome to Sportsman of Colorado. Thank you so much for joining us today. We’ve got a great show in store for you. We wrapped up a busy weekend. We were proud to emcee the Denver SCI chapter. banquet on a friday night last week and that was held at the sanctuary golf course which is absolutely beautiful if you’ve ever been there or been able to play that course been honored to play that course that’s a beautiful venue and we had a great time there and then uh slipped down to pagosa springs for the colorado outfitter association banquet and again great night beautiful drive down there if you’ve never been down to that area it is a gorgeous drive going to that but had a great time there and then made our way back sunday so a jam-packed weekend but i met a lot of new folks of course a lot of our regular folks that attend those banquets and just a great great time um one of the great surprises for me is our next guest uh i knew we were going to get him on the show but actually got to meet him in person It’s Kelly Wyand. He is with the Colorado Wildlife Council, and it’s cowildlifecouncil.org. And, you know, we’ve been going through all the different board members here, officers for the Colorado Wildlife Council. And, Kelly, it was great to meet you there. You know, sit at your table. You sit at my table. We can say it either way. Hey, we got to sit and visit a little bit, and it was great, man. So make it back okay. I did, I did.
SPEAKER 04 :
It was good to meet you as well. I would say it was your table because you were there first.
SPEAKER 03 :
Okay, we’ll go with that. Oh, man. Well, hey, I want to get into stuff about the Wildlife Council, but I’ve always liked introducing you guys and telling them about your background. And now you are on the hunting side of this. Well, first of all, let me say it this way. There’s two people that represent hunting and fishing, and you correct me if I’m wrong now. I’m going by memory here. Two people that represent hunting and fishing on the east side of things, and you’ve got two on the west side of the continental divide, right? Right.
SPEAKER 04 :
That is correct, yes.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right, and one ag and livestock person, and then one for municipalities, one for counties, and then I think a media and marketing person, and that about wraps it up, doesn’t it? You got them all.
SPEAKER 04 :
We do have a CPW person on the council as well, so that’s the only one we missed, yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right, all right. All right, so tell us your role and everything, and then give us some of your background of, you know, hunting and fishing and what all you love.
SPEAKER 04 :
So yeah, I am the Western slope hunter representative. I started about three years ago. My wife saw a post on Facebook that the council is needing the position filled. So the application process, and then you have to have a letter of basically a nomination letter from an outdoor organization. So, uh, Rocky Mountain Greek Horned Sheep Society recommended me. And then of course you go through the interview process. So here we are. So, um, yeah, lifelong resident of Colorado. I live down here in Cortez, Colorado. Um, and you know, we have our monthly meetings and then we have different subcommittees that we all serve on. And yeah, it’s a, it’s a great effort. I like to think we’re making a difference.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
Um, but you know, basically we’re just mandated to educate the general public on the benefits of hunting and fishing. And, uh, so we do our best at it anyways. Sure. Sure.
SPEAKER 03 :
And, you know, I think it’s good. And, and, and I like, uh, and, and I gotta be very transparent. I did not know much about the wildlife council, uh, until we got into doing these interviews a little bit. I’d heard of them. I’d been to some events and, uh, You know, but never really got to spend any time to figure out kind of what the deal is. Now, if you look on your licenses here in Colorado, you’re going to see a $1.50 fee there. And, Kelly, I’ll let you explain exactly where that is. But that goes to this education. So tell us about that a little.
SPEAKER 04 :
Every hunting and fishing license that you buy, you’ll see that wildlife education fund, $1.50. And that comes to the Wildlife Council and that. you know, funds our budget for this education effort. And, you know, it’s interesting you say that you didn’t know much about the council. I didn’t know much about the council before I applied to be on it. And we’re finding, you know, a lot of hunters and anglers, they don’t know who we are. And, you know, a lot of hunters and anglers don’t see our publications, our videos, or, you know, of course they’re going to see a billboard, but hunters and anglers aren’t necessarily our target audience we’re trying to reach those people that aren’t against hunting and fishing necessarily but maybe they just don’t see the big picture of everything that cpw does cpw is the boots on the ground we’re just trying to educate the general public on how that happens and the funding and everything else um so you know to go back to Colorado Outfitters Association banquet, we’re starting to do more of those events to try to have that grassroots effort to reach these hunters and anglers to say, this is who we are. We need you people to give us a helping hand. Talk to your neighbors, your friends, your family, your congregation. We all know people who don’t hunt and fish that could use the education on why there is all that habitat out there and why there’s all this wildlife and so on and so forth.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah and you know I think this is really why I really wanted to get involved just to try to help spread the word with our radio show and you know Vince that I’m involved with and everything because I think it is a great thing to let the sportsmen and outdoorsmen and outdoors women you know know about the council and all you do but I agree with you. Man, another 80% of the importance is reaching all of those that don’t hunt and fish because there are a lot of things that come up politically that, you know, we need their help and understanding. And that’s one thing I was going to say a minute ago that I kind of liked about how you guys made this up. I mean, you’ve got quite an array of folks on your board there and some – I don’t know if all of them hunting fish or not, but I know there’s different mindset. There’s different ways people think. And when you guys get to have a meeting and think and you get to bounce things off of each other, I mean, I wish we could all just get together with all the different, you know, anti-hunting groups and different things like that and just have some civil conversations, share some education about, you know, why we do what that we do to maybe help them understand and understand that, you know, about conservation and all the things. And so, yeah, these conversations are really important. And so the education is huge. And so, man, I mean, I’m glad you guys are doing what you’re doing.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, it’s, it’s a great, uh, I don’t know. We’re like a, I wouldn’t say we’re a cohesive group because like you said, there’s a lot of different ideas at the table, but very respectful. We bounce these ideas off of each other and watering it down is not the right term, but you know, we just, work through the weeds and come out with something that we can all hang our hat on. So it’s a worthy effort. And, you know, the more people we can reach and educate and, you know, we can’t get political about things for obvious reasons, but, you know, the more educated voters we have, the better, you know, they need to, understand the how and the why and not just a knee-jerk reaction when things come up. The website’s a great source. There’s all kinds of information on CPW’s site. You know, if people are interested, there’s a wealth of knowledge out there for sure.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, and I tell you, that’s the big part of it, and that’s what has driven me crazy so many times over these last few years with some of the things going on is, you know, you see a lot of things on social media and different posts from different groups, and I have to say both sides, and I’m just like, Man, that’s not even true what they’re saying, you know. And it’s because, and I hate to say this, but I hope it comes across the way I want it to, uneducated. They don’t know, you know. And that’s why having you guys on, I think, is crucial so we can actually, you know, and people like Dan Gaze with Colorado’s Responsible for Wildlife Management and Save the Hunt. colorado.com uh to to get the real facts out there and then let people decide what they want to be and what they want to vote for hey it’s a free country but i mean but at least know the facts and that’s where the education um you know it’s priceless for me that we’re that we’re hopefully we’re bringing to our listeners and others yeah exactly 100 yeah So, um, tell us a little about you when you got into hunting and all that start out as a young, young man or to come later in life or tell us about it.
SPEAKER 04 :
I started at very young age. I grew up on a farm. Um, so yeah, as soon as I could have a pellet gun and a bow and then a 22 and on up, you know, and it’s just been something I’ve been interested in. It’s, uh, the fire’s never burned out, I guess. And You know, you go through changes in life. I mean, obviously, I like to put the most organic protein on the face of the earth in my freezer to feed my family. But, you know, I just like being out there. I take way more enjoyment in taking my boys. I have two teenage boys. I get way more excited. I’m probably more excited than they are. So just to pass it on and You know, there’s a lot going on out there and it’s a big picture and I think it’s important that kids nowadays get to learn
SPEAKER 03 :
you know a little bit about real life so sure no and i tell you i think if you know of course i guess there’s holes and everything that we’re doing where we wish we could do more but that’s one area that i would sure love to see grow is getting more you know kids and young people out in the outdoors and it doesn’t mean that you know it could be just camping it can be fishing it can be hunting it can be whatever you know it’s not all about just you know shooting an animal but it just getting out and understanding what the outdoors is all about. And I guarantee you, your, your, your boys will remember these minutes, hours, days in the woods with you way longer. And they’ll remember a Disney cruise or a trip to Disney world. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah. Yeah. I think so. I hope so. You know, there’s, there’s a lot thrown at kids nowadays, but we have some great times and yeah, you’re right. Just it’s, For me, it’s therapy, and I think it is for anybody. There’s mental benefits to just sitting on the side of the mountain watching the sunset or watching the sunrise. Could be watching a bull moose or could be watching a pika. Either way, it’s enjoyable. For sure, for sure.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, Kelly, is there any events coming up that you can think of that you guys are going to be doing or going to be at?
SPEAKER 04 :
This coming weekend, we do have the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Rendezvous up in Loveland. I will be there at that as well. Awesome. We’ll see you there. And then next Thursday, Sportsman’s Day at the Capitol.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yep. Looking forward to that.
SPEAKER 04 :
And then at kind of that same time frame over near, I don’t know if it’s in Carbondale or upriver towards basalt uh five points film festivals going on we’ve been a sponsor for that event okay um yeah i mean there’s a lot of things
SPEAKER 03 :
lot of things coming up we we definitely keep busy for sure absolutely well once again folks the website is cowildlifecouncil.org go there make yourself familiar with this and again they’re doing a great job helping us out a ton with education we’ve been able since we’ve been working with him since the first year a lot of our banquets and expos we wrapped up the mile high hunt expo a few weeks ago and the council has made up some really cool bags and We’ve been giving a lot of those away with literature and just asking people, hey, do you know about the council? And just informing people about it. We need a lot of help here in Colorado. On these segments, we don’t get political anyway. We can just say, hey, there’s a lot of things going on, and the best way to make an informed decision about your vote is to be educated on all the different issues. And that’s all we’re trying to do here with these segments with the Colorado Wildlife Council. So, Kelly, man, again, great to meet you on Saturday night. And if you’re going to be there Friday, I’ll see you Friday in Loveland. And we appreciate you being with us today. Sounds great.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thank you, Scott.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right. Thank you. That’s Kelly Wyon, ColoradoWildlifeCouncil.org. Again, C-O-WildlifeCouncil.org. You’re listening to Sportsman Colorado. We’ve got to hit a quick break, and we’ll be back with more right after this.
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SPEAKER 14 :
This is 560 KLZ, your home station.
SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome back to Sportsman of Colorado. We appreciate you being with us. Well, Colorado Gun Collector Show is coming up May 16th and 17th. Go to CGCA.com for all the information you need there. Always good to have the president of the Colorado Gun Collector Association with us. That is Rick Wilson. Rick, good to have you back. How you been?
SPEAKER 13 :
I’ve been good, Scott. Thanks for having me on your show again. And the older I get, the more I appreciate radio because I can be driving down the road or working on my house. As long as I’ve got my phone, I’ve got the radio to entertain me and interact and learn new things.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, absolutely. For sure. You know, does it seem like from last May that this May is already here again? I tell you, the time has, it seems like six, you know, just six months ago we were here.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, young people will laugh at us old people, but yeah, the older I get, the faster time goes. I’ve been so busy with things from the last show to this next show. I can’t believe it’s here already.
SPEAKER 03 :
Do you have some people that have been showing with you for 30, 40 years? I mean, they’ve come every year. I know this is your 60th anniversary, but I mean, I’m sure you’ve probably had some vendors that have been with you every year.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, it’s funny you should mention that because one of our founding members from 1964, he still is at the show every year. He still has a display. And John is just such a great guy. I mean, he’s got so much knowledge, so much history. I just love to be around people like him.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, that is so cool. And again, on a previous show Rick was on, we talked about this. Folks, this is a great family event. And Rick even shared some great history last time he was on. And I’m going to get him to pick his brain and tell us another story or two here on today’s show. But this is a great event. It’s at the Island Grove. Is it just called the Island Grove Event Center?
SPEAKER 13 :
That’s my understanding. I think it may be called something else because it’s on the rodeo grounds there in Greeley.
SPEAKER 03 :
But it’s in Greeley, Island Grove. You can just Google that. But, again, it’s May 16th and 17th. And, hey, folks, only $15. That gets you for your two-day pass there for the 16th and 17th. Now, if you want to get an early pass, get in there and check things out before the crowds show up, although – The early pass is quite busy itself. It’s $75, but again, that gives you kind of a pre-show look at all they have available. And how many vendors do you think you’re probably expecting this year?
SPEAKER 13 :
We had about 750 vendors last year. I should say tables. Some vendors have two or three tables.
SPEAKER 03 :
Man, that’s awesome. And as we said last time, we call it Colorado Gun Collectors, but there’s a ton of other stuff to see.
SPEAKER 13 :
Absolutely. Um, we have one of the biggest display shows in the country, the biggest really, we have over $10,000 worth of awards and prizes that people compete for. Um, but it covers the whole facet. Uh, some is, is just about boxes of shotgun shells that people have collected over a hundred years, for instance. Um, but you can find, uh, Western stuff. They have leather goods. They have, uh, Native American artifacts. People are knowledgeable about so many different facets of things. It’s just incredible. Yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
And I think it was Tom Hillman last year brought in like some swords and knives. Right.
SPEAKER 13 :
All kinds of cool stuff.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 13 :
Tom has a few guns, but he’s mostly a sword and knife collector.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 13 :
And just talking to him is fascinating. His knives from the Philippines. He knows all about that stuff. Spanish swords. Yeah. The Spanish were here in Colorado hundreds of years ago, even before the Revolutionary War.
SPEAKER 03 :
Now, you said your love, last time you were here, you said your love was kind of the Western. One of your loves was Western guns and all. You told us a cool story. Any other guns you got you want to mention real quick?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, when I was a kid, maybe 12 years old, I read a gun book, and I read the book several times. numerous times. I memorized it basically. I thought I’m a gun expert, you know, and now I’ve learned that there’s tens of thousands of different guns that were made, you know, in the last couple of hundred years. Uh, it’s just, uh, you have no idea the breadth of this, uh, the subject. And so I’ve, I’ve, uh, come to love Marlins. Marlins were a lever gun, a lever action gun that was made the same time as a Winchester, not as, uh, well advertised as a Winchester, but every bit as good. I love those. Shotguns. I’ve become a fan of side-by-side shotguns, and I shoot with a group called the Rocky Mountain Vintagers that shoot side-by-side shotguns that trap shoots throughout the state. And we also go out of state to shoot against other states. And there’s just something for everybody, really. Sure, sure.
SPEAKER 03 :
And, man, when you look at the cost, and, of course, Money, the value, how it translates to today. But, man, when you look at what you used to buy a .30-34, a lever action. Right. You know, I mean, I remember back, you know, I mean, I was born in 58. So, I mean, I was hunting, you know, easy at 10, 11 years old in Texas and all growing up. But, I mean, some of the range, you know, $150, $200, you know, I mean, different things like that. And you could go in a lot of different stores that sold guns. I mean, a lot of stores.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, Mikey Ward’s, Western Auto.
SPEAKER 03 :
Western Auto. I was just going to say, there was a store in Texas called Gibson’s. I mean, you could just walk in any store and pick them up, do whatever you want. Walk down an aisle, show your dad. Yeah, Sears. All that. But boy, times have changed, haven’t they?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, yeah. funny you should mention that because in the 60s you could buy a winchester 94 the old 30 30 for 64 bucks um in 1900 you could buy it for about 19 bucks i think so yeah guns have really appreciated and collecting guns um One of our past members who’s passed away now, but he said, you know, guns are a great investment. You know, forget stocks and bonds. Guns always increase in value.
SPEAKER 03 :
I could tell my wife that, but I don’t know if she believes me. Well, exactly.
SPEAKER 13 :
That was one of the things he mentioned. Yeah, tell your wives it’s a great investment. It really is. But wives don’t tend to believe that all the time. Sometimes they do.
SPEAKER 03 :
Do you get some people that – if people maybe have an old pistol or old, you know –
SPEAKER 13 :
army gun or something they want to bring in and just let somebody look at it and get decide maybe what the value is do people do that sometimes at these absolutely and that’s a great uh great benefit to coming to this show it’s only once a year but we have experts from all over the country experts on everything so if you have a gun that your grandfather used in world war ii or somebody had on the ranch in 1900 or whatever they can tell you all about the gun They can give you an idea about what it’s worth, what you should insure it for. If you want to get rid of it, I’m sure there’s somebody there that would like to buy it from you. But just to learn about that gun, the history that… your grandfather went through with that gun is just fun. So that alone would be fun.
SPEAKER 03 :
I bet you some people have been shocked at the value of something that had no idea.
SPEAKER 13 :
Absolutely. Absolutely. Some of these guns will have an inscription on it, like it has a man’s name, and then you find out it was the district attorney from Canyon City or something in 1920.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right.
SPEAKER 13 :
I mean, we just love that kind of history. Sure. To research that and things. Absolutely.
SPEAKER 03 :
Again, Rick Wilson is with us. He’s the president of the Colorado Gun Collector Association. Hey, if you want to become a member, you can do that. Go to CGCA.com for more information there. And if you want to get a booth, maybe you’ve got a good collection of some things. You can certainly apply for a booth there as well, and they will get that back to you. How long does it usually take if people fill out an application for them to get word back from you if they’re approved for a booth or not?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, okay, let me start with if you want to apply for membership, that takes a good month or so because you have to be approved by the – the board the board and the uh the members at our next meeting so that takes a month or two um an application for a table you can uh get in just a couple of weeks okay okay cool you you fill out your application you can call uh our show chairman up and say hey i want to get a booth here and uh he can give you a lot of information and and tell you you know what’s what’s involved and uh All that. Right.
SPEAKER 03 :
And as we said, hey, this is a great family event. And, hey, $15, folks, for two days you can go. And it is hard to see in one day. So just a great weekend there with the Colorado Gun Collectors Association. If, let’s say, you want to sneak in the door early a day before, that’s a $75 pass. But it does give you a chance to get in there before all the crowds do as well. And it’s the 60th anniversary. And once again, the website is CGCA.com. How do you insure things like this? Your homeowner’s insurance doesn’t tend to cover a whole lot with guns under normal circumstances. How do you insure things like this?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, I think homeowners policies are meant for people that just have a gun for that you take hunting or maybe for your personal defense or something of your home. So homeowners insurance covers up to $1,500, for instance. If you join the NRA, they have a policy that maybe goes up to $2,500. But a lot of these serious collectors will insure their collections, you know, $500,000, a million dollars. So they’ll go through a specialized insurance company like Corvins or something. Right, right. Okay, that’s good.
SPEAKER 03 :
I tell you, it’s such a cool deal. And when you, you know, last year, like I said, we had a lot of different people in from your organization. But it’s just great to see the personalities, different things they love to collect and their passion for it. And, I mean, it’s just got its place, doesn’t it? Well, it does for me.
SPEAKER 13 :
Maybe I’m not the ordinary person, but I’ve just been fascinated with this all my life. And the more I’m around it, the more fascinating it is. I talk to new people with other interests. I don’t know anything about their interests. And they teach me. And it’s like, well, I love that stuff. So it’s also fascinating. So it is good for all age ranges. Even if you’re in your 20s and you like these modern guns, that’s great. And we all shoot modern guns, but the history of where these guns came from and how they developed over time is just fascinating to me yeah just like going to a old plane museum i just love the history of airplanes for instance have you been to the cody firearm museum oh many times yeah i tell you that’s a trip people need to go i absolutely believe it’s five museums in one so you have the firearms section you have the The art section, yeah, five museums in one, basically. And they always are changing their exhibits. The firearms they have on display are fantastic. So you can go to basically our gun show and see the same kind of stuff without going to Cody Wyoming. But, yeah, both are great.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, absolutely. Once again, it’s May 16th and 17th, Colorado Gun Collector Show. Go to CGCA.com. You can get tickets simply at the door. You don’t have to mess with anything online. Once again, if you want to become a member, you can go on the website for that. If you want to get a booth application, you can go to the website for that, cgca.com. Rick, great to see you again. Great to be here, Scott. I know we’re going to have a great show, so it’ll be cool. Thank you, Scott. You bet. Hey, you’re listening to Sportsman Colorado. We’ve got to take a quick break, and we’ll be back with more right after this.
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Here’s why you need personal injury attorney Kevin Flesch on your side. He understands the way the jury thinks. In the context of a personal injury case, you’ve been hurt by someone else’s negligence. The idea is that you’re going to try to recover so that you can get back to where you were just prior to that incident occurring. What that really means from a jurist’s perspective is that you’re going to be asking them to award you money. So when we talk about fairness, we’re talking about six people that you don’t know. Those six people view the evidence and make a unanimous decision that will decide what the fair value is. When you’re the one who’s hurt, you have a good idea of what you think it’s worth. The question is, can you persuade those other individuals whom you don’t know and were witnesses to believe that’s what the case is worth? Kevin Flesch understands the way the jury thinks. Call now for a free consultation. 303-806-8886.
SPEAKER 03 :
Here’s your Water Talk Minute with Paul the Waterman, brought to you by Water Pros.
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The EPA announces it will keep maximum contaminant levels for PFOs and PFAs. in our drinking water. What that means is that municipalities are going to have to test and monitor for these contaminants, and they will not move to the unregulated contaminant list. This is important for us, so that way in our water quality report, they’re going to tell us exactly what levels of PFAS are in our water supply. It’s important because you want to have a point-of-use drinking water system to remove these contaminants and understand the quality of water that’s being provided to you. I’m Paul the Waterman.
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They’re the first on call and the first on scene. But did you know the suicide rate for first responders is one and a half times higher than the general public? At Hometown Hero Outdoors, we help to provide healing for veterans, law enforcement and first responders by creating memorable outdoor experiences designed to focus on camaraderie and mental health. Our mission is to serve those who have served us. Help us make a difference. To join Hometown Hero Outdoors or to help by donating, visit hometownherooutdoors.org.
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Sportsman of Colorado Radio is brought to you by the Colorado Wildlife Council. The Council works to educate the public on the importance of scientific wildlife management, conservation, and the benefits of wildlife-related recreational opportunities, specifically hunting and fishing. For the hunter and angler community, this educational mission is vital. It empowers us to become effective advocates for the wildlife and outdoor traditions we value. Their mission is to ensure that Colorado’s wildlife is preserved for future generations through public education. Learn more about their work and how it supports your role as an advocate at cowildlifecouncil.org. We thank the Colorado Wildlife Council for their support of Sportsman of Colorado Radio.
SPEAKER 14 :
You’re listening to 560-KLZ, your home station.
SPEAKER 03 :
Welcome back to the show. Thank you so much for being with us. Well, it has been a while since we have had this organization in with us, but we’ve always enjoyed the relationship with them, and we’re going to be trying to do some more things with them to help them. It is Freedom Service Dogs. You can check out the website, freedomservicedogs.org. And I’m telling you, just a great organization. Have helped many, many people. And to learn more about that, we’ve got Chris Nelson with us today. So, Chris, thanks for being with us today. How are you?
SPEAKER 10 :
Thanks for having me, Scott. I’m well.
SPEAKER 03 :
Now, what is your actual title?
SPEAKER 10 :
I’m the president and CEO.
SPEAKER 03 :
President and CEO. All right. So, man, it’s great to have you. Tell us a little bit about you and your background and what made you get involved with Freedom Service Dogs.
SPEAKER 10 :
Sure. I’ve been a nonprofit guy from the beginning. So I was in college and started working for outdoor wilderness schools, Outward Bound, Knowles. Those are both nonprofits. So just trying to help people sort of connect to wilderness, get outside and change their lives through those kinds of experiences. And that progressed. I was working with young people in that environment. So that progressed into working with young people in residential settings. So I built a long career helping young people mostly in the foster care system, but youth that were system-connected. And over time, I sort of burnt out and was looking for something that was still true to my passion. And both my grandfathers and my father are veterans from World War II in the Vietnam era, and a lot of my buddies served. And so this is a give-back opportunity for me to help support our veterans who gave so much for our country. And so dogs also help.
SPEAKER 03 :
You can’t go wrong being with dogs. Dogs don’t hurt at all. Now… Let’s talk about the different breeds of dogs. Let’s give folks a little bit of pull the curtain back, so to speak, and show them inside. What type of breeds work best?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, sure. So we primarily are using Labrador Retrievers. So for the first, you know, 32 years of the organization, we had a program where we were taking rescue dogs from shelters and training them to be service dogs. And as you can imagine, a lot of those partnerships weren’t successful. It was really hard to take a dog that had a lot of trauma and anxiety from a shelter environment and turning into a really good service dog. And our Our standards are really high for these service dogs. And so in 2019, we started a breeding program and we breed not exclusively, but mostly Labrador retrievers. So we see yellows and we see blacks and browns. And then recently in the past couple few years, we started adding golden retrievers. So yeah, goldens are pretty great. And so the difference between the two, right? Labs are pretty smart and they work really hard for food and they like to work. And so we can train them using positive reinforcement, giving them treats every time they do something right. And they’re really loyal. And then Goldens, samesies, except not as hungry all the time, but really, really like the companionship. And so, you know, we’re doing dogs for veterans with PTS, first responders with PTS, folks with mobility challenges, and young people with autism spectrum disorder. So our autism assist program is really about a dog that is there to sort of break when somebody gets overstimulated, break that pattern. And so Goldens work really well in therapeutic environments, right? They want to be pet. They want to be touched. And so we’re looking at these sort of crossbreedings in terms of dogs that will work as a service dog in the traditional sense, but also dogs that will do therapeutic work. We have dogs that we’re placing in schools with our first responders, school resource officers, a really cool partnership with Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. And our first dog there, Guster, with Brian at Crest Hills Middle School, is just a wild success. we’re looking at behavioral characteristics in these dogs for our breeding program to ensure that they like want to work really hard for the person, but then also want to be around people. And so that way we’ve got the whole spectrum of dog characteristics and behavior that they can be super loyal, work really hard, do the tasks, but also want the love depending on the need of the person.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right. It’s amazing how sensitive dogs can be to different things. You know, my wife just had a couple of surgeries at the beginning of the year and And our goat, she just senses when something’s wrong. She can just tell when she gets up a little slow or sits down and just not feeling it. Come right over to her. I mean, it’s crazy. And that’s without any real professional training. So then when you put on the training side of it, I mean, these dogs are smart animals, first of all.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, people do a lot of like, how do you make that work? Because our partnerships are really strong. All of our clients are talking about this dog has changed their life in some very meaningful way. And people say, how do you match the dog to the person? How do you know that the dog is going to end up being a good partner to that person in terms of being a service animal? there is a part of it that’s just magic because dogs bring that to the table where you get to know the dog. There’s something about it. Maybe you can’t put your finger on it, but it can tell when you’re stressed. It can tell when you’re, you can’t train that into a dog. You can train tasks, but dogs know when you’re having a hard time. They know when you’re sad, if you’re scared. And so when working with people, people with PTS, the dog knows when you’re feeling stressed in the grocery store and it’ll come close and let you know it’s there. And That is the part of this that is just the magic of working with dogs. Wow. Yeah, it’s cool.
SPEAKER 03 :
Again, if you’re just joining us, Chris Nelson is with us. He’s the president and CEO of Freedom Service Dogs. Once again, you can check out their website at freedomservicedogs.org. All right, training. So you, what, 10 weeks or so, 12 weeks, you start getting into some training?
SPEAKER 10 :
From the get. I mean, right when these dogs were born. So we have a breeding schedule. department we’re working through genetics and also behavior behavioral characteristics to make breeding decisions the dogs are born on site and right from the jump they’re learning socialization skills they’re being exposed to we’ve got a cat that lives in the nursery for example so they’re being exposed to all kinds of novel things from the day they’re born wow being reinforced in the behaviors that we want to see out of dogs and so that starts day one hour one. And so they’re with us while they’re being vaccinated, getting some of that socialization, making sure they’re medically well, looking at behavioral stuff. So seeing that they can socialize without being hyperreactive, without freaking out, for example, when they see something new. And then they’ve got all kinds of different paths they take in their training. Some dogs go at about that eight to nine week interval. uh, point go to prison. So we were working with incarcerated folks that are part of a professional training program where the dogs were actually in prison, uh, with somebody who’s incarcerated, getting training, uh, from that eight or nine weeks, anywhere from that point, it’s, you know, six weeks of training up to a full year with one of our programs. Wow. Yeah. And then they go to a puppy raiser. So they’re with a volunteer out in the community. We always need more that are reinforcing that training. Obviously, we provide a lot of support living with that dog, teaching that dog how to be a dog and also some of the fundamentals. So then we come back on site, you know, 12 to 14 months old. We’ve got a team of professional trainers that then are working on all of the cues, opening doors, getting the fridge, coming in between your legs. There are a million different tasks these dogs can do. And so the dogs are being trained in all the foundations of being a service dog. And then once they’re matched with their client, they’re custom trained. So that can be anything that client needs, we’re working on making sure that dog can provide it.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, I mentioned to you before we came on air that we’ve had a few of the vets in with their dogs. And I just remember one talking about how, and again, PTSD, different things, you know, coming into their apartment or home. And this dog would go in and reach up, turn on lights. Yeah. And it would actually go through the house a little bit before… you know, the vet would walk in their own home, you know, and just, and to use a police term, whatever SWAT term, they clear the house. I mean, yeah. And that puts the vet at ease.
SPEAKER 10 :
That’s right. I mean, it’s not just that. So, so one of the great rewards of doing this work, I work with amazing people and we’ve got a really large group of stakeholders. I get to meet amazing people is to get to know our clients and build relationships with them. And so I hear stories all the time of what these dogs do and, there’s a gentleman who came to we’ll talk a little bit about our clay shoots yeah yeah we’re getting to that yeah we got to do some of that um a gentleman who came to a clay shoot in texas we’ve got three right now one in denver one in houston and then one in midland texas okay and uh one of our clients came to a shoot and and there’s a group on the on the ground there a committee in midland texas that helps put on the shoot they do a really good job of honoring our veterans and so Thomas and Valor came, and Thomas was given a gift of a sporting clays shotgun. And it was nicely cerakoted and just beautiful. It had an American flag on it. It was a gorgeous gun. And he said, you know, I don’t know what I’m going to do with this. And it was a gift. And I was like, you can do whatever you want with it, man. Because of his service dog, and this is only five months after he got it, he had gone out of the house and gone to the range and shot that gun for the first time in decades. is now going to concerts. And so these experiences of whether it’s a dog doing something like clearing the house for somebody because that’s a need or helping them get out in public, it’s the gift that keeps me going in terms of this work.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right. How cool is that?
SPEAKER 10 :
It’s really cool.
SPEAKER 03 :
All right, we’re going to tell you about a great event, the 13th Annual Faces of Freedom Sporting Clays Tournament here in Denver. Our friends out at Colorado Clays, we’ve talked about them a number of times. And this is going to be a great, great event. Circle the date now, June 26th. And now here’s what you can do. You can go to freedomservicedogs.org. And you can go slash faces slash Denver. You can also simply go to the website. I was doing that this morning, said get involved, and then clicked on events there and found the Faces of Freedom clay shoot that way as well. So tell us all about this. This is really cool. I’ve heard so many things about it. It’s never worked out in my schedule until now, but I think I’m going to be able to do it this year. Yeah.
SPEAKER 10 :
We’ll get you there this year, Scott. So it’s June 26th up in Brighton at Colorado Clays. They’re great. We’ve been doing it there every year. It’s our 13th. It has, as I mentioned, moved out. Also, we have additional shoots in Houston and Midland, Texas. June 26th, come out and shoot. There are a lot of sponsorship opportunities. All of the proceeds go to support our veterans programming. And so it’s a huge lift for all of us and Certainly love the participation. Get to hear from a veteran. Be with like-minded folks. There’s lots of dogs around. There’s a really cool program. Folks talk about their experience with their service dogs. And we couldn’t do without our sponsors. So lots of opportunities to sponsor that as well if your company wants to. And you can find out more information on our website, as Scott said. Want to give a shout out to Liberty Energy and Bison Oil and Gas for being our presenting sponsors this year. As I said, there are multiple tiers of sponsorship opportunities. Most of them include teams of people that can shoot. And there’s all sort of skill level at this thing. You’ve got people who are shooting in the 30s who just want to support our veterans and people who are quite competitive. I think last year we saw it in 99, which is pretty good at a clay shoot. Certainly more competitive out in Midland, Texas, where it’s part of the daily life. And so we just want to grow that event here in Colorado.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right. So a lot of sponsorship. I’m just going to give you a couple of them here. A team registration and four for a team. Now, if you don’t have four, you got two, you got three, you got one. Come on out. They’ll pair you up with somebody. But if you got a team, that’s $850. And we’re going to tell you about some of the things going on for the rest of the day there at lunch and all. But you got a team registration only at $850. You can do a company registration only for $1,000, and that’s a company recognition on LinkedIn, social media posts, company logo appearance on the course. They’ve got a door prize sponsor for $1,500. That’s the ability to purchase a team of four at a discounted rate. And then the company name listed on the website, company recognition on LinkedIn, social media posts, and logo appearance at door prizes available. And then a gun board sponsor, $1,500. Station sponsored, each one of the different stations where they throw the clays, those are $2,500. So all the way up to about $15,000 or $10,000, I guess, because I guess you’re done with your presenting sponsors, correct?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, those are capped.
SPEAKER 03 :
Okay. So you got your platinum level sponsor, which is $10,000. And look, I know a lot of people at the end of the year do a lot of donations. Here’s something you can do at the beginning of the year. This is a platinum level sponsor for $10,000. And you know what? If you’ve got some people from your company that can come out, great. Now, this is an entry for 12, three teams. So that’s a $3,000 value. But you say, hey, I’ve only got two teams. I want to sponsor somebody else that may need some help. That would be a great thing to do. You got your logo appearance on all the collateral material, the website and electronic communication, the company recognition on LinkedIn, social media posts as well, logo appearance at registration table and inside reception site, and the opportunity to provide branded company pins to be paired with all the scorecards for all the participants. So a lot of value there just for some good branding. But you know what? For the cause to help support Freedom Service Dogs. And, man, sometimes I wish you could just reach back on and just share some stories, a different one. But, I mean, I’m sure in your tenure here, there are a lot of stories where this was, I mean, when I say game changer, we say that a lot, but life-changing.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, you know, we say every day a game changer, too, because these dogs do big and small, right? So if you think about somebody who’s got maybe a spinal cord injury and going to the grocery store can actually be risky for them. Imagine, right, that you’re using a wheelchair full time and you’re getting your wallet out to pay and your card falls on the floor. It can be risky just to pick it up. And so that can be a barrier for people going out, just going to the grocery store. Now, our dogs consistently, when trained well and placed as service dogs, can pick up that card for you or your keys or your phone, making that outing something that’s possible. And so we might look at that as a very small thing, going to the grocery store. For somebody else, that is legitimately life changing. And so these dogs are everyday game changers. And I appreciate that language. We use it as well. So, again, I just can’t say how fulfilling it is for my soul to have this purpose in life to watch people’s lives be changed by these dogs.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right. Last couple of minutes, but what are some needs you have? How can people help? Money, I’ll say it for you. Money helps. It costs a lot of money. And I don’t know what. I mean, I’m sure you have an average cost of birth to giving the dog to a vet. That’s a pretty big investment.
SPEAKER 10 :
It’s expensive, right? I mean, it’s food, um, it’s veterinary costs. It’s the lodging for the dogs. We’ve got a pretty big facility and then a lot of staff to take care of the dogs and make sure they get to the finish line, everything from their general wellbeing to, uh, this advanced and custom training that we’re providing. Um, so it costs a lot to get a dog to the finish line and, and to give them to a person and, um, certainly money, a big part of what we need as a nonprofit, um, volunteer opportunities are a petite we talked about this pathway for a puppy from birth before they come into training and a big big part of that is a puppy raiser and so you can have a wonderful foundationally trained dog puppy come into your home go through adolescence with you and then watch them on their path and participate in their path to become an everyday game changer for these people that they’re serving so um and that takes a special person i’m just gonna be honest yeah
SPEAKER 03 :
That would be really hard for me because I love dogs. And so you fall in love with that puppy. But when you realize the mission that you’re doing to help someone, hey, sign their name on a dotted line, so to speak, to help give us the freedoms that we have today, that might put us all in a different frame of mind.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. It’s no joke that these people are giving a lot of their time and energy and our appreciation for them is almost indescribable because it is a huge commitment, but the outcome of that is very rewarding for them as well. And so we’ve got puppy raisers that’ll do it multiple times. They do fall in love with the dog and you know, how can you not, but then you get to see, I equate it to, I’m raising children, right? I’ve got a, an 11-year-old and a 14-year-old. And my job as a parent is to get them to become independent adults, right? And I’ll miss them when they go off to college or whatever their path is, but that’s what we’re setting them up for. And this is the same thing, but a little bit more encapsulated, right? It’s done within the period of a year. You get to see this dog from a puppy become this ultimate best friend to somebody in need. And there’s nothing, I don’t think, more magical than that. And so, yeah, it’s hard and it is a lot, But the rewards are pretty big. Right.
SPEAKER 03 :
What about supplies? Anything people can bring?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. I mean, if you go to our website, we’ve got a wishlist. You know, everything from treats, Cheerios, certainly, I’m going to say it again, money as a non-profit. You know, that’s our revenue for our business. And our dogs are free of charge to all of our clients. And so it’s important that we maintain that and that we don’t have our clients incur any charges. And so on our website, you can find a myriad of ways to get involved. There are folks that come in and spend the day helping the dogs in the kennels with with playtime, with being fed, with just getting some love and and everything in between dropping off a box of Cheerios, which we use to reinforce the behavior for the dogs. They’re low calorie. Sure. Not giving a plug specifically to Cheerios, but it is what we use and the dogs like it all the way up to raising a puppy. I mean, there are just a ton of ways to get involved. And Our stakeholder group, our volunteers, our donors, our partners, our community partners, our sponsors is a really huge community. And so it’s a real blessing just to be a part of that. And so people don’t get just to drop off some Cheerios or participate in raising a puppy. They also become something bigger than themselves. And I think these days, more than ever, that purpose and belonging is really important to all of us. Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, Chris, we appreciate your time, sir.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, man.
SPEAKER 03 :
We’ll do this again.
SPEAKER 10 :
Appreciate being here.
SPEAKER 03 :
Folks, circle the date, June 26th. It is the 13th annual Faces of Freedom Sporting Clays Tournament out at our friends once again at Colorado Clays. Check out the website, freedomservicedogs.org, and you can get all the information there. Just to give you an idea of the schedule that day, the check-in is at 7.45 a.m. About an hour later, they’ll do the safety briefing. The shotgun start, no pun intended, will be 9 a.m., And then they’ll have their prizes, awards, lunch, and auction at 1215. But it will be a fantastic day. And unless something unforeseen comes up, I’m going to mark it in my calendar now. We’ll be there. So, again, we’ll do this again, Chris, but we appreciate it so much.
SPEAKER 10 :
And we’ll see you on the 26th. All right.
SPEAKER 03 :
Sounds good. FreedomServiceDogs.org. Quick reminder now, if you miss our live show on Saturdays 1 to 2, catch us twice on Sundays. That’s 8 to 9 a.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. on Sunday evening. We thank you for being with us. Hope you have a great rest of your day and a great rest of your weekend.
SPEAKER 09 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
