10/04/2026
One of our Higher Standard Poodles puppies, Gus, has a very special future ahead of him. Gus will be joining Ronald Rovner and will be trained as a therapy dog and potentially an emotional support dog to help Ronald with PTSD and Parkinsonās, as well as continue Ronaldās work serving veterans. Ron has described his mission as, āNo veteran dies alone.ā
The total cost for Gus and his training is $7,125. Ronald has already raised a significant portion and currently needs $2,420 to cover the remainder of Gusās training. I wanted to reach out in case anyone would like to contribute and help Gus prepare for this very special role.
This was his GoFundMe request to tell you a little bit more about him:
āHi, I'm Ronald Rovner, a retired police officer who served in the Cook County Sheriff's Police Department, Illinois, for 31 and a half years, leaving with two free gifts: PTSD and Parkinson's disease, not genetically caused. Currently, I am an ordained chaplain from Crossroads Community Church in Port Barrington, Illinois. It's been my privilege to minister to veterans, nurses, and other staff members at the Captain James A. Lovell VA, located in North Chicago, Illinois, every Saturday for over eight years, although I'm not a Navy chaplain. On September 13th, 2026, my beloved therapy dog Bubba died after serving at the VA for over eight years. Since his death, I have had many requests from my veterans to get another therapy dog.ā
This cause is especially near and dear to my heart, as I am a Speech-Language Pathologist at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy and have the privilege of working with our veterans.
If you feel inclined to help with this beautiful cause, please contact me. Every dollar donated will go directly to Ronald to help with Gus and his training.
Thank you so much for considering helping Ronald and Gus continue this very special mission. ā¤ļø