Roller Derby teams from the area have come together to help veterans this weekend.
Skaters competed in Vets, Pets and Sweat at the Shrine Auditorium on Saturday.
Must Dash Dolls and Team Montana put on the roller derby competition fund-raiser.
The money raised goes to Dog Tag Buddies, a group that brings dogs from animal shelters to veterans.
Dog Tag Buddies helps veterans train the dogs, which are used for pets and service animals.
“When you go through training,you build a different relationship with that animal,” said Deede Baker, founder and executive director of Dog Tag Buddies. “You learn to trust each other, you learn to read each other’s body language. And when we start talking about service animals for these veterans, it’s remarkable the change that can happen for them. They do things such as wake them up from nightmares. They help them with their anxiety when they go out in public.”
“It’s awesome,” said Desiree Kroll, organizer of the Vets, Sweat and Pets. “A lot of people have distress when they come home and they’re sad. There’s nothing like a dog to help bring your spirits up.”
Vets, Pets and Sweat finishes on Sunday, Veterans Day, at the Shrine Auditorium.
