Temple Beth Or Honors Veterans With Service Dog Event
The congregation's sixth annual Veterans Day celebration featured a free brunch and a presentation on how service dogs are trained and what tasks they perform.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Dogs
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Temple Beth Or hosted its sixth annual Veterans Day celebration on Sunday, November 8, 2026, bringing veterans and their families together for a free brunch and a presentation about service dogs. The event featured Emerald, an eight-month-old Goldendoodle who is still learning the skills needed to become a service dog.
Why it matters
The event was designed to honor veterans from the congregation and the wider community while connecting them with resources. It also offered a look at the training behind service dogs, which can be taught to provide balance support and alert to seizures.
The celebration marked the sixth annual Veterans Day event held by Temple Beth Or. Emerald, an eight-month-old Goldendoodle featured at the presentation, has not yet completed the training needed to be matched with a person who needs a service dog.
The players
Temple Beth Or
Temple Beth Or is a Dayton-area congregation that hosts community events, including its annual Veterans Day celebration.
Mark Gruenberg
Mark Gruenberg is the president of Temple Beth Or.
4 Paws for Ability
4 Paws for Ability is an organization that trains assistance dogs and provided a volunteer to present at the event.
The details
A volunteer with 4 Paws for Ability presented information about the tasks service dogs perform at the event. A member of Temple Beth Or who was blind had two service dogs, Hershey and Claudette, and the presentation drew on that experience.
Timeline
Sunday, November 8, 2026: Temple Beth Or hosts its sixth annual Veterans Day celebration.
2027: Temple Beth Or plans its next veterans honor event, themed to salute women who have served throughout the country's history.
Roadmap
Veterans Day observances across the country have long used community gatherings to recognize service members and their families. Temple Beth Or's annual event follows that tradition by pairing veteran recognition with a look at service dog training.
Dayton residents who are veterans or have family members who served can plan to attend Temple Beth Or's next veterans event in 2027. The presentation also gives families considering a service dog a sense of how long training takes and what tasks the dogs are taught.
The takeaway
Service dogs are trained over many months to perform specific tasks, so families considering one should expect a long preparation period before a dog is ready. Community events like Temple Beth Or's veterans celebration offer a direct way to learn about that process.
What happens next
Temple Beth Or plans to honor veterans next year with a 2027 theme saluting women who have served throughout the history of the country.
Further reading
For more on service animals and pet care, explore our Dogs coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WKEF.
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