Commems Collection Modern: 2025 Working Dog - Possible? #01

First Commemorative Coin bill to be introduced in the 118th Congress:

Bill(s) Introduced

Companion Bills
- HR 807 (Introduced: February 2, 2023; Patrick T. Henry (R-NC))
- S 711 (March 8, 2023; Ted Budd (R-NC))

(118th Congress)

Short Title

- Working Dog Commemorative Coin Act

Proposed Year of Issue

- 2025

Purpose

Commemoration of the invaluable service that working dogs provide to society.


"The Congress finds the following:

(1) Dogs going back thousands of years have been tied to humans whether for protection, companionship, or assisting in daily activities.

(2) The United States had an unofficial canine military presence assisting soldiers in the Civil War and World War I, but military K-9s did not become officially recognized until March 13, 1942. During the height of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq it is estimated that the United States military employed near 2,500 K-9s.

(3) Military K-9s have seen service in every major United States combat since World War I and have been praised by military leadership as an indispensable asset for military, police, government, and private security teams around the world.

(4) In 2000, Congress passed "Robby's Law" which allowed for the adoption of military K-9s by law enforcement agencies, former handlers, and other care groups.

(5) Since 2000, military K-9s have left service and gone onto work explosive detection for police forces, and work as service dogs for veterans and families.

(6) Beyond their military working capacity, working dogs provide enhanced mobility assist and renewed independence for the injured and disabled. Service dogs are able to support veterans struggling after war, hear for those who are deaf, see for those who are blind, and even sense changes in a person's body before a seizure. Working dogs play a vital role in improving the lives of many.

(7) The service dog programs of America's VetDogs were created to provide enhanced mobility and renewed independence to United States veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders with disabilities.

(8) America's VetDogs provides—

(A) guide dogs for individuals who are blind or have low vision;

(B) hearing dogs for those who have lost their hearing later in life by alerting to alarms, door bells, sirens, and more;

(C) service dogs for those with other physical disabilities that are specially trained to provide balance, retrieve dropped items, open and close doors, turn on and off lights, carry a backpack, and more;

(D) facility dogs which are specially trained to spend time working with wounded veterans recovering at military hospitals and veterans medical centers;

(E) dogs that work with physical and occupational therapists as they treat soldiers and become an essential part of the healing process; and

(F) PTSD service dogs that are trained to help mitigate the symptoms of PTSD by providing the emotional and physical support a veteran may need.

Coins

- Up to 50,000 Gold $5 coins
- Up to 500,000 Silver $1 coins
- Up to 750,000 Clad Copper-Nickel $0.50 coins

Surcharges

- $5 coin: $35
- $1 coin: $10
- $0.50 coin: $5

Sponsor/Beneficiary

- America's VetDogs (Smithtown, NY)

Current Status

Introduced; referred to Committee in both chambers.

Likelihood of Passage?

The House bill currently has over 140 co-sponsors; the Senate bill has eight.

- Per GovTrack: <5% (as of the date of this post)

Comments(s)

IMO, the service being provided by America's VetDogs is a valuable one, and one worthy of private donations to support it. I don't believe, however, it merits a set of gold, silver and CuNi Clad US commemorative coins.

You can learn more about the New York-based service organization here:

- America's Vet Dogs

A similar bill was introduced in the House in the prior Congress (117th), but was not reported out of Committee; the coins would have been dated 2023.


For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more Possible? commemorative coin stories, see: Commems Collection.