CINCINNATI, April 20, 2017 — Today, American Humane, the country’s first national humane organization, and Crown Media Family Networks, home of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, proudly reunited United States Air Force Staff Sergeant Adam Wylie and his former military working dog, Emra, in Cincinnati. The pair served together overseas in South Korea for two years, until they were separated in 2014.
Emra, a nine-year-old Belgian Malinois, retired from military service after bravely protecting American lives as a single-purpose patrol dog. Stationed in South Korea, Emra worked to patrol the area surrounding the Air Force base to prevent enemy intrusions, and conducted safety sweeps in advance of sensitive visits from top U.S. officials, including President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, among other vital duties in service to our country.
American Humane, with the generous support of Crown Media Family Networks and individual donors across the country, funded the costs of bringing the four-legged veteran back from South Korea to retire on U.S. soil. SSgt. Wylie, along with his wife and their four-year-old daughter, are adopting Emra, giving her the loving forever home and comfortable, dignified retirement she deserves.
American Humane, an organization that has worked to support the U.S. military for over a century, is dedicated to protecting our country’s hard-working military dogs and recognizing their heroic contributions to our country. As part of this mission, American Humane, in partnership with Crown Media Family Networks, brings retired military dogs back to the U.S. and reconnects them with their handlers; SSgt. Wylie and Emra are the 32nd military team to be reunited by the group.
“American Humane is honored to reunite two American military heroes and best friends today,” said Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane. “Bringing Emra home to retire on U.S. soil is the very least all of us as Americans can do to express our gratitude for her extraordinary service and sacrifices on behalf of our nation.”
“Crown Media Family Networks is proud to partner with American Humane in this very important program to reunite canine veterans and their human handlers,” said Bill Abbott, president and CEO of Crown Media Family Networks. “Having served the U.S. military so admirably, we wish SSgt. Wylie and Emra the very best as they celebrate this reunion, and we wish them every happiness in life,” Abbott concluded.
Crown Media Family Networks also partners with American Humane on the Shelter to Service program, which rescues shelter pets and trains them to become lifesaving service dogs for veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury. This support is part of Crown Media Family Networks’ PETS initiative, which is aimed at promoting adoption, emptying the shelters, and ensuring that every animal finds the loving forever home they deserve.
About American Humane
American Humane is the country’s first national humane organization, founded in 1877. For more information, please visit www.americanhumane.org.
About Crown Media Productions
Crown Media Productions is the internal production unit of Crown Media Family Networks, home to cable’s leading family friendly networks, Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. The production company was launched in early 2015 in an effort to expand original programming slates for both networks and grant Crown Media full ownership of domestic and international content rights across all platforms.
