Sean Brownlee

Sean is a U.S. Marine with over 24 years of service in the Special Operations community. His service spans across globe and he has served in Cuba, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the Middle East and Africa. He is also the owner of Ravenox, a leading manufacturer, direct-to-consumer retailer of textile products. These products include a variety of dog leashes, originally created for Ravenox’s mascot Blitzen, which are suitable for just about every dog. Sean has closely collaborated with Mary and the team at Operation Freedom Paws to help develop the ideal leashes for their human-canine service teams. A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of all dog leashes goes directly to Operation Freedom Paws. Collaborating and advocating for Operation Freedom Paws and their service teams allows Sean to fulfill his goals of helping veterans and first responders in need.

 

Ed Soares and OFP Therapy Dog Duke

Ed Soares is a sergeant with the Menlo Park Police Department. Ed introduced Duke, his European Doberman Pinscher to the department, where he began training as a pup to become a K9. In June of 2016, Duke was sworn into the Menlo Park Police Department as a Certified Narcotics Detection Dog. Duke and Ed were partners until Duke was retired from service in February 2022. During their tenure together, Ed and Duke were credited in the seizure of millions of dollars of U.S. currency, narcotics, firearms, and yes, even a seizure of over $1,000,000 in gold bars. This dynamic K9 team worked with many local, state, and federal agencies to assist them in their investigations. And over the years, Duke and Ed have conducted many meets and greets at schools, hospitals, and community events around the state in hopes of brightening up everyone’s day. Since retirement, Duke and Ed have teamed up with Operation Freedom Paws (OFP) to begin their journey to become an official OFP Therapy Dog Team. They look forward to continuing to serve in this capacity together for many years to come.

 

Scott Montoya

Scott Montoya is a Marine veteran. Scott served in the war in Iraq, Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He earned the Navy Cross during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Scott served for ten years in the United States Marine Corps on active duty and in the reserves, then retired after 20 years in law enforcement as a deputy sheriff. Scott graduated with degrees in criminal justice, behavioral science, and business management. He is the president of the 1st Marine Division Association – Orange County, California Chapter, president and founder of “Faithful Service for Veterans”, and an AKC approved CGC Evaluator.

In addition to these accomplishments, Scott has completed a lengthy service dog handler’s course at Operation Freedom Paws. He calls his “Canine Battle Buddy”, Schatzi, “the world’s greatest” German Shepherd. Now, Scott is giving back to the veteran community and the service dog industry as an advocate and ambassador for Operation Freedom Paws.