4 ways to help human and canine veterans every day

Honoring America's heroes. It's something we should do every day, not just on Veterans Day.

And here are some ways you can do that.

Foster the pets of military personnel on deployment. There are agencies around the country that will help care for the pets of active military personnel who are forced to leave their pets behind when they go on deployment. Two good ones are Dogs on Deployment and PACT for Animals.

Support groups that place dogs with returning veterans. Many of our veterans return home from service and find it difficult to adjust to civilian life. Some because they have physical injuries. Some have injuries you can't see. Groups like K9s for Warriors, Pets for Patriots and Pets for Vets place pets with returning veterans. And the best part is, both groups rescue dogs from shelters and train them to help the vets.

Adopt a former military service dog. The 37th Training Wing  and the 341st Training Squadron trains military working dogs. But what happens to the dogs once their service is done? People can adopt the dogs! The training wing has an adoption application on its website.

Send military working dogs care packages. The United States War Dog Association helps military working dogs in many different ways. One way the group helps, though, is organizing care packages. You can donate items to send to dogs deployed overseas, everything from dog boots to dog treats. You can also donate money to the organization. The group has a complete list of needed items on its website.