ChoiceSpine™ Unites with Smoky Mountain Service Dogs in Common Goal to Improve Lives

Since our founding in 2006, we’ve operated under the belief that innovative spinal surgery solutions can lead to improved clinical outcomes for patients. As a company, our mission has always revolved around using our expertise and resources to better lives. In 2017, we decided to expand our community impact by partnering with Smoky Mountain Service Dogs, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of wounded veterans.

Smoky Mountain Service Dogs’ mission is to enhance the physical and psychological quality of life for wounded Veterans by providing custom trained mobility assistance service dogs at no cost to the Veteran. They believe that through appropriate utilization of public-access-approved, highly-trained service dogs, individuals with physical and/or psychological disabilities can often become increasingly self-sufficient and experience a higher level of community involvement and acceptance.

Collage of U.S. Veterans with their service dogs trained by SMSD

This charitable partnership commenced with the launch of ChoiceSpine’s Biologics Portfolio, with a portion of all proceeds directly benefiting SMSD. The idea for the partnership surfaced when our Co-Founders, Rick Henson and Marty Altshuler, spoke with VP of Biologics Christy Coyner in an effort to find a charitable organization that gives back to veterans.

“We wanted to find an organization where our donations would have a direct impact on the recipients, and the charity’s mission aligned with our values,” said Coyner. “When we found Smoky Mountain Service Dogs (SMSD), we knew it was a great fit.”

Over 97% of donations to SMSD go directly toward custom-training service dogs specifically for wounded veterans’ needs.

In addition to donating a portion of proceeds from our Biologics Portfolio, ChoiceSpine also shows support for SMSD by attending events such as the “Passing of the Leash,” where a team of over a dozen trainers who have trained the service dogs “pass the leash” by presenting the dogs to their veteran.

“You won’t find a dry eye in the building when the veteran receives their furry companion,” said Coyner. “As dog-lovers and supporters of our military, we are delighted to support such an outstanding organization in our own backyard.”

Veterans with their dogs following the “Passing of the Leash” ceremony

While spinal surgery solutions and service dogs for veterans seem in no way related, ChoiceSpine aligns with SMSD in the common goal of improving lives.

“It takes two years to train a service dog, and the SMSD team donates hundreds of hours to create a relationship that improves the quality of life for our veterans… As an organization that is focused on improving people’s lives, we at ChoiceSpine believe that SMSD’s commitment and dedication aligns with our own to improving lives in both our own community and across the country,” Coyner added.

Be sure to follow ChoiceSpine on social media to stay updated on our partnership with SMSD and receive the latest updates about our spinal surgery solutions.

About ChoiceSpine

ChoiceSpine is a privately-held spinal device company located in Knoxville, TN. The Company prides itself on providing excellent products and exceptional service to meet the needs of their customers. ChoiceSpine offers a breadth of innovative and surgeon-focused systems that are designed to be safe, efficient and easy-to-use. By working closely with physicians and maintaining a service-focused distribution, ChoiceSpine will continue to bring technically-superior spinal products to market.