Veterans With Dogs enters the world of online gaming

Veterans With Dogs, based in Exeter, has joined forces with World of Tanks, one of the world’s largest online multiplayer games, to create a video-game representation of an assistance dog. Based on Ferris, one of the charity’s community dogs, players can add an ‘emblem’ or a Veterans With Dogs inspired skin to their tanks.

World of Tanks puts the player in command of over 800 war machines from the mid-20th century. Players can test their mettle against others from around the world with the ultimate war machines of the era, allowing them to master the art of armoured combat across dozens of maps, guaranteeing diverse tactical gameplay. The game has millions of devoted fans worldwide.

For every Ferris related customization, such as the Ferris emblem or 2D style, purchased by a player based in the EU between 20th and 30th June, World of Tanks will make a donation to Veterans With Dogs. In addition, Ferris, and some of his two-legged companions from the charity, will be at Tankfest 2023, which is presented by World of Tanks and runs from 23rd to 25th June. He will also make a special star appearance on the event’s Online Historical stream on 25thJune at 1.30pm.

Commenting on the link-up, Craig MacLellan, Chief Executive of Veterans With Dogs said:  “We are delighted that World of Tanks has created a Ferris emblem and tank skin. He is a fantastic community dog and representative for our charity so it’s great to see him joining such a hugely popular game!

“Unfortunately, the need for qualified assistance dogs for current and former members of the British Armed Forces with mental health related issues remains very high. While we have a fantastic network of fundraisers, we are still a small charity, so support from organisations such as World of Tanks will make a huge difference. We are incredibly grateful for their support.”

Krešimir Gusak, Senior Product Manager, World of Tanks, from Wargaming.net, which makes World of Tanks said: “We are very proud to work with Veterans With Dogs to bring Ferris into World of Tanks so he can raise awareness about all the good work his charity does. Social responsibility is an essential value within our team and mental health and veteran well-being are two causes close to our heart. It has also been great fun working on this project to creatively bring Ferris into the game. Not often in my career do I get to ask for ’a lot of pictures of dog paws’. The VWD team are wonderful people to work with, and Ferris is one particularly charming dog, our team have had a lot of fun working on this project.”

Veterans With Dogs trains and provides assistance dogs for current and former members of the British Armed Forces with service-related mental health conditions using its unique PALS (Partner Animals Life Skills) training programme. The training is a combination of home support and residential courses, with annual assessments thereafter to maintain the fully accredited assistance dog status. The dogs that undergo this training are always ‘on shift’, providing the veteran with 24/7, 365 days of assistance. They not only change the lives of the veterans - in some cases, they save them too.