Gander was days away from being euthanized when he was rescued from a shelter and trained to become a service dog. More than two years later, the labradoodle is in Vernon Hills and nominated for a national award for having saved the life of his companion, Vietnam War veteran Lon Hodge. “If you talk to any veteran with a service pet, they’ll tell you their dog saved their life,” Hodge said. ]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 05:46:42 -0500 http://lakezurich.suntimes.com/20025168-418/vernon-hills-service-dog-nominated-for-american-humane-association-honor.html http://lakezurich.suntimes.com/20025168-418/vernon-hills-service-dog-nominated-for-american-humane-association-honor.html