Snow guards and service dogs

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how Rocky Mountain Snow Guards is going beyond the rooftop to protect and support their community.  

Since their founding in 2010, Rocky Mountain Snow Guards (RMSG) has been dedicated to designing and distributing rooftop snow guard, fence and bar systems across the U.S. and Canada. Snow retention systems not only protect roofs and properties from the damage of avalanching snow; they can also save the lives of the people on the property premises. 

This dedication to protecting people weaves through everything that RMSG does, including the company’s charitable partnership with Freedom Service Dogs of America (FSDA). To learn more about their collaboration, we hosted Lars Walberg, president and owner of RMSG, and Chris Nelson, CEO of FSDA, for an episode of Roofing Road Trips®. 

FSDA was founded nearly four decades ago by PJ and Michael O’Rourke. Chris shared, “PJ and Michael trained their dog Oreo out of their home to help Michael, a wheelchair user, live an independent and fulfilling life.”  

Today, FSDA is a little more professional, running a training facility in Englewood, Colorado, and averaging a placement of 60 dogs each year. But they continue to carry the legacy of PJ, Michael and Oreo forward. Chris shared, “We breed the dogs and train the dogs to serve people with disabilities, veterans, first responders with PTSD, folks with mobility challenges and more. We also have an autism assist program for younger people.” 

Lars and his wife led the initiative of RMSG partnering with FSDA. Lars explained, “My wife and I have given to Freedom Service Dogs annually for probably eight or nine years. It’s such a great program; we like dogs, and we are drawn to the mission. So, it was a natural fit.” A couple years ago, Lars was talking to the leadership team at RMSG about how they could extend the support and protection their products provide to people through philanthropic missions, and he immediately thought of FSDA.  

The leadership team was on board, and before they knew it, RMSG was sponsoring the raising and training of a puppy named Snow! Chris shared a short update on Snow’s progress, adding, “The puppy is 14 months old now and is coming to our site for training soon. From there, our on-site professional dog instructors will begin official training. The next step after that is for Snow to be matched with a client!”  

To learn more about how RMSG is supporting FSDA and service dogs like Snow, Listen to the whole podcast!