For 11 years, Gunnar Godfrey, the Service Dog to Dee Pitman, was an integral part of the cigar community. He could be seen wherever Dee was attending cigar events around the United States. A friend to all and a lifesaver to Dee, who is a US Army veteran, Gunnar was loved by many and gave the same love in return to all he met.

It didn’t end there. Because of the story of Dee and Gunnar, a wonderful organization was started, NJ Dogs of Honor. This non-profit dedicates itself to pairing dogs with veterans diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS). The handler and dog are paired, and the dog goes home to live with the veteran. Their Service Dog training then occurs over the next year while the two eat, sleep and accompany each other in the veteran’s home. This allows the dog to be of immediate benefit to the veteran, simply by their presence in the veteran’s life. They graduate and are then full-fledged Service Dogs who can perform tasks that allow their veteran a better quality of life.

Sadly, Gunnar Godfrey passed away in 2021. He remains close in Dee’s heart, and it is because of that intense love and partnership, that Dee decided to honor him. Kevin Schweitzer of Rock-A-Feller Cigars, stated, “From the beginning when Dee came to me with this project, it was dear to my heart. I remember meeting and hanging out with Gunnar. Being a dog lover myself, I have rescued five Greyhounds over the years. So, I wanted to work with Dee to come up with a very memorable cigar for this Tribute. This 6 x 50 cigar has an Ecuadorian Habano Wrapper with Nicaraguan fillers. We used mostly Viso high priming to create the wonderful flavor notes that come from this cigar.”

He closed by saying “Anyone who smoke it will always remember Gunnar, so let’s PSSITA in Honor of him.”

The cigar is a special release and is limited to only 160 packs of five cigars. Included with it, will be a card telling the story of how NJ Dogs of Honor came into being because of Gunnar Godfrey, and how you can donate to them. A portion of the proceeds will also go to NJ Dogs of Honor to help pay for a dog and veteran pairing.

The Gunnar Godfrey cigar will be released on Saturday, January 13th starting at 3pm. It will be available online at caravancigar.com and in the Caravan Cigar shop located in Bath, PA. Brian Lewis, one of the owners of Caravan Cigar, stated “Our family is proud to be a part of The Gunnar Godfrey cigar release. We have had the pleasure of meeting Gunnar on multiple occasions. This special cigar honors the memory of Gunnar. He was more than a Service Dog. He brought joy and laughter to all who had the pleasure of meeting him.”

Dee Pitman, also known as the Queen Of Cigars, will be at Caravan Cigars with her new Service Dog, Finn Ezekiel. She is confident you will love the cigar and feels it is a blend that reflects the nuances of Gunnar’s personality. Dee looks forward to hanging out and talking about her two loves, Gunnar Godfrey and cigars.