With a primary focus on veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), Paws 4 Liberty carefully screens, trains, and matches service dogs with qualifying disabled veterans at no cost to the recipient. While some service dog organizations have their own breeding program, Paws 4 Liberty does not breed dogs. All the organization’s service dogs come from local animal shelters, rescue groups or are donated to the organization.

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Paws 4 Liberty’s Service Dog program serves qualified veterans with disabilities who already have a dog suitable for service dog training, and those who come into the program in need of a dog. To be accepted into our program, a veteran must first complete an application. Our veteran services coordinator is available to assist veterans through this process. Veterans applying to the program must meet the following criteria:

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· A medically diagnosed service-related disability

· References from outside of the veteran’s family

· Proof that the veteran can care for a dog

· The ability to commute to the Paws 4 Liberty facility

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At Paws 4 Liberty, we provide a supportive environment for veterans. In addition to high quality, professional training for veteran/service dog teams, we provide a space for veterans to be with each other, in a secure, calm environment, where they can share their stories and build friendships with each other. Several of the veterans we work with have expressed how important that sense of camaraderie is to them and how much Paws 4 Liberty means to them.

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Many veterans need the services that Paws 4 Liberty provides. Whether the injuries sustained come from physical or psychological trauma, the pain and suffering of servicewomen and men is real and, for many, chronic. Paws 4 Liberty is here to address that need and provide service dogs to veterans who will benefit from them. It is our privilege to meet this need in the veteran community. We believe that the men and women who have served our country deserve an opportunity to live self-reliant, productive lives after they return home from service.

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“The security of having your dog watching your back, always there to support you – service dogs watch your back with no judgement.” – P4L Veteran