To honor the many service men and women who are still suffering from the conflicts of war, 4 Paws for Ability will be making service/assistance dogs available to help them lead a more independent life.
A special fundraising effort has been launched to be able to place dogs, with no effort on their part, with select disabled veterans of the most recent wars and conflicts including those in Iraq and Afghanistan and any conflicts stemming from the tragic events of 9-11.
While other organizations are assisting veterans with brain injuries and loss of sight, 4 Paws has selected to assist Veterans with mobility problems or hearing loss resulting from combat injuries. The disability may be a loss of a limb, balance issues, spinal injury, deafness, or other.
The service dogs will be trained to meet each individual veteran’s specific needs which could include:
- Balance work
- Stand and brace
- Helping to pull a manual wheelchair
- Turning lights on and off
- Opening household doors
- Pushing buttons to open automatic doors in public
- Retrieving dropped items
- Retrieving a phone in an emergency or other command items
- Retrieving items from shelves and counters
- Paying a cashier
- Carrying items in a backpack
- Hearing ear/Signal work
- Any other skill that can help the individual live a more independent life
Veterans whose primary disability is a mobility or hearing impairment as a result of a combat injury during one of the more recent wars and conflicts are eligible for the program.
Once a service dog has been fully trained, the veteran will spend 12 days in Xenia, Ohio. Over the 12-day period at the training facility individuals will work with and become accustomed to their service dog and the service dog will become certified at the final day of training.
Angel Wings for Veterans provides free air transportation to veterans for medical care, service dog acquisition and PTS/TBI treatment or retreats. Veterans can receive free air transportation to a vetted service dog organization to pick up their service dog. To request assistance, please visit: http://angelwingsforveterans.org/
Veterans who are interested in this program through 4 Paws that meet the qualifications stated above can contact us on our website or email Jennifer Lutes at jennifer@4PawsForAbility.org.
Please include contact information, a few sentences describing the parameters of your disability, your veteran status, and whether you are receiving treatment for your disability, if so, please include the facility where you are receiving treatment.
Go to our online application.