WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, July 6, 2022 — American Humane, the country’s first national humane organization and the world’s largest certifier of animal welfare practices, today announced that Adtalem Global Education Foundation awarded them a $50,000 grant in support of its Pups4Patriots program. Pups4Patriots provides free, specially trained service dogs to veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injury.
“Our Pups4Patriots program transforms the lives of veterans suffering the invisible wounds of war by pairing them with highly skilled service dogs at absolutely no cost to the veteran,” said Dr. Robin Ganzert, American Humane president and CEO. “We can’t help veterans in need without the incredible support of organizations like Adtalem. This generous gift will tangibly change the lives of veterans by placing a life-saving leash in their hands so that they have a battle buddy by their side every day.”
All proceeds from the grant will benefit this critical program, which trains qualified dogs, including rescues, to become service animals for veterans in need. American Humane has provided service dogs and training to more than 200 veterans across the country.
“No matter what your limitations are, no matter what your physical or mental issues may be, a service dog will be the best thing for you,” U.S. Army veteran and Pups4Patriots graduate Charles said upon finishing his training. “It will help break you out of that shell that you’ve put yourself in over time.”
Service dogs are an invaluable asset to veterans who have sustained trauma, but there are significant obstacles to receiving one. Properly training a dog so they perform their needed tasks and remain calm and focused in public areas can be both expensive and time-consuming, with costs which can exceed $30,000 per dog. Even when cost isn’t an obstacle, wait times can still be prohibitively long. Through the Pups4Patriot program, American Humane provides service dogs to veterans at no charge to them in both a timely and efficient manner.
“The Adtalem Global Education Foundation truly appreciates the worth of the Pups4Patriots program,” said Sean Callanan, MVB, Dean, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, board member of Adtalem Global Education Foundation. “We have seen over and over how pets have a positive impact on the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of humans and to be able to provide an animal companion to a veteran in need is truly an invaluable gift.”
“We can’t thank Adtalem enough for their gracious support,” Dr. Ganzert said. “With their help, we will be able to harness the healing powers of the human-animal bond and change the lives of these brave veterans forever.”
The Pups4Patriots program is made possible through the generous support of donors. To learn more, and help fund more stories like these, visit www.americanhumane.org.
About American Humane
American Humane is the country’s first national humane organization and the world’s largest certifier of animal welfare, overseeing the humane treatment of more than one billion animals across the globe each year. Founded in 1877, American Humane has been First to Serve™ the cause of animals and for 145 years has been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in the humane movement.
For more information or to support our lifesaving work, please visit www.AmericanHumane.org, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our channel on YouTube for the latest breaking news and features about the animals with whom we share our Earth.
