By providing exceptionally trained service dogs at no cost, American Humane Society’s Pups4Patriots™ bridges a critical gap of care and companionship for veterans and retired first responders suffering from Post-traumatic Stress (PTS) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

Research shows that specially trained service dogs can reduce stress and anxiety levels, mitigate depression, ease social reintegration, provide comfort and restore confidence in affected veterans and first responders. However, many obstacles often prevent these heroes from gaining access to service dogs. Waiting lists are long, and the process is expensive, with training costing upwards of $30,000 per service dog — this is where Pups4Patriots comes in.

Our Approach

Pups4Patriots dogs are trained according to American Humane Society’s service dog guidelines — an approach informed by a Scientific Advisory Committee of veteran experts, mental health professionals, scientists, animal welfare specialists, veterinarians, dog trainers and other key advocates. These guidelines help maximize the efficacy of the service dogs as a treatment method for veterans and first responders with PTS and TBI.

Service Dogs: What You Need to Know

Another vital component of the Pups4Patriots selection process is the mental health assessment, which requires applicants to be engaged in mental health treatment with a licensed mental health professional. This requirement is key in assisting with the adjustment period when obtaining a service dog, which can be stressful, requiring the applicant to tap into symptom management skills acquired through therapy.

Who We Serve

Pups4Patriots seeks to serve all veterans and retired first responders who meet our program’s criteria, which include actively working with a licensed mental health professional as part of a PTS or TBI treatment plan and passing an assessment that gauges if a service dog will support a hero’s healing process.

Learn More About Women and Pups4Patriots

Pups4Patriots recognizes the unique challenges faced by female veterans. Female veterans are often disproportionately affected due to fewer support resources and higher instances of Military Sexual Trauma, a form of PTS that one in three female veterans is estimated to experience.

More than 80 percent of first responders experience traumatic events on the job, leading roughly one in three first responders to develop PTS. In response to these staggering rates, Pups4Patriots includes those who served on our emergency frontlines, such as emergency and rescue personnel, police officers and firefighters.

Our Impact

We are committed to harnessing the healing power of the human-animal bond to put more healing leashes into the hands of veterans and retired first responders in need.

To date, Pups4Patriots has provided more than 200 lifesaving service dogs. Thanks to the generous support of donors, this program continues to serve more heroes each year.

Hear from three veterans on how the Pups4Patriots program changed their lives.