Assistance Dog Graduation USS Hornet

Menlo Park, CA- Paws for Purple Hearts (PPH) Bay Area will hold an Assistance Dog Graduation Ceremony on Saturday, July 22, 2023 aboard the USS Hornet. PPH provides Canine-Assisted Warrior Therapy® (CAWT®) )to Veterans and Service Members by involving those with PTSD or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in the training of service dogs for their comrades with disabilities. Once trained, the service dogs are placed with Warriors to assist with disabilities including PTSD, TBI and mobility impairment at no charge.
Before placement, the PPH dog and Warrior or Warrior Facility Handler undergo an intensive 2-week Client Training, a highly structured program involving a great deal of focus, determination and dedication. During Client Training, the Warriors are introduced to the service dogs and provided with the knowledge and experience necessary to ensure a successful and healthy service dog/handler relationship, forging a lifelong partnership that will dramatically improve quality of life for the Warriors, their families, friends and communities. "I would like to thank the Bay Area community for all the support they've given PPH over the years. I'm very pleased with our staff, participants, and our top-notch dogs who have all come together to make our two-week client training and placement a success," Kerry Blum, PPH's Southwest Regional Director.
The Paws for Purple Hearts Assistance Dog Graduation Ceremony will be held aboard the USS Hornet; 707 W. Hornet Ave. Alameda. Tickets are available to the public. Guests will enjoy refreshments, speeches from community members, program participants, and PPH representatives, and service dog demonstrations.
For more information about the Assistance Dog Graduation and tickets, please contact Olivia Hughes oliviah@pawsforpurplehearts.org
Service Members and Veterans are involved in every aspect of service dog training, from puppy to task training to public outings. Once trained, the service dogs are provided to Veterans with disabilities including PTSD, TBI, and Mobility Impairment. All our services are complementary to Service Members, Veterans, and their families. Paws for Purple Hearts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that relies on volunteer and donor support.

Kerry Blum
kerryb@pawsforpurplehearts.org
Paws For Purple Hearts
795 Willow Road Bldg 400
Menlo Park, CA 94025

Paws For Purple Hearts is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization

Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) #43093 EIN 45-3342634

About Paws for Purple Hearts:

Overview: Paws for Purple Hearts programs make a difference every day by dramatically improving the lives of our nation's active duty Service Members and Veterans facing service-related challenges such as post-traumatic stress (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and/or mobility impairments. All of our services are free to recipients, which include Service Members, Veterans, their families and the VA and military medical institutions that serve them. Paws for Purple Hearts is a non-profit organization that relies on the generosity of donors and volunteers.

Background: Paws for Purple Hearts (PPH) is a fully approved 501(c)(3) that participates in the Combined Federal Campaign (#43093). PPH started as a Service Dog Training Canine Assisted Therapy pilot program at the Bergin University of Canine Studies in Rohnert Park, California. The program was implemented at the Menlo Park VA and at Walter Reed, and became so successful that Paws or Purple Hearts incorporated formally as an independent non-profit entity in 2011 to focus on its mission to improve the lives of our nation's Warriors facing challenges such as PTSD, TBI, MST and mobility impairments through the utilization of canine assisted therapy. As the demand for other services such as those described in section one above grew, PPH added to its capability set. This year, thanks to the generous contributions of our donors and volunteers, PPH is establishing new facilities in San Diego, San Antonio, and is ramping up operations in the Washington, DC Metro area, and in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Services Paws for Purple Hearts provides:

a. Service Dog Training Canine Assisted Therapy. Paws for Purple Hearts (PPH), in partnership with the widely-acclaimed Bergin University of Canine Studies, pioneered and has successfully implemented an innovative therapy for our nation's Warriors in which Warriors with PTSD, TBI and/or MST help train service dogs for their comrades with PTSD, TBI, MST and/or physical mobility challenges - Warriors Helping Warriors. Interacting with our puppies and dogs under the caring supervision of our Bergin educated dog trainers can help reduce the severity of PTSD, TBI, and MST symptoms.

b. Specialist Canine Assisted Therapy Dog. We provide a therapy dog to a host organization-selected specialist care provider there, for example a psychologist, psychiatrist or other similar therapist. This specialist utilizes the dog in the course of their work to provide therapeutic benefit to patients that come to his/her office for appointments, or while making the rounds in a clinical setting. This individual is responsible for the routine care of the dog, while we remain available as "tech support" for veterinary or other issues requiring deeper dog handling expertise. We train the specialist first to equip them with the tools they need to maximize effectiveness.

c. Facility Dog. In this program, one of our trained dogs roams a facility, providing a friendly face to welcome patients, their families and staff to help support a positive and more home-like atmosphere. Each Facility Dog is assigned to a contact person at the host facility who manages daily activities and carries out routine dog care (e.g., feeding, walks, waste removal), while our staff remains available to provide further support when needed, including veterinary care.

d. Service Dog. We pair meticulously bred, lovingly raised, and thoroughly trained service dogs with their ideal Warrior recipients using Bergin University's scientifically rigorous matching methodology. Warrior and service dog meet during Training Camp where they learn to live and work together while forming a lifelong bond. Our disciplined process ensures a successful, lasting, and effective partnership for each Warrior and service dog pair.

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This release was published on openPR.