Working Dogs For Vets Impact statement
The following results were reported by graduating Disabled Hero/Service dog teams:
100% Service dog has improved sense of well-being
100% Service Dog has increased their level of independence.
100% Service Dog has helped them to get back out in public
100% Overall happiness was improved.
66.7% reported that having a service dog has resulted in having been able to reduce or eliminate prescription medications, does that sound low?
Well, that's just because the other 33.7% weren't taking medications so the question didn't apply to them.
100% reported they felt as if there has been an improvement in health after receiving their dog.
83.3% feel as if they are able to handle anxiety after receiving their dog, and the other 16.7% didn't have anxiety (they had other disabilities).
83.3% said that their service dog has helped to reduce suicidal thoughts, helped to provide a reduction in nightmares/night terrors, has helped them in handling flashbacks, with the other 16.7% reporting that it did not apply to them.
100% feel that have benefited from the physical and mental bond their your service dog
Graduates have been able to:
enroll in college (and stay enrolled)
find employment
reunite with their families
re-enter civilian life with dignity and freedom
To help reduce veteran suicides that happen every day, Working Dogs For Vets has developed two comprehensive Service Dog programs. These programs are more than just giving a certified, trained service dog to a veteran in need or helping them to train their own service dog. We at Working Dogs For Vets are considered as family. Our family is growing daily and so is our network of support, peer-to-peer engagement. We provide a life-long commitment to both our veterans as well as the dogs because we care about their success in life. Working dogs for vets in-house training at our facility, Events, help to rebuild both veteran's and dogs' confidence by providing them information and training to help mitigate the effects weather from seen or unseen disabilities. In addition, we provide forever homes enabling lives to dogs who likely would have been killed.
Google For Nonprofits helps our organization to track the outcomes of Working Dogs For Vets Programs. So far the results that we are seeing is that both of the programs are very highly effective. When the veterans come through the front door of our main branch house, they are often giving life just one more chance. We serve all veterans to help reduce the risk of veteran suicide.