She Created K9s For Warriors To Pair Veterans With Rescued Service Dogs After Her Son Struggled With PTSD From Serving In Iraq

It’s no secret that dogs are extremely therapeutic pets to have around and have helped people heal after all different kinds of trauma.

For a long time, war veterans have found immense comfort in adopting a dog after serving to have loyal companions that help them adjust to normal routines again. 

Thankfully, there’s one organization that provides services to benefit veterans and shelter dogs who need to be rescued.

K9s For Warriors is an amazing organization that pairs veterans with rescue service dogs in hopes of benefiting and saving both of their lives. 

Shari Duval was the wonderful woman who founded K9s For Warriors in 2011. According to the organization’s website, Shari had the idea to found K9s For Warriors after her son Brett, who served in Iraq as a K9 police bomb dog handler, came home from serving with PTSD. Despite seeking help from doctors, Shari noticed Brett only felt at peace when he had his faithful service dog by his side.

That’s when she decided to form a service that would pair healing veterans with comforting service dogs that could give them a second chance at life. Better yet, part of K9s For Warriors’ mission is training rescue shelter dogs to be service dogs so they also have a second chance at life.

According to their website, 60% of K9s For Warriors’ adoptable service dogs are shelter dogs, while the rest are service-bred dogs and puppies whose volunteers train to be service dogs.

Many veterans who come home from service with disabilities or PTSD are often at risk of suicide and poor mental health, which makes it feel almost impossible to live a somewhat normal life. K9s For Warriors has seen many success stories and has found ways to bring families back together through the healing power of service dogs.

Veterans who are interested in taking home a service dog from the organization can easily apply and complete an approval interview process before getting paired with their ideal dog at no cost.

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