26 Jul P.A.W.S. to offer obedience training for raising money for veterans’ service animals
Veterans P.A.W.S. trains and provides service animals at no cost to veterans.
Soon, you’ll be able to get your dog trained military-style.
Veterans P.A.W.S., or Providing American Warriors Solace, is offering dog obedience classes starting August 7 to raise money for service animals for veterans.
The organization trains and provides service animals at no cost to the veteran.
“In Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, there is not an A.D.I.-certified facility to provide service dogs to veterans,” said Margaret Jackson, a retired Air Force staff sergeant and Navy corpsman. “There are some facilities that provide service dogs, but they are at a cost. Ours is completely free.”
Jackson left the military when she was deemed 100% disabled, she had mobility and emotional issues that she had a hard time finding support to cope with. That was the case until she found Kimora, her service dog.
“She is always at my side alerting when I need her,” she said. “There are just way too many veterans, whether they don’t have family or they don’t have somebody checking in on them, who are committing suicide on a regular basis.”
That’s a trend she is trying to slow with her non-profit. The obedience classes cost $350, but include the cost of leashes, collars and training guides. The rest of the profit goes back entirely to offset the cost of training the service animals for veterans who need them.
“These kind of things actually help me get out in the world again,” said Ruth Koch, a retired Navy sailor who has suffered from anxiety and now trains.
“There have been issues where I haven’t been able to even leave the house. And that’s with all of the veterans who are a part of Veterans PAWS.”
That was until she found service animals like Willow and Ragnar. They helped Koch get back on her feet and back into the world to exercise the freedoms she fought to protect.
They see it as another patriotic duty, one their proud to enlist and share.
“They don’t see these veterans out there working and trying to cope,” Jackson said. “They’re trying to do things and they’re not able to do them.”
If you’re interested in signing up for the classes, you can message Veterans P.A.W.S. on their Facebook page. There, you’ll be able to submit an application and pay the fee for classes.
-This article has been sourced from https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/44371854/veterans-paws-offering-obedience-classes-to-raise-money-for-veterans-service-animals
No Comments