8th Wounded Warrior Service Dog Program grant awarded to paws4people

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A local non-profit specializing in the training and placement of Service Dogs was recently awarded $734,864 for the Wounded Warrior Service Dog Program.

The organization paws4people is a recipient of 7 annual WWSDP awards from October 2015 to June 2022, which total $2,894,502.38 through which 106 Service Dogs were placed free of charge with Veterans and Service Members.

The WWSDP is a competitive grant program that supports nonprofit organizations committed to connecting Service Dogs with Veterans and Service Members.

In 2008 the paws4vets program fundamentally changed the paradigm from a conventional suicide-trauma focused resiliency program to a K9-centric Post Traumatic Growth program using Service Dogs customized to each Veteran or Service Member.

“Using our proprietary training process known as Intervention Transfer Training, each Veteran and Service Member learns how to use the Service Dog to Control, Regulate, and Mitigate symptoms of physical and/or psychiatric disabilities,” paws4people Chairman Terry Henry said. “ITT incorporates Moral Injury strategies and tools.”

All Teams are required to re-certify annually, in-person to ensure that the highest level of quality training is maintained for the career of each Service Dog.

To apply for a paws4people Service Dog, you can visit: www.paws4people.org/apply