CANINES WITH A CAUSE FOUNDATION INCORPORATED

1 in 4 veterans returning from combat suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression or anxiety. Veterans return home with feelings of abandonment and have a difficult time adjusting to civilian life. The adjustment can include depression, substance abuse and in the worst cases, violence and suicide. \r\nOver two million healthy, adoptable dogs die in US shelters annually. One of the main challenges animal welfare groups and shelters have is finding ways to re-home shelter animals. \r\nThe US has roughly 2.4 million people in prisons. Many of these incarcerated individuals would love the opportunity to give back to the community.\r\nCanines With a Cause addresses each of these issues, rescued dogs provide love, comfort, and help transform lives, they help veterans deal with invisible scars of war.

Canines With a Cause is an animal assisted therapy prison-based dog training program. Shelter dogs are rescued, vetted and placed in the Utah State Prison where they live and train as service or combat stress relief dogs for veterans coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The program was successfully implemented in early 2014 after several years of research and planning, while working with the Utah Department of Corrections. \r\n\r\nCWAC services veterans in the Northern Utah area suffering with PTSD through referrals from local VA Hospitals and Vet Centers. Our expansion to other Utah State prisons will enable us to rescue, train and place more dogs,while involving more offenders in the program. Long-term number of people who benefit from the program not only will include inmates and veterans, but families of veterans who experience positive results from their loved one having a service or assistance dog.

We currently have dog training programs in three states, Idaho, Utah and Nevada. Dogs are trained in two state prisons, Northern Nevada Correctional Center and Idaho Correctional Center-Orofino for placement with veterans referred through the VA and Vet Centers.
We anticipate 30-35 dogs per year trained and placed with veterans.
Our goal is to expand the program to an additional prison facilities yearly along with the Utah Department of Corrections. The long-term vision is to have dogs in five prison facilities, this would allow for the training of up to 60 dogs at one time.
CWAC is also opening service dog placement to First Responders in all areas.

Since we are dealing with fragile people who are sometimes over medicated and unpredictable, issues arise. Constant contact and support is necessary, especially in the early phase of building the dog/human relationship. The dogs can also be unpredictable, since they have no way of communicating issues. We need to make sure they are getting adequate care and support from our program and strive to improve our policies and proceedures.