K9s For Warriors
A New Leash on Life
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
An overwhelming number of veterans commit suicide every day. The mission of K9s For Warriors is to stop these daily suicides altogether through a three-week, live-in training program - at no cost to the veteran. Before the program, the average warrior is on 20 different medications a day; after the program, 92-percent will reduce or even eliminate their prescriptions. Service canines are a treatment aid for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Military Sexual Trauma (MST); where medications often fail. Service canines are considered medical equipment and are recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities. Our in-house program provides each warrior with 120 hours of hands-on training with professional canine and warrior trainers. Each dog utilized in the program is carefully selected and extensively trained to become a service dog for an American hero.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Warrior Service Dog/ Training Program
Residential service dog training program
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Assistance Dogs International 2022
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of research studies that use methods that alleviate or minimize potential pain, suffering, or distress and enhance animal welfare for the animals used
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Military personnel
Related Program
Warrior Service Dog/ Training Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of clients who report general satisfaction with their services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Military personnel
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of new clients within the past 12 months
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Military personnel
Related Program
Warrior Service Dog/ Training Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Annual number of program graduates. To safeguard our staff and Warriors and to comply with CDC COVID guidelines, our monthly class size has typically been reduced by as much as two-thirds in 2020.
Number of animals rescued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Warrior Service Dog/ Training Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Annual number of dogs rescued from shelters or surrendered by an owner.
Annual number of sites visited at least once
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Warrior Service Dog/ Training Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total number of animal shelters & rescues visited evaluating dogs for the program.
Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Warrior Service Dog/ Training Program
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total amount of volunteer hours per year. Total hours decreased for 2021, based on Covid-19 protocols.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Warrior Service Dog/ Training Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total number of volunteers.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
At K9s For Warriors, we are doing everything we can to combat the 20 veteran suicides each day. Through our life-saving program, we help our American heroes thrive and return to civilian life with tools and techniques to manage the symptoms of PTSD and other invisible wounds of war.
In addition, K9s For Warriors realizes we are in a place to help more than just warriors with our program. With more than 700,000 shelter dogs euthanized in America each year, we have designed our program to use rescue dogs. The majority of the dogs in our program come from rescue shelters or are owner-surrendered. We save the dog, who then saves the veteran.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
To help stop the large number of daily veteran suicides, K9s For Warriors has developed a comprehensive Service Dog program. During the unique, three-week residential program, K9FW provides a fully trained, highly skilled service canine, in-depth training, certification, equipment, educational seminars, veterinary care, meals, and housing. Each month, a cohort of up to 20 warriors lives together at our residential facilities to train continuously with their Service Dogs. The Service Dogs are matched to warriors by abilities of the animal and needs of the individual. An added benefit of our training approach is the peer support the veterans receive from one another, as well as from the Warrior Trainers who have gone through the program themselves. During training, the warriors are provided daily activities to integrate progressively into community settings with their dog through a variety of situations. These include going to open play areas, retail centers, restaurants, grocery stores and other public areas. The warriors learn how to push through perceived boundaries and anxiety-provoking situations with the dogs by their side, using the techniques and tools only a service dog can provide. By offering the opportunity to live and train together, our program applies the team mentality these veterans are accustomed to from their military service. Our program's community integration aspect is key to learning and applying the skills needed for the recovery process. Warriors gain a sense of trust and confidence in their dog, as well as in the community, which provides the platform for healing to begin. With new peer relationships, and the techniques learned, the warrior returns home with the means to regain his or her life as a whole person, with dignity and independence. Our commitment is for a lifetime, and our Warriors will have a K9s For Warriors Service Dog for as long as they need one. In addition, we provide lifetime wrap-around services consisting of certification management, crisis support, community-resource navigation, legal advocacy, and assistance with Service Dog-related issues.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Our three-week in-house training program matches a veteran with a service dog specifically chosen for him or her. Our state-of-the-art facility provides bedrooms (aka "warrior suites"), a clubhouse, fully-equipped kitchen, exercise room, dog bone-shaped pool, and ample outdoor roaming and training space. In early 2018 we opened our second campus in Alachua, Florida. In 2021 a new kennel facility in San Antonio, TX, built in cooperation with the city's rescue shelter, opened its doors and is K9FW's first location outside of Florida. May 2022 we opened a Warrior facility in San Antonio and graduated our first class of Warriors outside the state of Florida.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
K9s For Warriors opened its doors in 2011 with the modest goal of graduating one Warrior-Canine team each month. Less than 10 years later, K9FW has become the nation's largest provider of Service Dogs for disabled American veterans. Since 2011, we have rescued nearly 2,000 dogs, and graduated more than 825 Warrior-Service Dog teams. K9FW currently has graduates in 48 states, plus Puerto Rico and Guam.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
K9s For Warriors
Board of directorsas of 10/02/2023
Mr. Daniel Bean
Attorney -- Abel Bean Law
Term: 2019 -
Pat A. Delaney
Navy Wives Club of America
Joseph W. Swoboda
United States Army, Retired
Bob L. Fleckenstein
Summit Contractors Group, Retired
Ronald V. Swanson
Florida First District Court of Appeal
Daniel K. Bean
Abel Bean Law
Richard T. Burke
Advanced Disposal, CEO
Pete T. Krainik
The CMO CLUB, Founder
Young E. Hall
Rex Corporation, CEO, retired
Dane Grey
Elite Parking Services of America
Matthew Wotiz
OrbiMed, Principal
Michael Fleming, Brigadier General (RET)
Cohen Veterans Network, Outreach Director
Tony Goland
M&Z Enterprises
Daphne Neveras-Lupfer
Dupont (Ret.)
Cherya Cavanaugh
Keller-Williams Atlantic Partners
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable