Programs and results
What we aim to solve
OUR MISSION’S SUMMARY Change is necessary for growth and improvement.... Tails of Valor®, Paws of Honor, Inc (TOV) was established in 2014 with a mission to provide rehabilitation through non-medicinal therapies. Our animal assisted therapy programs provide social interactions and human/canine bonding resulting in service dogs able to assist with the physical and psychological issues affecting our Veterans and their families. TOV’s Canine Connections is open to veterans from the community seeking to improve their quality of life by experiencing the warmth and patience of a non-judgmental partner. Our canines can enhance a therapeutic environment which will reduce friction caused when experiencing social activities, thus leading to increased communication and focus. Our staff provides support needed for positive physical and mental health social interactions during training sessions with our canines, all of who are named in honor of a fallen soldier.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Canine Connections
TOV’s Canine Connections is open to veterans from the community seeking to improve their quality of life by experiencing the warmth and patience of a non-judgmental partner. Our canines can enhance a therapeutic environment which will reduce friction caused when experiencing social activities, thus leading to increased communication and focus. Our staff provides support needed for positive physical and mental health social interactions during training sessions with our canines, all of who are named in honor of a fallen soldier.
Each particular activity, command or exercise, taught to the canine during their journey of 16-24 months of training, correlates to symptoms, known or unknown, to the participant. All our dogs learn more than 100 exposures of everyday living, over 30 commands and tasks that are specific to their Veteran. Upon completion of their training (1,500-2,000 hours), these fully-trained ADA guideline service dogs are given at no cost to a Veteran.
Journey with a Purpose®
In 2021 Tails of Valor® developed a new community outreach program to incorporate further outreach of our service provided for our Veterans by embracing collaborative efforts utilizing our animal assisted therapy programs. Journey with a PurposeTM is a therapy program designed to touch countless lives through motivational enhancement, inspirational routines and unconditional positive support. By adding more healthcare facilities interested in embracing our non-medicinal approach to therapy we will be able to expand the education of our services.
This new program will be able to provide several levels of exercises for all that participate. These exercises will focus on providing a positive physical and mental health interaction. The opportunities to expand our services are endless and will be life supporting for the human and the canine and can be offered as an adjunct to a clinician’s health plan.
Where we work
Awards
Community Star Award to Founder/Executive Director Heather Lloyd 2018
Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs
Bulldog Awards - Game Changer of Life 2020
B Braun Medical, Inc.
Affiliations & memberships
Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Centers (formal therapy integration Phila + Coatesville, PA) 2018
Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center (therapy integration) Phila + Coatesville+Lebanon, PA 2020
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of dogs in animal assisted therapy program
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Veterans, People with psychosocial disabilities, People with physical disabilities, Military personnel, Families
Related Program
Canine Connections
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Our service dogs in training start at a young age & receive more than 1,500 hours of specialized training- they provide animal-assisted therapy to Veterans through our TOV® Canine Connections program.
Total dollars received in contributions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with other disabilities, People with physical disabilities, People with psychosocial disabilities, Veterans
Related Program
Canine Connections
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The program's success is driving demand for outreach of services. Expansion of our campus was needed due to COVID restrictions on Federal grounds in 2020 adding more dogs and counselors
Number of veterans with PTSD served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Health, Families, Non-adult children
Related Program
Canine Connections
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Our animal-assisted therapy improves Veterans' mental and physical health and quality of life by providing positive, goal-directed therapeutic canine interactions with the guidance of a Peer Counselor
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
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?
TOV’s Canine Connections is open to veterans from the community seeking to improve their quality of life by experiencing the warmth and patience of a non-judgmental partner. Our canines can enhance a therapeutic environment which will reduce friction caused when experiencing social activities, thus leading to increased communication and focus. Our staff provides support needed for positive physical and mental health social interactions during training sessions with our canines, all of who are named in honor of a fallen soldier.
Each particular activity, command or exercise, taught to the canine during their journey of 16-24 months of training, correlates to symptoms, known or unknown, to the participant. All our dogs learn more than 100 exposures of everyday living, over 30 commands and tasks that are specific to their Veteran. Upon completion of their training (1,500-2,000 hours), these fully-trained ADA guideline service dogs are given at no cost to a Veteran.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
In 2021 Tails of Valor® developed a new community outreach program to incorporate further outreach of our service provided for our Veterans by embracing collaborative efforts utilizing our animal assisted therapy programs. Journey with a Purpose™ is a therapy program designed to touch countless lives through motivational enhancement, inspirational routines and unconditional positive support. By adding more healthcare facilities interested in embracing our non-medicinal approach to therapy we will be able to expand the education of our services.
This new program will be able to provide several levels of exercises for all that participate. AAA (animal assisted activities) will provide enjoyment with stress mitigation from medical conditions or procedures and help to divert depression or anxiety with social interactions and AAT (animal assisted therapies) will provide relief from compassion fatigue, social support, self regulation and physical stimulants. Both exercises will focus on providing a positive physical and mental health interaction. The opportunities to expand our services are endless and will be life supporting for the human and the canine and can be offered as an adjunct to a clinician’s health plan.
The following video provides an intimate view into the work we do:
https://vimeo.com/393009825/063fd078eb?fbclid=IwAR3o2sJG8ep6lGyzqWlczcoW7mD_S2o3G2T4x60I7_gd903439pr-IPVcGo
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Dedicated TOV staff and volunteers bring tremendous experience to our mission.
* TOV Founder and entrepreneur, Heather Lloyd, has an extensive background with 10 years in the medical field and over 27 years working with animals.
* Professional licensed administrative support has been strengthened to bring attention to our mission.
* More than 50 active volunteers provide assistance with training, fundraising and education events. Puppy sitting and puppy raisers also provide loving interactions with our pups as they experience the home-life and daily exposures.
* A strong TOV Board supports our mission with diverse backgrounds in veterinary care, the armed services, marketing, and fundraising.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since TOV inception:
* Successful graduation/pairing of 40 service dogs with Veterans suffering from PTSD or TBI. These Veterans participated in our year long rehabilitation program learning a better quality of life, living with a service dog.
* Formal recognition and integration of TOV Canine Connections animal-assisted therapy at the Philadelphia, Coatesville, and Lebanon, PA VAs--the FIRST service dog organization to work in the VA Medical Centers in PA.
* Co-authored "Guidelines of TOV Animal Assisted Therapy" protocol with Coatesville behavioral team, and will be contributing to the research/study of the efficacy of AAT for Veterans with PTSD.
* TOV has touched more than 7,000 between our collaborative effort partnerships with healthcare and educational facilities including the expansion of our training campus and adding our professional offices .
*Referred by social workers and mental health professionals.
* Established a clinical education affiliation with Moravian College's School of Nursing, Mercy School for special learning, adult aging facilities and more...
* Offering free osteopathic medicines for our Veterans
*Launching our first animal therapy program with Mercy School for Special Learning - working with children with special needs
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
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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.
TAILS OF VALOR PAWS OF HONOR PROGRAM INC
Board of directorsas of 06/27/2022
Brian Staub
Tails of Valor
Term: 2019 - 2024
Heather Lloyd
Founder
Term: 2014 - 2024
Heather Lloyd
Founder
Russell Armstrong
Verus Pet Foods
Kara Ballek
Creekview Veterinary Hospital
Allison Lyon
Walmart
Diane Horan
Retired
Colleen Krcelich
Self Employed
Brian Staub
USMC Veteran
Joseph Nardo
Retired
Michael Yemola
TC Bank
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? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 06/27/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.