TAILS OF VALOR® PAWS OF HONOR PROGRAM INC
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/participants 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 human. Upon completion of their training (1,500-2,000 hours), these fully-trained ADA guideline service dogs are given at no cost.
Journey with a Purpose®
In 2023 Tails of Valor® developed a new community program to incorporate further outreach of our services provided. Journey with a Purpose is a therapy program designed for the participant, specialist and animal to all work together in therapeutic activities with goals for change and the expectation of identifiable progress. AAT is a non-medicinal goal oriented option used to enhance and complement the traditional therapy. AAA is a non-medicinal less goal directed option with the key benefit of spontaneous interaction to alleviate emotional distress or general stress symptoms. This program will be able to provide several levels of exercises for all that participate with focus on providing a positive physical and mental health interaction. This program 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, Military personnel, Families, Emergency responders
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 psychosocial disabilities, Veterans, Emergency responders
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
Related Program
Journey with a Purpose®
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our animal-assisted therapy improves our participants mental/physical health and quality of life by providing positive, goal-directed therapeutic canine interactions with guidance from a wellness team
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 and participants 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 2022 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 30 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 70 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 10,000 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
*Developed an Animal assisted therapy program for rehabilitation centers and first responder participants (2023-2024)
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 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 people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, 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 share the feedback we received with the people we serve, 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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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 01/05/2024
Ms Heather Lloyd
Tails of Valor
Term: 2014 -
Mr. Brian Staub
President
Term: 2019 - 2026
Heather Lloyd
Founder
Russell Armstrong
Verus Pet Foods
Kara Ballek
Creekview Veterinary Hospital
Allison Lyon
Walmart
Brian Staub
USMC Veteran
Michael Yemola
TC Bank
Scott Szever
ETF Capital Markets
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? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/05/2024GuideStar 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 have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- 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.