We are proud sponsors of K9s For Camo, a nonprofit that provides service dogs to support veterans with a wide range of needs. Most of the veterans suffer from PTSD, but they also train K9s to provide support for other challenges, including mobility assistance, seizure alert and diabetic alert.
The K9s assist their veterans with these physical challenges, clearly improving their quality of life on a daily basis, but the real magic is what happens beyond that: With their K9s by their side, veterans are empowered to move through life and explore the world with new confidence and security.
Rescue Dogs Who Then Rescue Vets
Most of the K9s For Camo were shelter dogs, some rescued within days of what would have been the end of their life. These dogs, once given a chance and purpose in life, embark on a path that changes the lives of many people they meet along the way. It’s as if a magic in them is unleashed, and they pay it forward.
Many of the K9s lead their veterans back out into a world from which they had retreated, enabling them to embark on new paths in their lives. The veterans share how these K9s have changed their lives, and some credit them with literally saving their life.
A Purdue University study evaluated the effect service dogs have on the mental health of vets with PTSD. The findings:
Lower overall symptoms of post-traumatic stress
Lower levels of depression
Higher levels of life satisfaction
Higher overall psychological well-being
Lower levels of social isolation
Greater ability to participate in social activities
Higher levels of resilience
Higher levels of companionship
Other Lives Impacted
One of the first steps in the K9 training process is Boot Camp at the Ozark Correctional Center in Fordland, Missouri. There, K9s For Camo trained inmates begin intensive obedience and task training for our K9 recruits.
The K9s learn from the inmates, but the inmates also learn from the K9s. Offenders appreciate the value the program brings to them as they make better choices, change their path in life and successfully re-enter society.
To learn more about K9s for Camo or get involved to support their mission, please visit: k9sforcamo.org