COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Man's best friends are about to graduate from service dog school before starting their next adventure -- helping veterans in need.
In early July, six veterans began the two-week process of receiving a service dog from nonprofit organization Patriot PAWS. Now, the dogs will officially graduate from the program on Friday, July 19 at 1 p.m.
Patriot PAWS Service Dogs is a nonprofit organization that trains and provides service dogs at no cost for veterans who experience mobile disabilities, post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries. Each service dog takes 18 to 24 months to fully train at a cost of $46,000 provided by the organization.
The first week of the graduation program is hosted at Patriot PAWS of Aggieland, a student-led university-recognized club through Texas A&M University. Veterans work with the club officers to learn proper dog handling techniques and the meaning behind the foundational cues. At the end of that first week, there is a "Matching Day" ceremony where its revealed which service dog has chosen which veteran.
The second week of the program is held at Patriot PAWS' Main Training facility in Rockwall. Each service dog's training is further customized to serve whichever veteran they chose.
“This has, once again, been an amazing group of veterans and service dogs,” said Lori Stevens, Founder & Executive Director of Patriot PAWS. “One of the veterans participating in this graduation is receiving his second service dog from our organization. His first service dog served him faithfully for 9 years before he went with the angels. We are immensely grateful to the generous donors who make lifetime placements possible for our clients.”
Since its founding in 2006, the program has trained more than 600 dogs and helped veterans across 43 states. There are still over 70 veterans waiting to receive a Patriot PAWS service dog.
The graduation ceremony will be held at Patriot PAWS Rockwall Campus at 254 Ranch Trail. The event is open to the public, but attendees must RSVP at office@patriotpaws.org.
