K9s for Warriors expands in San Antonio with rescue dogs
Last month, San Antonio city leaders voted in favor of partnering with K9s for Warriors, the national’s largest provider of service dogs for disabled American veterans.
The organization plans to build a new canine rescue and training center on the Animal Care Services campus this year, greatly expanding its program to pair soldiers with service dogs trained to handle the symptoms of their traumas.
The agreement approves an initial 10-year lease of three acres of ACS property to build a canine training facility with a focus on rescuing 200 large-breed dogs from ACS annually. K9s for Warriors staff will look for dogs who qualify for the program. They must be at least 2 years old, at least 50 pounds and 24 inches tall, and able to pass a basic temperament test.
At the new San Antonio facility, the dogs will receive basic obedience training before they are transferred to one of K9s for Warriors’ two Florida campuses. Once there, the dogs will finish their three- to six-month training and eventually be paired with soldiers suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, and/or military sexual trauma as a result military service post 9/11. Dogs that don’t pass the training will be adopted into good homes.
“The prospect of bringing our national nonprofit to San Antonio is thrilling to us,” said Rory Diamond, K9s For Warriors CEO. “We’re more than ready to help the homeless dogs there find a new purpose as a lifesaving PTSD Service Dog.”
K9s for Warriors’ expansion into San Antonio will be a big boost for large dog rescue in our community. Brianna Bentov, spokeswoman for K9s for Warriors, said, “San Antonio is an ideal place to expand the program because there is a big rescue dog population that needs help and an active military community that will be supportive.”
While the program will begin in the spring, a recent investment from San Antonio-based Petco Foundation will aid in the construction of the canine center itself, which will begin later this year.
ACS Director Heber Lefgren credits robust placement partners, like K9s for Warriors, with transforming the city shelter and helping the city achieve a 92 percent live-release rate in fiscal year 2018.
“We’re thrilled to have a partner to support our mission and help our country’s veterans,” Legren said. “K9s For Warriors has a big heart for these big dogs, and we love that they will be saving a life to save another.”
Since 2011, K9s for Warriors has paired more than 508 warrior-canine teams across the country. More than 90 percent of these service dogs are recruited from animal shelters or are owner-surrendered.
Over the next year, K9s For Warriors will need kennel enrichment volunteers (you can love on the chosen dogs) as well as donors to ensure its success in San Antonio. For more information, visit k9sforwarriors.org.