On March 30, 2011 K9s For Warriors, a local dog rescue organization that pairs service animals with veterans, officially became recognized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
In the 10 years since its creation the organization has helped save thousands of dogs, and paired them with hundreds of Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy veterans.
Their program is unique, backed by extensive research from Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. The organization provides a three-week training program on their campus, where they focus on helping the veterans and paired service dogs to create a bond and facilitate healing/recovery. Nearly 100% of their service animals are rescued from shelters across the country and given to veterans at no cost.
Founder of K9s For Warriors Shari Duval, who passed away in early February after a long battle with cancer, was at the helm of the K9s For Warriors mission, personally ensuring that veterans felt at ease speaking with her about all manner of topics.
“Her spirit of fighting, fighting, fighting for the warriors lives on throughout our organization,” said Rory Diamond, CEO of the organization.
On March 30 of 2021, marking their 10th anniversary, the K9s For Warriors organization held a small ceremony at their new Shari Duval K9s For Warriors National Headquarters in Nocatee, where they unveiled a new logo for the company and announced plans for future expansion.
The logo embodies important details that the K9s For Warriors organization stands for. The star on the left represents the 650+ graduates that have worked with the non-profit so far, the star on the right represents all the dogs saved, and the star in the middle (the largest star) is the merging of those two events, said Diamond at the ceremony.
“The stripes above the stars are our commitment to fight for our warriors who have, and continue to, fight for America,” said Diamond.
For the future, the non-profit plans to continue expanding their mission and training programs around the country, to further assist lowering the veteran suicide rates. By July they expect to finish construction on a training center in Texas, and by the end of 2021 they hope to open the new Mega Kennel, their largest training center yet.
“Over the next 10 years we have one clear mission,” said Diamond. “To put ourselves out of business and end veteran suicide.”
To learn more about K9s For Warriors, or volunteer, go to k9sforwarriors.org.
