Search Nonprofits

Our Mission: To help those who have served our country honorably live with dignity and independence. The service dog programs of America’s VetDogs® were created to provide enhanced mobility and renewed independence to veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders with disabilities, allowing them to once again live with pride and self-reliance. Not only does a service dog provide support with daily activities, it provides the motivation to tackle new challenges. VetDogs trains and places guide dogs for individuals who are blind or have low vision; PTSD service dogs to help mitigate the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder; hearing dogs for those who have lost their hearing later in life; service dogs for those with other physical disabilities, and facility dogs as part of the rehabilitation process in military and VA hospitals. It costs over $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog; however, all of VetDogs’ services are provided at no charge to the individual. Funding comes from the generosity of individuals, corporations, foundations, businesses, and service and fraternal clubs. Once they make the decision to get a service dog, applicants become part of VetDogs’ open and welcoming community. They are supported with an uncompromised commitment to excellence, from highly empathetic and certified trainers to a meticulously constructed curriculum. VetDogs teams each student with the dog that’s right for them – and the power of their bond makes ordinary moments extraordinary. Crossing the street independently becomes a moment of liberation. Traveling alone becomes a welcome adventure. Embracing new experiences becomes an everyday occurrence. America’s VetDogs launched in 2003 as a project of the Guide Dog Foundation. In 2006, it became a separate 501(c)(3) corporation; the two organizations continue to share staff and other resources to ensure people with disabilities receive the best services possible. With an assistance dog from America's VetDogs by their side, a hero is never alone. With their courage and determination, these remarkable teams reconnect us all to the highest form of freedom there is: the freedom to experience the world around us in any way we choose, and to live without boundaries.