PK9’s is the only service dog program in our area that provides education and training of service dogs for qualifying veterans/service members at no charge. Our organization maintains contact with our Veterans throughout the program and beyond through aftercare and wrap-around support.
Working with counselors who are present at training sessions, we help alleviate mental and physical health challenges for Veterans who have Post-traumatic Stress Injury, experienced Military Sexual Trauma, or have Traumatic Brain Injuries. We build upon protective factors through social connection with peers, community immersion, resource coordination, and mental health support for the lifetime of the team.
Our program results in improvements in help-seeking behaviors, develops problem-solving skills, establishes bonds between Veterans, provides referrals for needed services, addresses lagging skill sets that have formed from the root causes of trauma, and builds a sense of purpose. Thus, PK9’s program addresses many of the important components known to mitigate risk factors contributing to the suicide crisis.