Service Dog Training for Veterans and First Responders Class October 2024
by ARKANSAS SERVICE PAWS
Arkansas Service Paws is a public charitable corporation formed to provide
service dogs and training for Veterans, First Responders and their qualifying
dependents living with PTSD, at no charge to the client.
We provide clients the training necessary to teach their service dog the
commands pertinent to the client’s individual PTSD disabilities.
We acquire canines from local shelters, rescues and individual donors in
order to reduce the number of canines in need of public support.
We provide the service dog at minimal cost to the client by absorbing the
cost of adoption fees, veterinary fees and training supplies until the client
takes ownership of the canine at graduation
We provide emotional support for clients in a group setting as well as for
clients’ families. We let our clients know they are not alone.
We provide service dogs for PTSD clients that facilitate friendly public
interaction instead of encouraging guarding, protection or searching for
an enemy or a threat (hyper-vigilance).
We are located in Ward, Arkansas, but we serve the greater Litter Rock area and beyond, Arkansas. Our program helps to create a bond between client and canine, this along with the tasks that are clients learn to teach their dogs allows our clients to successfully reintegrate back into society, some of which have not gone into a restaurant in over 20 years. Many of our clients have said that having a service dog means freedom to them; freedom to leave the house, visit with family, go to a store, and sometimes acquire employment. Their service dog will awaken them from nightmares, alert the client when their pheromones indicate that they are starting to have an anxiety/rage, or the service dog can brace, to help the client stabilize.
Our program provides the funds for the veterinary care of the dogs going through our program. We also provide many canine essential items, such as a kennel, harness, leash and many more items for both the canines and their handlers.
