Canines With a Cause

CWAC rescues dogs from local shelters, then placing these rescues in state prisons, where they live and train with offenders. Upon completion of basic training, dogs are placed free of charge with veterans suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and/or Traumatic Brain Injury to begin their healing journey. Veterans learn handling skills enabling them to train their own Service Dogs in the tasks necessary to help them reintegrate into family and civilian life.
CWAC’s ultimate goal is a sustainable program focusing on placing appropriate, prison-trained dogs with veterans suffering from PTSD, then children in need of comfort animals and finally to a loving home if the first two priorities aren’t a good match for a particular dog. Each program is briefly described below:

Pawsitive Partnerships – At no cost to the veterans, regularly scheduled classes lead by certified professional dog trainers, enable veterans to develop the skills needed to continue training their own assistance dogs. Veterans are matched with dogs from the prison training programs or may work with their own dog if the dog has passed an assessment for appropriate temperament.

First Step Home – CWAC dogs are placed with veterans living in a VA Substance Recovery Facility, interacting and assisting veterans to recover from drug and/or substance abuse issues. Veterans go through supervised co-training with their dogs under the supervision and guidance of CWAC trainers.

Pals With Paws – CWAC has a partnership with the Children’s Justice Center and Utah Foster care to provide trained comfort dogs to children suffering from PTSD.

Loving Home Adoption - While all efforts are made to ensure the success of each dog, from the initial assessment at the shelter through training programs with the goal of veteran placement, not all dogs meet the criteria. Should this happen, other partner dog program matches are sought, or they are placed and monitored in a loving home adoption.

Trainers utilize positive training techniques to teach veterans to guide their dogs and solve problems, by utilizing methods that are enjoyable for the dog and healthy for the veteran. The dog and the handler create a strong bond by working together, and the dog is trained for specific tasks to help the veteran lead a more productive, less stressful life. Our goal is to develop creative, individualized training solutions that meet the mental, emotional and economic-stability challenges veterans face today.
CWAC is continually collecting data from program veterans to substantiate the results of training and working with a dog partner. We ask our program veterans to fill out an anonymous survey when they begin the program, after the dog is placed and when they reach service or assistance status. The results are monitored by staff at the University of Utah and aligned with the research conducted by the National Center for Veteran Studies through the University of Utah and CWAC. Over a 14-month period in 2016, CWAC assisted in tracking the effects of dogs training on PTSD symptoms. Some benefits from this study include; helping with hypervigilance, restful sleep, anger management, interest in family and enjoying outside activities. Training a dog is part of the healing process, giving the veteran(s) the skills and confidence needed to properly handle the dog in a public place or in a stressful situation.