PAWSITIVITY SERVICE DOGS FOR VETERANS

Pawsitivity Service Dogs for Veterans (EIN 47-1446634) is a CFC-approved, award-winning nonprofit based in St. Paul, Minnesota that uses rescue dogs and evidence based training to support U.S. military veterans and first responders living with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, mobility disabilities, depression, and other service-related challenges. Every day in America, an estimated twenty-two veterans die by suicide, often after years of nightmares, panic, hypervigilance, and isolation. Our mission is to help prevent these tragedies by pairing veterans at high risk with highly trained PTSD service dogs that provide reliable grounding, practical assistance, and a powerful reason to keep going. We rescue carefully selected dogs, then put them through months of professional, force free training based on current behavioral science and the standards of Animal Assisted Intervention International. Each dog is trained for the exact tasks a veteran needs most, such as interrupting panic episodes, waking from nightmares, creating space in crowds, performing room searches, supporting balance, retrieving essential items, and helping the veteran feel safer in public environments that once felt overwhelming. Our program is trauma informed and data driven. Pawsitivity is one of the few service dog organizations that has undergone an independent third-party Impact Evaluation, which documented significant improvements for veterans partnered with our service dogs, including better daily functioning, increased community engagement, higher self-esteem, stronger emotional stability, and reduced PTSD symptom burden. Veterans and their families tell us that our dogs help them leave the house, reconnect with loved ones, sleep more peacefully, and face situations that once triggered intense fear. One spouse shared that after her husband’s accident, he could not even step out the front door, yet with his service dog he gradually regained the confidence to do the things he wanted to do and his whole demeanor improved. Another veteran told us that his service dog gives him constant security and independence so he is not as afraid to go into public spaces where he feels vulnerable. Our intake process begins with careful listening rather than rigid rules. Many veterans come to us after larger programs have told them that their specific needs do not fit standard categories. We evaluate each situation on its own merits and, when a dog is ready, we post that opportunity publicly instead of maintaining a long, closed waitlist. This approach provides more fairness and allows veterans who are often overlooked to have a genuine chance at a placement. When a match is made, we provide home-based training for the veteran, extensive coaching, and lifetime follow-up so the team can remain stable through life changes. We keep our program small on purpose so that each dog is trained one at a time and each veteran receives personal attention. One hundred percent of your gift is used to train life-changing service dogs for wounded warriors through direct program costs such as professional training time, veterinary care, food, equipment, travel for veteran instruction, and long-term support for existing teams. More than eighty percent of our overall budget goes directly to programs, and we maintain full transparency by publishing IRS 990s, CPA reviews, annual reports, and evaluation summaries. Donors who support Pawsitivity are investing in a focused, measurable form of suicide prevention that uses service dogs to reduce isolation, increase resilience, and help veterans reclaim purpose and hope. Your gift rescues a dog who might otherwise be forgotten, turns that dog into a highly trained PTSD service dog, and helps save the life of a veteran who has already given so much for this country.