WDFV is a non-profit organization with decades of experience training rescued dogs to perform individually specific tasks that cater directly to the needs of disabled veterans. Each veteran has specific experiences that impact his or her healthcare, mobility, and accessibility to daily life, so our ethos is to train each dog to fit perfectly as a tool for the impacted veteran to mitigate impacted circumstances. In this regard, no two animals are the same! We pride ourselves in serving more than 6,016 Veterans and dogs with positive placement outcomes to date.
WDFV aspires to provide:
- A new mission and a sense of purpose for veterans;
- A supportive community, sense of belonging, and renewed fellowship among disassociated veterans;
- A therapeutic outlet for veterans;
- A medium in which animal rescue can be combined with Veteran services
- Service guidance and training for veterans (particularly women veterans, minority veterans, disabled veterans, and other traditionally underrepresented groups) leading to adaptive lifestyles, career opportunities, and positive health outcomes; and
- Inspiration for veterans to live happy and healthy lifestyles with representation, inclusion, empathy, and understanding.
Working Dogs for Vets (WDFV) proposes expanding our cornerstone training facility in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, to meet the current demand for WDFV-trained animals. WDFV is a non-profit organization that trains rescue dogs to mitigate circumstances for disabled veterans. With our volunteer trainers, we have developed a unique training style that allows each dog to be equipped with skills critical to their veteran. A world leader designed our training style in dog training, Ken Knabenshue. Overseen by Ken, our trainers work with the veterans to determine their needs, whether assistance opening a refrigerator, reminders to take medication or any skill that may be of use. If there is a will: there is a way at WDFV.
Currently, we have a long waitlist for our services. The only way we can cut down our list and fulfill requests for our veterans is to expand our space. At this time, we have secured the land and permits for a new 5,000 SQFT training facility that would double our capacity to serve upon its completion. This request is to carry out the framing for the physical plant. The timetable for completion of this project ranges from Q1 of 2023 to Q2 of 2024, with current supply tables and projected labor estimates in conjunction with fundraising. WDFV will be using all pre-qualified vendors to complete the project.
To keep our cost-free for the veterans, we must have partners to support our capital projects. We will evaluate the success of this capacity expansion by tracking all outcomes compared to current outcomes with currently available resources. As stated, we hope to double outcomes out of our Tennessee training base.
For this project, we are utilizing the professional services of Summertown Metals, a local business. This project focuses on the monolithic slab, the shell of the building, and interior framing, estimated to be $154,000.
Materials include: 4’’ concrete slab w/ footers, 2x6 ext walls 16’’ OC, 2x4 int walls 16’’ OC, 7/16 OSB on walls and gables, Trusses 2’ OC, 2x4 lathe 2’ OC on trusses, House wrap on walls, Bubble wrap on the roof, #1 painted metal, White standard vinyl windows to plans, Ext doors to plans
The total construction and completion of the building will take roughly two years, accounting for supply chain, labor, and permitting time accountancy. Currently, Summertown is roughly 8-12 months out, so grant funding would allow us to start the process with an estimated completion date of Q1/Q2 2025.
Should supporters have any other questions about this project, please contact
Project Manager Kenneth Knabenshue 3138 Buffalo Rd. Lawrenceburg, TN 38464
84-Dogs-Help = 843-647-4357 support@workingdogsforvets.org
Upon completing this phase, we will enter a second phase for gutters and other exterior elements and furnishings of the building in 2025.
Although this is a long-term project, we will be able to utilize the shell as soon as it's safe and cleared for usage. This project will instantly expand our capacity to serve by at least 40%. Supporting partners will be recognized with physical signage within the completed project. We are actively fundraising to supplement the rest of the funds, and with your support, we will be ready to proceed.
WDFV has partnered with prominent industry players, including the American Gold Star Mothers, American Legion, Kroger, Petco, and more. Our proven record of success has generated a giant list of veterans needing WDFV-trained service dogs. With no shortage of dogs in kill shelters across the United States, the only thing standing in the way of fulfillment is having the capacity to handle the need whilst remaining accessible to those who need it the most. Funding will help us meet demand and increase our capacity to create wildly impactful outcomes for disabled veterans across the United States.
WDFV serves disabled veterans across the United States. Our waiting list has nearly tripled in recent years, and demand has surpassed our capacity to fulfill training and placement requests while remaining a low-to-no-cost service for participants. Current alternatives are too expensive and have unreasonable wait times for pairing if the participant can afford a placement.
Over 17 million Veterans are currently living in the United States. Today, approximately 1,300 new veterans and their families will return to civilian life, with that number increasing every day. As many as 80% of them will not have the supportive services needed to achieve everyday daily life and functionality.
Reintegration into society is often a struggle for returning service members. Military service often involves extended exposure to trauma, deployments away from natural support systems, and uniquely stressful situations. Social and familial reintegration challenges are further exacerbated when the returning service member suffers from PTSD, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or other mental or physical health conditions, such as depressive symptoms, grief responses, or compromised physical health.
1 in 12 Veterans in need of care actively goes without care because they cannot access it or afford it. Additionally, some Veterans do not seek help because of the stereotypes and public perception driven by media and age-old archaic attitudes towards mental health rehabilitation. Many feel that traditional therapeutic methods also seem out of reach and ineffective in dealing with the unique and intensive trauma upon return. There are holes in a broken system, with those suffering begging for alternatives.
A secondary need for the Veteran population and inspiration for this program is the lack of safe, trusted programs that can produce long-term solutions with specialty tricks and service training to suit ANY individualized need. Although there are several service dog training and matching programs across the US, very few provide animals that have personalized functionality to the individual in need, and hardly any of them allow the Veterans to be immersed in the training processes.
WDFV combines all of these elements with an age-old method of success stemming from the methodology of founder Ken Knabenshue. Ken, his WDFV family, and volunteer trainers are a group of animal lovers passionate about training dogs and helping those who served our Country.
With a majority of service dog providers out of touch with the individualized needs of their participants, including cost and time restraints, WDFV provides a hands-on approach to ensuring each service animal is trained to accommodate the individual needs of the Veteran at hand to create high rates of success which in turn provide deeper value in positive healthcare outcomes. WDFV has served thousands of men, women, and dogs but has a waiting list of thousands still waiting for help. A capital expansion is critical to meet the need for WDFV-trained dogs.
The Knabenshue approach to dog training makes our program unique, and we eliminate the time and cost restraints of traditional service dog placement and training institutions. The training is the weakness of traditional programs outside of the cost and time restraints. At the end of the process, veterans are placed with a cookie-cutter service dog trained to serve the general population of disabled veterans, not specifically trained to serve the individual. The WDFV program works with each veteran one-on-one to precisely identify the needs and in training the animal to perform tasks necessary to help each veteran to mitigate the impacts of the disability on the veteran. WDFV models the military approach to training, step by step, smooth and steady, for easy and adaptive, safe and comfortable activities. WDFV also helps train volunteers across the country to widen our reach. We instill the WDFV training model for all our veterans, volunteers, and satellite locations to ensure our sustainable programming and training are uniform so that all WDFV dogs are certified, safe, and personalized to each Veteran. Although the brilliance of award-winning trainer Ken Knabenshue and his family has also been captured in a training program to train over 100 WDFV trainers to model the method to keep up with demand, most of the training activities occur at the WDFV headquarters in Tennessee. That facility is at maximum capacity for training both dogs and trainers. More space is needed to continue to maximize our potential and eliminate our waitlist as quickly as possible while remaining accessible to those who need it. WDFV also helps veterans that can train their service dogs with the support necessary, and many of our veteran dog team graduates, in turn, help other veterans. This results in veterans helping veterans, and many become volunteer trainers giving them a sense of purpose. Total Project Budget $500,000.00 Your support will be contributed towards constructing our 5,000 SQFT expansion. We can double our capacity to serve with this project and your support.
