HRT K9

HRT K9 is an Alaskan-based nonprofit serving our local Veteran community. We train and place service dogs with Veterans at no cost to the Veteran. We operate our program in two ways: we have a kennel program for in-house training where we train dogs in obedience and basic service tasks before matching them with a Veteran handler to begin training specific service tasks to meet that individual’s needs. These dogs are primarily local shelter and rescue dogs. Alternatively, if a Veteran already has a dog, we can do a temperament test to see if they have the right temperament and aptitude for service work. If so, we can move forward with service training, capitalizing on the already existing bond between dog and Veteran.
HRT K9 exists to bring hope and healing to members of our Veteran community experiencing symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, TBI, MST, and other psychological issues. Our founder, Justin, struggled with PTSD and alcoholism for several years. He attended six inpatient treatment programs before ending up at Warrior’s Heart in Bandera, Texas. While at Warrior’s Heart Justin was fortunate to be a part of their canine program where they taught him how to train his own service dog, Lexie. Getting Lexie was life changing for Justin. During the process, he discovered that he had a passion and talent for dog training. After spending a further nine months in Texas apprenticing under other trainers and handlers, Justin returned to Alaska and founded HRT K9 to bring the same healing he experienced to other Veterans.