WEARING A SERVICE DOG VEST ISN’T AN ALL-ACCESS PASS
When you think of a service dog, you might imagine a fluffy golden retriever, a sleek black lab, or perhaps a strong shepherd — but no matter what breed comes to mind, you probably picture them wearing a brightly colored vest.
Assistance animals often wear vests when they’re out in public. At Paws for Purple Hearts, our service dogs
PPH SERVICE DOGS HELP WARRIORS WITH POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS
June is PTSD Awareness Month – a month dedicated to raising awareness about the signs, symptoms and causes of post traumatic stress (PTS) as well as treatment options. At Paws for Purple Hearts, we specialize in training service dogs and
NEW GRAPHIC WRAPS FEATURE PPH DOGS
That’s a wrap – a van wrap! Everyone will know when the Paws for Purple Hearts team arrives to serve Warriors now that our vans are covered in photos and graphics of our highly-trained dogs. Our teams across the nation are excited to represent PPH wherever they go thanks to the support of some amazing people.
We want to give a huge thank you to our wonderful volunteer, Sam Stone, for
WHAT DOES “WARRIORS HELPING WARRIORS” MEAN?
You may have heard our motto “Warriors Helping Warriors®,” but do you know why we say it, what it means, and how it relates to our mission?
At Paws for Purple Hearts we are dedicated to improving the lives of America’s Warriors facing mobility challenges and trauma-related conditions, but our mission goes beyond placing service dogs with our wounded Warriors.
The motto, “Warriors Helping Warriors®” summarizes our dedication
WOMEN’S VETERANS DAY
Although women have been serving in America’s wars and conflicts throughout our history Women’s Veterans Day is a recently implemented holiday. It was first celebrated on June 12, 2018. It marked the 70th anniversary of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps legislation signed into law by President Harry S. Truman on June 12, 1948. This law allowed women to serve as regular members of the military, entitling them to Veterans’ benefits. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
PAWS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH
May is both Mental Health Awareness month and Military Appreciation Month. These two causes are close to our hearts here at Paws for Purple Hearts. The current pandemic has led to some changes in the way we accomplish our mission – to improve the lives of America’s Warriors facing mobility challenges and trauma-related conditions such as PTSD and TBI by providing the highest quality assistance dogs and canine-assisted therapeutic programs
SPECIALIST THERAPY DOGS IMPROVE PATIENT CARE
A specialist therapy dog is a very special type of assistance dog. A Paws for Purple Hearts specialist therapy dog is professionally trained to help health and human services professionals in a variety of settings take their level of mental health care to new heights.
HOW TO HELP PPH FROM HOME
We may not be able to see you in person, but there are ways we can stay connected thanks to technology. Our supporters are so valuable to us, so we’ve come up with a few ways that you can be a virtual volunteer or master crafter from the comfort and safety of your home.
WHAT IS A FACILITY DOG?
Impacting hundreds of people daily, Paws for Purple Hearts’ Facility Dog program aims to spread love and joy throughout a health/human services care facility serving our nation’s brave injured Warriors. Our dogs provide a friendly face to engage patients, families and staff. A Paws for Purple Hearts facility dog…
MAKE US SMILE… WITH AMAZON SMILE
If you already use Amazon for your online shopping, consider supporting Paws for Purple Hearts by making purchases through AmazonSmile.
As a shopper, AmazonSmile gives you the same products, prices and experience as Amazon.com, with one special difference — Amazon will donate 0.5% of your
FROM PUPPY TO HERO
Paws for Purple Hearts has high performance standards for service dogs. They cannot be fearful, insecure, or uncomfortable around people, other dogs, unusual objects or noises. This is why we have puppy petting to provide our pups with those early interactions that shape their ability to become successful service dogs.
PAWS FOR PURPLE HEARTS PARTNERS WITH TRAVELINGTOGIVE
You can now travel and do good at the same time! Paws for Purple Hearts is pleased to announce a new partnership with Solutionz Innovations TravelingToGive partner program, which is a unique platform that integrates fundraising opportunities into travel planning.
OUR VETERAN VALENTINES
Love is in the air this week as we celebrate both Valentine’s Day and National Salute to Veteran Patients week. Paws for Purple Hearts is lucky enough to work with hundreds of Veterans every year through our unique Canine Assisted Warrior Therapy® programs that are actually built around love. Not just puppy love, but the hormone that helps promote feelings of
CREATING THE FACILITY DOG TEAM
Client training is one of the most important and also enjoyable things we do here at Paws for Purple Hearts. Matching people with their perfect canine partner is a truly amazing experience. It includes a great deal of learning about the human-canine bond. Dogs are not robots. They have feelings and they can make mistakes. It’s important to learn…
THANK YOU FOR A GREAT 2019!
2019 was a great year for Paws for Purple Hearts and our Warriors! We are excited to share with you the accomplishments our staff, volunteers, and future service dogs have made this year.
PPH NEWSLETTER WINTER 2020
Here’s our latest ‘Paws of Allegiance’, a Paws for Purple Hearts Newsletter.