PPH SOUTH CENTRAL REGION

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION: TEXAS, OKLAHOMA, KANSAS, LOUISIANA, ARKANSAS

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

HEADQUARTERS:

SAN ANTONIO, TX

Phone

(210) 526-0100

Hours

M-F 9am to 5pm

Location

Suite 106, 5119 Beckwith Blvd, San Antonio TX, 78249

 

Headquarters established in 2016 in San Antonio, Texas

Our South Central Region Paws for Purple Hearts team is based ‘Deep in the Heart of Texas’. Texas is home to over 1.4 million Veterans with over 100,000 in San Antonio!

We proudly serve our nation’s Warriors from our San Antonio headquarters in a variety of ways. We provide therapy with our service dogs in training to Warrior patients of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System and the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System. Through our innovative form of therapy called Canine-Assisted Warrior Therapy®, Warriors facing PTSD and TBI have an opportunity to reduce the severity of their symptoms by participating in our structured therapy sessions, during which they help prepare and train a Paws for Purple Hearts service dog that will be placed with a fellow wounded Warrior. 

Beyond Texas, our region serves our nation’s Warriors in Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri. 

TIMELINE

  • 2021: Sergeant was placed as a Service Dog and PPH San Antonio partnered with the Cavender Auto Group.

  • 2020: During the COVID pandemic, the Texas team began weekly Canine-Assisted Warrior Therapy® sessions with the Soldier Recovery Unit at the Brooke Army Medical Center.

  • 2019: Opened Social Therapy programs with a variety of groups from the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital such as the Mental Health Outpatient Clinic, Community Living Center and Hospice and Fisher House.

  • 2018: Commenced Canine-Assisted Warrior Therapy® sessions with Polytrauma Transitional Rehabilitation Program at Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital, the Mental Health group from the Austin VA Outpatient Clinic and the Recreational Therapy group from the Brooke Army Medical Center, Center for the Intrepid.

  • 2017: Opened state of the art facility and started social therapy visits at Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital, Kerrville VA Hospital, Austin VA Outpatient Clinic, and the Texas Challenge Academy.

  • 2016: Established operations in South Texas.

To volunteer at our San Antonio, TX site, click the button and fill out the volunteer application.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Click on a photo in the calendar to see details of that event.

You can also visit our Amazon Wishlist to purchase a needed product like these:

Choose Paws for Purple Hearts Alaska's Gift Registry Address in the list of shipping addresses when checking out.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

SEE PICTURES OF THE IMPORTANT WORK (AND ADVENTUROUS LIVES)

OF OUR SAN ANTONIO SERVICE-DOGS-IN-TRAINING

Another hard week of work comes to a close and another weekend of rest and relaxation begins! Ulmer is ready for some well deserved naps and play time with his fur-iends! #PawsForPurpleHearts #Nonprofit #ServiceDogInTraining #WeekendVibes #Veterans
Hold on tight, Linda is here to get you over #HumpDay 🐶 #PawsForPurpleHearts #Nonprofit #ServiceDogInTraining #Veterans #Military #Dogs #DogsOfInstagram #WarriorsHelpingWarriors #SanAntonio #Texas #pphLinda
We are at the South Texas VA Mental Health Community Open House today! We will be here from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, so if you’re in the De Zavala area, stop on by and say hello! #PawsForPurpleHearts #ServiceDogInTraining #Nonprofit #Military #Vet
Ulmer says Saturdays are for snuggles and belly rubs 🐾 Could you resist saying "no" to this sweet face? #PawsForPurpleHearts #Nonprofit #ServiceDogInTraining #WeekendVibes #Veterans #Military #Dogs #DogsOfInstagram #Puppy #WarriorsHelpi
🗓 Grab your calendars and mark them! 🗓 We are 3.5 weeks away from The Big Give! The Big Give is a 24-hour online giving day that helps connect South Central nonprofit organizations with new and existing donors. We are asking for your help to reach
It's a PAW-ty today because it's Penn's birthday! 🎂🥳 Happy birthday to this sweet boy as he is officially two years old today! We hope his day is filled with all the treats, toys, and belly rubs this good boy could ever ask for! #PawsForPurpleH
Timoteo is here to remind you to stay cool in this hot weather! ☀️ Here are some tips to keep your pet cool in the heat: 1) Be sure to give your furry friend plenty of water to keep them hydrated. 2) Ensure your pet has ample amounts of shade when o
Bring your A-game, form your dream team, and let's see who can claim the title of Cornhole Champion! We are just FOUR WEEKS AWAY from kicking off The Big Give with our Cornhole for a Cause tournament! Mark your calendars for September 18th and gath
Thank you to @chickennpicklesat for your partnership and donation for the July Community Cup! We are so grateful for your support and dedication to helping organizations like ours. Thank you and we look forward to future partnerships with you! #Paw

OUR PARTNERS

  • Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital

    We provide Canine-Assisted Warrior Therapy®, social therapy, and informal sessions to patients in a variety of groups and programs.

    LEARN MORE

  • Austin VA Outpatient Clinic

    We provide social therapy to clinic mental health patients.

    LEARN MORE

  • Brooke Army Medical Center SRU (Soldier Recovery Unit)

    We provide weekly Canine-Assisted Warrior Therapy® sessions for Brooke Army Medical Center SRU.

    Learn More

To contact our San Antonio, TX site fill out the form.

TESTIMONIALS AND QUOTES

  • “When I was working with Paul (dog), I stayed calm and was less irritable and more focused and open to treatment at Menlo Park VA.” -

    -Kawika

  • “The dog Leif helped me with my self-esteem. People noticed a difference in when I had her and I’m grateful to Sandra for letting me be a part of this training.”

    -Tim

  • “I looked at this program as a privilege and honor to be a small part of a dog’s life and knowing I was helping a fellow Vet.”

    -Frank

  • “Many of our Veterans report that the dogs help them ‘get out of their own head’ and be more present.”

    -Caroline Wyman

  • “These dogs can really sense your mood. They know when you’re having a bad day. They give you companionship without judgment. Ibarra (dog) doesn’t need to know why I have the symptoms I have. He just wants to be with me.”

    -John Crofut

  • “The Paws for Purple Hearts program gave me a renewed sense of purpose. I was “giving back” and helping another Vet who was not expecting anything in return. It helped me with anger, self-esteem and survival guilt.”

    -John

  • “The program gave me a sense of responsibility and helped me lower my isolation.”

    -Dennis

  • “The comfort of the service dogs distracts from negative thoughts.”

    -Nick

  • “The training helps me lower my stress level and blood pressure. The comfort I get from the dogs far out weighs the thoughts of suicide. Not one negative thought has entered by mind since I started training with the dogs.”

    -John

  • “Working with the dogs gives me peace of mind and helps me control my anxiety issues so I can lead a more productive life.”

    -Monty

  • “Learning to be more patient and understanding. How dogs think helps me improve on trying to understand others.”

    -Jeff

  • Our PPH facility dog's impact has been substantial. The fact of the matter is that he boosts moral for the employees, keeps us sane, and the clients love working with him.

    -Mental Health Employee

  • There's only one word for my PPH dog Ollie: Priceless!

    -Rob S, a PPH Service Dog Recipient

  • PPH was the best therapy for my husband and it brought him closer to me and our daughter.

    -Wife of a PPH Participant

  • Ethan, a PPH dog, showed me there is love and happiness, outside of grief and despair.

    -A PPH Warrior Canine Trainer

  • Webb was so much help to me while I was recovering in the VA Menlo Park.... When both King and Webb came to visit, I was in heaven as I have two Bernese Mountain dogs that I hadn't seen in weeks.

    -Bill Dable

  • One of my treatment goals was to get better sleep. Having Lief let me feel safe, and I started sleeping better. She actually woke me from a nightmare, too... My anxiety level went down. I was not so hyper-vigilant when I had her.

    -Tim

  • The program helps not only the Veteran who receives the dog as theirs, but it also helps our healing process while we train them.

    -A PPH Veteran-trainer

Our History

Paws for Purple Hearts is the first program of its kind to offer therapeutic intervention for Veterans and Active-Duty Military.

Canine-Assisted Warrior Therapy®

Under the guidance of PPH instructors, service members engage with specially bred Golden Retriever and Labrador puppies.

How the Program Works

Read more about how Canine-Assisted Warrior Therapy® helps ease a Warrior’s symptom severity through assisting PPH trainers with soothing, light-hearted contact with PPH puppies and dogs.

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT.

Donations to Paws for Purple Hearts can change a Warrior’s life from hopelessness to optimism.

Your generous, tax-deductible donation helps thousands of Warriors facing the visible and invisible wounds of war.  Our Canine Assisted Warrior Therapy helps them heal as they help others – all with the goal of raising top tier service dogs for Veterans and active duty Service Members with mobility and trauma challenges.