PPH NORTHWEST REGION

SERVICE AREA: ALASKA, WASHINGTON, OREGON, IDAHO, MONTANA, AND WYOMING

TACOMA, WASHINGTON

TACOMA, WA

Phone

(360) 764-5362

Hours

M-F 9am to 5pm

Location

1722 Tacoma Ave S, Tacoma, WA 98402

 

Serving the State of Washington Since 2022.

The newest of the sites, Paws for Purple Hearts Washington has been established since late Fall 2022. We are proud to be located in close proximity to one of the largest military bases in the United States, Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Being able to serve such a large active duty and retired military community is why we decided to root ourselves in the beautiful community of Lakewood, WA. In the state of Washington alone, there are over 500,000 veterans to be served. We hope to make an impact on this community and continue to spread our services to those who will benefit the most.

In addition to our state of Washington, we are proud to serve the surrounding states including Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Wyoming. If you happen to live within any of these states, then our site, alongside our Anchorage, AK facility, are your service areas. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, a puppy parent, or finding more ways to be involved with our Paws for Purple Hearts facility then get in contact with us today!

TIMELINE

  • 2022 Opened new facility in the fall.

We’ve been in operation serving Alaska’s Warriors since 2015. In 2016 we opened a facility in Fairbanks. In 2019, we relocated to Anchorage. It is an honor and a privilege to provide our Canine-Assisted Warrior Therapy® to our beloved Warriors. Our innovative therapy programs reach Veterans and Active Duty Service Members at the Chris Kyle Patriots Hospital and the VA Domiciliary in Anchorage. More programs are in development. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!

To volunteer at our Tacoma, WA 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 SEATTLE/TACOMA SERVICE-DOGS-IN-TRAINING

Too good not to share- if you saw our reel of our time out in the community getting pumpkins, then you got a brief snippet of these great photos we took! #pphOlivia sincerely enjoyed being a ghost with Andrew! - - - - - - #ServiceDogs #GoldenRetrieve
What a beautiful day in the #PNW WITH #pphValor and handler Andrew! As the weather gets cooler and the days get darker, we’re trying to get out to as many places as we can to expose Valor to new sites, smells, textures, and experiences! If you
#pphValor says, “Happy Fall, y’all!” With the advent of a new season comes the opportunities for new field trips and experiences for a puppy as young as Valor. Stay tuned here to see his experience at pumpkin patches, Halloween stor
It’s that time of year! With #pphValor starting his training at our site, we figured it would make sense to get #firstdayofschool photos of him! We can’t wait to see what skills he learns while with us. - - - - - - #ServiceDogs #GoldenRet
A day we will never forget. Today, our hearts go out to all of those affected by 9/11. #911 #servicedogs #veterans #military #neverforget911

To contact our Tacoma, WA 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

ELIGIBILITY

Service Dogs

We place service dogs with Service Members and Veterans facing challenges such as:

– Mobility issues. Our dogs can help with tasks such as: retrieving items, pushing buttons for elevators and doors, turning lights on/off, plus many more.

– Diagnosed trauma-related conditions (PTSD or TBI). Our dogs help by performing a variety of tasks specifically designed to reduce symptom severity.

Through our thorough application process, our qualified staff determines if a PPH service dog will be a fit for your specific needs.

Facility Dogs

Facility dogs are placed with managers who work in care facilities that serve Service Members, Veterans, and/or military families. They are also placed with counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists (and other specialists) who serve military-connected individuals and wish to integrate a dog into their clients’ treatment plans. Facility dogs provide invaluable benefits to the populations they serve, but they do not meet the legal definition of a service dog and do not have public access rights outside of their assigned facility. Facilities must serve at least 50% of military-connected individuals to qualify. 

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.