Are you looking for a fun and unique way to give back to military Veterans? Consider fostering a future psychiatric service dog for the Animal Rescue Foundation’s (ARF) Pets and Vets program! This groundbreaking initiative pairs specially-selected shelter dogs with Veterans diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety, agoraphobia, traumatic brain injuries, and other service-related trauma. Praised for its unique approach to service dog training, Pets and Vets has been featured by Inside Edition, Fox News, MSNBC, BuzzFeed, People.com, and more. The team at ARF even advised on the writing of the PAWS Act, which was signed into law in 2021 to establish a nationwide VA pilot program to train service dogs for Veterans diagnosed with PTSD.
But how does fostering tie into all this? The first step one of our qualifying shelter dogs takes towards earning their service dog vest is spending eight weeks in a volunteer foster home. While with their foster, they’ll practice basic training and socialization in the home and attend a weekly, group training class at ARF’s headquarters in Walnut Creek (training class times are flexible for any schedule). At the end of the eight week foster period, the dog is paired with a Veteran who best matches their personality and begins advanced training, side-by-side with their new Veteran handler. After another 4-5 months of service dog training, these incredible dogs are awarded with a hard-earned service dog vest and the ability to accompany their Veteran anywhere: inside stores, on airplanes, in pet-restricted housing – you name it!
Unlike many pet foster programs, ARF provides all the supplies that their fosters need, including food, training treats, toys, leashes, medicine, and everything in between. Our team is available seven days a week to deal with any questions that may arise. And at the end of a dog’s psychiatric service dog training, their previous foster family is invited to watch them officially graduate and join them in celebrating all their hard work.
Veterans who have completed Pets and Vets alongside their psychiatric service dogs hail the program as “lifesaving,” “game-changing,” and “better than any medicine doctors have prescribed.” Plus, by providing a positive future for a military Veteran in need and a shelter dog in need of a loving home, Pets and Vets is effectively saving two lives at once. With all of that starting with a kind-hearted foster volunteer.
So what are you waiting for? Visit arflife.org/servicedogfoster to learn more about how to give back to those who have given so much to their country. The dogs and Veterans of ARF’s Pets and Vets program are waiting to hear from you! And if you know any Veterans who may benefit from this program, please have them visit arflife.org/veterans to see if one of our shelter-to-service dogs is right for them. Together, we’re Saving Both Ends of the Leash®.