In the front lines of keeping families and communities safe, no team provides a more potent one-two punch than law enforcement officers partnered with K9s. Trained for specific tasks, these highly intelligent dogs stop criminals in the act, apprehend fleeing fugitives, confiscate illegal narcotics, and participate in search and rescue missions. They find cadavers, explosives, and are used in arson investigations. They have saved their partners’ lives, sometimes at the cost of their own.
Given the crime-fighting value of K9s, you may find it surprising to learn that, with budget cuts, law enforcement agencies across America are having a hard time funding the acquisition and training of K9s. Depending on their specialty, each K9 costs between $10,500 and $12,500. This cost is nominal in comparison to the millions of dollars in narcotic seizures and criminals that have been taken off the street. Crime does not discriminate and it happens in every zip code in America.
K9s4COPs provides an answer for this crisis. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation our goal is fill the gap by gifting trained K9s to agencies in need. Through an application process and quarterly review, we award K9s through our announcement,The K9 Roll Call. All agencies across the nation are invited to apply for a K9. As a nonprofit we are only able to accomplish this through generous donations from our supporters.
A K9’s job is to step in front of danger. K9s4COPs’ mission is to ensure that every school district and law enforcement officer in need of a K9 has one at their side, well trained and ready for action. Visit K9s4COPs.org to learn how to donate, sponsor or apply for a K9.
Protecting our four legged crime fighters, who are first responders in a potentially life threatening situation, is the goal of Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.
We live in a world where crime is present every waking moment. Thanks to our vigilant furry K9 officers and their partners, we are better protected. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. mission is to offer the highly trained and intelligent law enforcement K9s bullet and stab protective body armor. These vests are vital when the police dog is tracking suspects or lost persons, conducting building searches, apprehending criminals or detecting illegal narcotics.
These sworn officers are valued for their dedication to their community and their human partners. They are beloved family members. These law enforcement dogs have sacrificed their lives unconditionally.
The economy has impacted law enforcement agencies and K9 Units across the country drastically causing budget cuts and as a result, resources to provide K9 body armor are sought elsewhere. Recent killings and serious injuries of the police K9s has caused awareness for the need of protective vests.
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is proud to offer the Armor Express dual purpose K9 vest design, Ballistic Level II/Spike II vests. The Armor Express vests are configured to withstand multiple threats, while enhancing survivability, insuring protection for our K9 friends. The vests are intended to defeat all common handgun threats faced by police officers and their K9 partners, as well as stab/spike protection from knives, needles and other handheld weapons. The vest maintains the highest level of light weight materials for maximum comfort, flexibility, extended wearability and ease of maneuverability of the K9 to perform their duties effectively, efficiently and safely.
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c (3) all volunteer charity located in East Taunton, MA whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests for law enforcement dogs throughout the United States. The nonprofit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four legged K9 Heroes. Each made to order vest is manufactured by Armor Express in Central Lake, MI at a cost of $950 and has a 5 year warranty. In 2013, the organization has donated over 250 ballistic K9 vests across the country with the assistance of private and corporate sponsors.
The goal is to continue to outfit every K9 in the country with a bullet and stab protective vest. Learn more about Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. at www.vik9s.org
K-9s and cops form a dynamic duo on the front lines of fighting crime; however the dogs don't always get the same protection that law enforcement officers do. K-9 officers often face a greater risk than human officers as they are sent in ahead of their human counterparts to apprehend suspects, or disarm dangerous situations. These highly trained, intelligent, and specialized K-9s are used for multiple purposes ranging from criminal apprehension and fugitive tracking to bomb, arson, weapon, and narcotics detection, as well as search and rescue and cadaver missions. These dogs are not only sworn K-9s officers, they are loyal partners and devoted family members who place themselves in harms way to protect their partner’s lives, often at the sacrifice of their own.
Within the US, over a dozen law enforcement K-9s were killed or seriously injured in the line of duty in the first three months of 2013 alone. Providing police K-9s with protective vests is an investment in our communities and public safety.
K-9 protective vests are not standard issued equipment. Most agencies do not have the budget to purchase this vital K-9 equipment, and in some cases the law enforcement K-9 units are funded entirely on donations and through fundraisers due to budget cuts. When funding is not available the human officer handlers are left to pay for all K-9 expenses themselves which places a huge burden on them as this equipment is quiet costly. Custom-fit K-9 ballistic vests that are both bullet and stab-protective average $1400 each. K-9 protective vests provided by Project Paws Alive exceed National Institute of Justice 06 regulations for K-9 body armor. All vests are currently level IIA/III which provides the highest level of threat protection while enabling maximum movement and breathability for the K-9. The vests are custom-fit per each individual K-9 to provide the most coverage and tactical efficiency.
Our goal is to provide these vital protective ballistic vests to every law enforcement K-9 in the country who bravely put their lives on the line for their communities and their human partners every day.Project Paws Alive, Inc. is a 501c (3) all volunteer charity whose dual mission is to help public safety officials and first responders save the lives of domestic pets with specially designed pet oxygen mask recovery kits, and to provide stab & bullet proof protective vests and trauma kits to law enforcement and military K-9s throughout the United States.
Project Paws Alive relies solely on donations and sponsors to fund this lifesaving equipment. We maintain a nationwide waitlist for this equipment. To learn more about Project Paws Alive, to donate or request equipment please visit www.ProjectPawsAlive.org
Founded in 1975, Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. Headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA, CCI is the largest non-profit provider of assistance dogs, and is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. The result is a life full of increased independence and loving companionship.
Freedom Service Dogs (FSD), founded in 1987 by Michael and PJ Roche, is a nonprofit organization that rescues unwanted dogs from local animal shelters and trains them to be service dogs to assist deserving disabled veterans returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. FSD has matched nearly 150 service dogs with disabled veterans, with a 100% success rate placing dogs that do not become service dogs in adoptive homes. FSD uses positive reinforcement methods to train the rescued dog to meet the specific needs of each individual that it is paired with, along with maintaining continuing support to make sure that the dog continues to meet new needs as they come.
ECAD’S mission is to enable people – veterans, children, teens, adults – with disabilities, whether physical, behavioral, or emotional, to live with greater independence and mobility through the use of specially educated dogs. This education begins when the puppies are eight weeks old and attend training classes with the student handlers at five alternative schools through the ECADemy Program. By age two, ECAD’s dogs respond to 80 commands, including retrieval of objects, opening of doors, and pulling of wheel chairs. They also know to alert their person when it is time for medication, to have a blood sugar check, and to recognize the onset of nightmares brought by the horrors of war.
Since its inception in 1995, ECAD has successfully placed 200 Service Dogs with individuals and 20 as Facility Therapy Dogs.
ECAD introduced its Project HEAL Program in 2008. This program is designed to meet the needs of Veterans suffering from physical injuries, lost limbs, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. To date, sixteen veterans have received ECAD Service Dogs.
The benefits of having an ECAD Service Dog are concrete: An 18 year old with Cerebral Palsy is able to attend college because of Crisco; a mother with Muscular Dystrophy is able to care for her family because of Garrison; and a seven year old boy with autism no longer disappears because Baker is at his side. And the Veterans, with their Service Dogs by their side, overcome their hyper-vigilance, depression, and anger and transition into civilian life with greater success.
Three lives are changed directly by ECAD’s Service Dogs. In a larger context, their families and their communities benefit as well.
Texas Hearing and Service Dogs turns strays into stars by rescuing shelter dogs and transforming them into working partners for disabled individuals.
Using positive training methods, THSD trains formerly abandoned dogs to become the ears of their deaf partners. Hearing dogs alert deaf individuals to essential everyday sounds like the oven timer, door knock, alarm clock, smoke alarm and even a baby’s cry. They also train service dogs to pick up dropped items such as keys, cell phones, pens, etc., open and close doors, nudge paralyzed limbs back up onto an arm or foot rest, operate light switches, fetch help and even assist with laundry.
Texas Hearing and Service Dogs provides the dogs free of charge. Founded in 1988, they have been creating “technology you can hug” for 24 years.
Paws & Effect is a nonprofit that raises, trains and places service dogs for a variety of disabilities, including veterans and individuals with special needs. Paws & Effect also provides Pet Partners for animal assisted activities and animal assisted therapy and has several unique Pet Partner programs, including the Abilities Through Agility Program at ChildServe. This program integrates dog agility with physical, occupational, and speech therapy in a group environment. Paws & Effect run dog agility and rally obedience competitions as fundraisers for our programs.
The Good Dog Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable organization founded in 1998 to promote the use of animal-assisted therapy. Good Dog’s mission is to elevate the stature and promote society’s understanding of the therapeutic value of the human-animal bond. This is accomplished through the use of professionally-trained and supervised volunteer teams who work to aid the healing process in humans and enhance clients’ quality of life. Good Dog provides therapy dog services to people in health care, educational, social service and community facilities in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts, and at disaster sites around the country. Good Dog teams are trained to the highest standards in the field through Good Dog’s own copyrighted training program. Teams participate in eleven weeks of in-person therapy dog team training with ongoing evaluations to become certified. Good Dog’s highly-trained and fully-certified volunteer teams each consist of a human handler and therapy dog. These teams offer exceptional healing services free of charge. Good Dog also advances research and promotes awareness about the benefits of the human-animal bond.
The gentle touch of a furry friend comforts those who are in need – this is Hand in Paw.
Hand in Paw improves human health and well-being through Animal-Assisted Therapy. Founded in 1996, we are a 501(c) 3 charitable organization serving north central Alabama. Hand in Paw’s philosophy is this: just as the best results come from the collaboration between two people working hand-in-hand--the most effective Animal-Assisted Therapy is conducted through the partnership between a handler (the hands) and the therapy animal (the paws). Whether encouraging a toddler in an early intervention center to take her first steps, showing unconditional love for a troubled teen in a group home, or comforting a senior in a palliative care unit, Hand in Paw’s professionally-trained handlers and their pets work together as Therapy Teams to change lives.
Hand in Paw’s innovative programs address a range of societal issues facing Alabama—working to combat illiteracy, prevent family and community violence, and strengthen the lives of people with special needs. Delivered in schools, libraries, and shelters, its Sit, Stay, Read! program helps struggling young readers overcome their fears by reading aloud to nonjudgmental therapy animals. Pawsitive Living™ follows a 12-week, evidence-based curriculum, developed by Hand in Paw, and teaches care giving, responsibility and empathy to adolescents residing in group homes. Alabama has the nation’s 6th highest rate of people with special healthcare needs, and the 5th highest rate among children. Hand in Paw’s Petscription program helps people with physical, mental, and cognitive challenges reach therapeutic goals and provides positive distraction from fear and pain.
Hand in Paw’s services are delivered free of charge in collaboration with more than 60 community partners. Its 120 Therapy Teams reach 60,000 people annually.
The United States War Dogs Association, Inc. established in the year 2000, is a nonprofit organization of Former and Current U.S. Military Dog Handlers and supporting members committed to promoting the long history of the Military Service Dogs, establishing permanent War Dog Memorials, and educating the public about the invaluable service of these canines to our country.
The organization’s background in military War Dog service and its dedication to honoring the memory of the service and sacrifice of the US Military Working Dogs gives The United States War Dogs Association a unique perspective that it can use to educate the public on the history of Military War Dogs.
Objectives:
Education - With the use of our Traveling U. S. War Dog Exhibit, bring the history of all U. S. Military War Dogs from all Wars to the general public.
Operation Military Care – K9 – Providing Care Packages and support to US Military Working Dog Teams who are deployed to the Middle East and other locations around the world.
War Dog Memorial - Help raise funds to establish War Dog Memorials.
K-9 Corps Commemorative Stamp Drive Sign on for petitions to have the Postal Service issue a commemorative stamp for all Military Working Dogs.
National Memorial - Help to establish a National War Dog Memorial in Washington, DC.
Support - Through our fund raising: service dog organizations such as Military Working Dogs, Police K-9 units and Search and Rescue units.
K-9 Adoption - Help in the process of adopting retiring Military and Police Canines.
Support - Post-deployment outreach for returning troops.
Military Working Dog Adoptions was established in 2008 for the purpose of educating Americans about how to find and adopt Retiring Military Working Dogs (MWDs). As retired MWDs currently receive no governmental benefits at the end of their useful lives of military service, this organization designates donations for medicines, surgical procedures and even End of Life arrangements for America’s Hero K9 Warriors.
In addition to being available for the rehoming of any already adopted MWD Heroes, the organization also facilitates MWD adoptions and provides transport funds to fly both internationally and domestically retired MWDs to their Forever Homes at “Ft Couch.”
It is MWD Adoption’s passionate mission and joyful honor to serve these Great and Mighty MWD Warriors who have so selflessly, nobly and bravely defended our Nation! “Many Soldiers are enjoying their TODAYS and planning their TOMORROWS because of what a Military Working Dog did for them YESTERDAY!”
Since 1929, The Seeing Eye has partnered with people who are blind who seek to enhance their independence, dignity, and self-confidence through the use of Seeing Eye dogs.More than 15,500 of these specially bred and trained dogs have brought a new level of mobility, safety, and self-sufficiency to over 8,000 men and women.
Since 1939, Leader Dogs for the Blind has provided guide dogs to people who are blind and visually impaired to enhance their travel mobility and independence. Over 14,000 clients from 39 countries have attended Leader Dog. All services are provided free of charge.
Leader Dog’s main focus is providing well trained guide dogs; however, other services have been developed to enhance the travel independence of their clients, including:
Being the first provider of guide dog training to people who are Deaf and blind.
Being the first organization to train people who are blind in the use of location technology (GPS). In 2011 Leader Dog was the first to integrate free GPS devices and instruction into both its core guide dog and Accelerated Mobility Programs.
Developing a unique Accelerated Mobility Program to teach clients orientation and mobility techniques for cane travel and/or for maintaining orientation when traveling with a Leader Dog.
Developing a summer program for teens that offers new experiences designed to strengthen their personal and travel independence. Every teen receives a free GPS unit and training, and gets to ‘test drive’ a Leader Dog.
Established in 1982, Southeastern Guide Dogs is one of twelve accredited guide dog schools in the United States and the only one located in the southeast. Their mission is to create and nurture a partnership between a visually impaired individual and a guide dog, facilitating life’s journey with mobility, independence and dignity.
Through their programs Paws for Independence™, Paws for Patriots™, and Gifted Canines™ they have more than 600 active guide dog teams across the nation and continue to add more than 70 guide dog teams annually. They also provide Veteran Assistance dogs for soldiers suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Facility Therapy dogs to major military medical facilities to spread encouragement among our wounded warriors.
Recently, through their new program, Canine Connections, they now provide gentle companion dogs to kids, ages 10-17, who are visually impaired or have a condition that will lead to blindness, so that they may learn the joys and responsibilities of dog ownership in advance of receiving a guide dog.
Southeastern Guide Dogs receives no government funding and all of their services are provided at no charge, thanks to the generous support of donors and volunteers.
Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) provides enhanced mobility to qualified individuals through partnership with dogs whose unique skills are developed and nurtured by dedicated volunteers and a professional staff. Established in 1942, GDB is headquartered in San Rafael, CA and has a second campus and training facility in Boring, OR. We are the largest guide dog school in North America, and serve people who are blind and visually impaired from throughout the United States and Canada. All of our services are offered free of charge. Our unique program is equal parts match-making, intensive training, and lifetime support. People come to us because we know that a guide dog/human relationship is about much more than "mobility." We create truly unique partnerships between two beings - collaborations that enhance the individual potential of each partner; where the dog and the person have better lives together than either would have apart.
National Search Dog Alliance (NSDA) is a Search and Rescue Dog group started in March 2007 whose mission is to provide education, certifications and a voice in the future of search and rescue canines. The organization supports the efforts of all search and rescue personnel as they enhance their knowledge and capabilities in the field of search and rescue canines. The Alliance's aim is to become an exemplary group representing the interests of search and rescue dog handlers.
The National Search Dog Alliance has confidence that it can provide quality education, pre-eminent certifications and an effective voice in the future of search and rescue canines.
The American Rescue Dog Association® (ARDA®) is comprised of highly skilled volunteer search and rescue units across the United States that operate in conjunction with local law enforcement or other applicable emergency services agencies to assist in the location of missing persons. ARDA units provide specially trained dogs to locate missing persons in wilderness, disaster, human remains and water search and rescue/recovery missions. Each member unit is required to adhere to the Association's rigid standards and undergo a rigorous two-day field evaluation every three years to ensure these standards are being maintained.
Units are available 24-hours a day to respond to requests for services from applicable local, state or federal responsible agencies.
Our search and rescue canine teams deploy in many circumstances, at several levels, at no cost to Federal and Local departments. ARDA resources operate solely as volunteers, and rely on donations for our continued operations.
The Sage Foundation provides supplemental funding to pay for veterinary bills for our nation's working and retired hero dogs. The Sage Foundation realizes that many surgeries and treatments are cost prohibitive. Our goal is to insure that no working or retired working dog is limited to or deprived of medical treatment due to cost.
Many dogs provide hard, dangerous and loyal service beside their human handlers in wars, crime prevention, and natural and man made disasters. When these dogs are injured or fall ill, often as a direct result of their work, their services are terminated; their fate, uncertain. Our mission is to promote the welfare of dogs who have faithfully served (often in harm’s way) in wars, police work, crime prevention, and rescue efforts through education and increased public awareness.
Dogs for the Deaf is a nonprofit, 501 (c ) 3 organization that will:
Rescue homeless dogs from shelters
Provide needed medical care and spaying/neutering
Train dogs to help people with a variety of disabilities and challenges including hearing loss, autism, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, panic/anxiety attacks, depression, stroke, and chronic arthritis.
Train dogs to assist professionals (teachers, physicians, counselors, legal advocates, caregivers) who work with patients and clients who have various disabilities and challenges.
Provide 5-6 months of obedience training and specialized training needed for the program each dog is in
Screen each applicant for a dog carefully to determine the person's needs, abilities, personality, life style, and ability to care for the dog
Match each dog to the best possible applicant for that particular dog
Deliver the dog to the person's home and train the applicant and family members to maintain the dog's skills
Provide lifetime follow up and guidance to make sure the team is achieving maximum benefit from each other
Help the person with the retirement or passing of the old dog and receiving a successor dog
Will NOT take dogs back to the shelter - all dogs are placed in loving homes.
All of this is done free of charge to the person, except for a $50.00 application fee and a $500.00 Good Faith refundable deposit.
Our investment in each dog includes finding and evaluating, providing any necessary medical treatment, training, socializing and further evaluation, placement with the client and working with the team and on-going follow-up support for the life of the team.
Dogs for the Deaf is funded by donations from individuals, service clubs, groups, bequests, estates, and businesses. It receive no government funding.
International Hearing Dog, Inc. (IHDI) is training other ears to hear by rescuing shelter dogs and training them to be service dogs for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Each dog is custom trained for their recipient's specific needs and placed free of charge.
The program began with a pilot study in 1974 and IHDI was established in 1979. Since then, they have placed over 1,170 Hearing Dogs to recipients in all 50 states and most of Canada.
Founded in 1989, the Pine Street Foundation’s mission is to help people with cancer reach more informed treatment decisions through education and research. The organization’s research program also supports and informs its education programs; by publishing the results of its work in reputable medical journals, and with that, the Pine Street Foundation is able to make the results of its efforts widely available to other researches, practitioners, and patients. Pine Street Foundation's program includes ground-breaking research in Canine Scent Detection, where they have trained dogs to identify the smell of breast and lung cancer on patients' breath.
Sheltie Rescue of Utah is a Nonprofit Organization that was founded in 1995 and became a 501C3 Non profit in 2009. Sheltie Rescue of Utah is an all volunteer organization dedicated to saving Shelties and other breeds, including mixed breeds, from unnecessary euthanasia. SRU rehabilitates them physically and mentally, and finds new forever homes in which they will flourish for the rest of their lives. Sheltie Rescue of Utah has rescued and placed Shelties, Pit bulls, labs, Maltese, Shih Tzu, pugs, Shiba Inu, Aussies, Collies, Border Collies, Shepherd, Schnauzers, Golden Retrievers and Mix breeds, ect. We have transported dogs into our program from Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Colorado, and even California. We also place our dogs out-of-state when outstanding and appropriate adopting homes are found. As each dog is adopted into their forever home a little piece of our hearts goes along with them.
