EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — For some military veterans, the fight continues long after they return home. In East El Paso, a new effort is pairing local veterans with specially trained service dogs to help them manage PTSD and other invisible wounds of war.
The initiative, K9s For Warriors’ first Operation: Reach Every Warrior, is designed to expand access to service dogs for veterans nationwide by deploying training classes beyond the organization’s existing campuses in Helotes, Texas, and Ponte Vedra, Florida, while continuing its monthly classes in select cities across the country.
The program held its first graduating class in the borderland during a special ceremony on Friday after K9s For Warriors paired four veterans with service dogs in collaboration with Endeavors at its Health & Wellness Center.
KFOX14/CBS4 photojournalist Stephanie Hinojosa gives us a look inside that ceremony and how the program aims to save lives.
K9 for Warriors Graduation
Additionally, K9s For Warriors partnered with El Paso Animal Services to identify potential service dog candidates, selecting seven shelter dogs that were rescued and transported to the organization’s headquarters in Ponte Vedra, Florida, where training has already begun.
The program comes as veteran suicide remains a major concern. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, an average of 20 veterans die by suicide in the United States each day.
K9s For Warriors provides highly trained service dogs to veterans at no financial cost, to help mitigate PTSD symptoms while restoring confidence, independence, and quality of life.
In El Paso, the organization has paired four veterans with service dogs, with six future Warriors currently accepted and in progress.
Across Texas, 78 veterans have been paired with service dogs, with 44 future Warriors accepted and in progress.
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