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Patriot Paws provides dogs for veterans

Rockwall County Herald-Banner (Greenville, TX) - 7/24/2016

By Joseph Alderman

Herald-Banner Staff

For many veterans returning from combat, reentry into civilian life can be a challenge, especially for those injured or disabled while serving. However, one Rockwall charity is trying to extend a helping hand, or rather paw, to those who sacrificed in defense of the United States.

Patriot PAWS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing service dogs to disabled American veterans, primarily those with mobile disabilities. Executive director and Patriot PAWS founder Lori Stevens was a dog trainer when the concept to form the organization first struck her.

"Back in 2005 there were some veterans down at the Veterans Affairs that were trying to train their own dogs and they asked for some help," Stevens said. "I'm a professional dog trainer so I came to help, and when I met them I thought ?this is exactly what I want to do.'"

The next year, Stevens established Patriot PAWS as a nonprofit organization, and got a boost of support from an unlikely source.

"When we first started, we didn't even know where we were going to get our veterans," Stevens said. "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams did a story on us, and when they did we had veterans from all over the state asking us for help, and now we have more than 130 veterans on our waiting list."

The organization has had to make efforts to keep pace with the demand they have found for service dogs among disabled military veterans.

"We're still expanding," Stevens said. "It started with four volunteers and 10 years later we have 18 staff members."

That staff is responsible for caring for and training the dogs, as well as administrative work and educating others in how to train or handle service animals.

"We have professional trainers that work for me," Stevens said. "We also have three correctional institutions where we train inmates how to train the dogs, and then we have two college programs, because they need more socialization than they can get in the prison program."

According to information found at www.patriotpaws.org, the prison training program not only benefits the animals, but also lowers recidivism rates among inmates and provides them with a skill that can be monetized upon their release.

The college programs are based at Texas A&M University at College Station and the Behavior Department at University of North Texas in Denton.

Work is currently ongoing for an expansion to Patriot PAWS office and training facility in Rockwall, although delays have pushed completion past the original end date of Sept. 14.

"We're also going to be able to house more dogs here at this location," Stevens said. "Right now we have no permanent kennels; we just have temporaries, but we need some kennels for the professional trainers. And then we're going to have a new isolation area, so that we can bring in more animals from shelters without bringing in contagious diseases."

The current site can house roughly 60 dogs, but Stevens said that they will need to be able to hold more if they want to reduce the three-year waiting list the organization currently has for veterans waiting for a service dog.

"We couldn't wait, we have to get these dogs," Stevens said. "Most people know that a lot of veterans end up committing suicide, up to 22 a day, and they don't need to be sitting on a waiting list for a service dog."

The construction has also caused Patriot PAWS to have to postpone graduation ceremonies for their dogs, as the property is too difficult for people with mobility issues to navigate in its current state.

Stevens said that the organization could possibly have as much as a $200,000 shortage for their capital improvements, but hopes that public support will help them finish the work.

"Our next big fundraising event is North Texas Giving Day, and it is one of the largest fundraisers for charities across North Texas," Stevens said. "When you make a donation you can distinguish it to whichever charity that you want. It's not a match for match, but they do increase the amount that you donate."

North Texas Giving Day is Sept. 22, and more information can be found at www.northtexasgivingday.org.

Patriot PAWS has benefited a great deal from the support of Rockwall citizens, according to Stevens, and she hopes that this can continue or even grow.

"We love the community support that we get in Rockwall," Stevens said. "We do need the public to know that we are here and that they are welcome to be a part of it. And it's a place for veterans to come and hang out and interact with the dogs and do different things."

More information about Patriot PAWS and how to qualify for their services can be found at www.patriotpaws.org.

Joseph Alderman may be reached at jalderman@heraldbanner.com.