War Vets Heal With the Help of Shelter Dogs

As the holiday season approaches, finding the perfect gift for friends and family can become a chore. Most all of us have plenty of "stuff", this year give something meaningful, make a major difference in the life of a veteran suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A gift of unconditional love, companionship, life,...

Just weeks after bringing home his dog, Brandon Allen, an Iraq war veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), was able to cut in half his dose of anxiety and sleep medications. The terrible dreams at night and suicidal thoughts that filled his brain ended, he finally felt safe and at peace with himself.  This...

As I walked the shelter looking at dogs for the "Canines With a Cause" program, I noticed a medium sized white dog who did not take his eyes off of me. He was smiling and wagging his tail, asking me to come over and say "hello". Knowing this shelter kills over 18,000 companion animals per year, this is a very difficult...

When most people think of veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), especially dating back to the Vietnam War, they think of men. Men on the front line watching their comrades suffer and die for their country. The voices of the women whose lives have been changed forever due to traumatic experience in the...

Can a shelter dog really change a person's life? We see it happen every day at the Canines With a Cause facility. For veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depressed and abandoned by society, dogs give them unconditional love and a reason to get up in the morning. Thanks to your ongoing support, Canines With a...

Your ongoing support for the "Canines With a Cause" (CWAC) program has made the difference in the lives of rescued shelter dogs, our volunteers and adopters. This story is one of many, this story belongs to you, our donors: Oliver came to the shelter as a stray, a scared, emaciated little Border Collie mix. He waited,...

"Canines With a Cause" is excited to have 5 new dogs in our training program, Molly, a beautiful little Pit Bull Terrier, Duke, a Black Lab blend, Oliver, a very sweet Border Collie, Cody, our honor roll Aussie Mix and Charlie, a goofy, tap dancing Lab blend. They have been in training for 6 weeks and are doing...

With tears of joy in our eyes we said good-bye to little Jack on Christmas Eve. Jack was one of the original "Canines With a Cause" in the first phase of our program. Phase one was beyond our expectations, it has been an amazing experience for our group, people and dogs. I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to...

It has been a very exciting past few weeks at Friends of Animals Utah's Rescue and Rehab Ranch. The fall weather has been perfect at the Ranch for outdoor walking and enjoying peace and quiet. The dogs are entering their third week of training and they are all doing wonderfully. Our volunteers are working with the dogs five...

On Thursday, September 16th, eight dogs will be rescued from Salt Lake City shelters and come to the Friends of Animals Rescue and Rehab Ranch to meet their new prospective families. War veterans and their families will meet the dogs and get ready to begin training for their new furry companions. The "Canines With a Cause...

Since the project's inception on the Global Giving network in March 2010, the Dogs4Vets program has raised $8,265 online with a matching grant from a donor for a total of $20,765. We are so grateful to all of you who have given so generously—thank you! The program is scheduled to officially kick off the third week in...