Paws Assisting Veterans, Inc. (PAVE)

Organization Details

Organization: Paws Assisting Veterans, Inc. (PAVE)

Paws Assisting Veterans is dedicated to improving the lives of Veterans suffering from mental and/or physical disabilities through trained service dogs, empowering them and their families to achieve lifelong successes and to pave their way home.

Paws Assisting Veterans (PAVE) trains and places service dogs for Veterans in Oregon, Washington, California, and Idaho. PAVE specializes in placing dogs for disabled Veterans suffering from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), anxiety, nightmares, and physical disabilities. It costs over $40,000 to breed, raise, and train each service dog. The generous support of individuals, foundations, businesses, and community organizations allows them to provide service dogs for Veterans free of charge.

Once a Veteran has been accepted into PAVE’s service dog program they will be matched with an assistance dog that best fits their unique needs. Training camps are held one-on-one at their training facility, usually for a two-week period. During which time the Veteran will learn how to care for their new service dog, how to utilize its cues and tasks, and how to maintain the training. Over the two weeks our service dog trainers will help the Veteran access public spaces with their service dog and practice real-life scenarios at their own pace. Upon final testing and graduation each Veteran will be bonded to their service dog and equipped with the skills to integrate their service dog into their daily life at home, work, and school.