Our Program and Mission

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Tails of Valor, Paws of Honor’s (TOV) mission is to provide rehabilitation through non-medicinal therapies by training service canines for Veterans suffering from PTS (Post-Traumatic Stress), TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and Physical Disabilities. TOV provides struggling Veterans/participants with trained companions and therapies to aid and assist in their daily routines, improving the quality of life. Our programs provide peer mentoring for our Veterans/participants with social interactions and human/canine bonding resulting in service dogs able to assist with the physical and psychological issues affecting our Veterans/participants and their families.

This recovery oriented therapy program is attended by Veterans/participants seeking to define what is preventing them from achieving quality of life measures. This program brings awareness of behaviors, fears and attitudes to overcome. Veterans/participants work with peer mentors to continue to mold our canines, all of whom are named in honor of a fallen soldier.  Each particular activity, command or exercise, experienced during their 16-24 month training period, correlates to symptoms, known or unknown, to the participant. All of our dogs experience more than 100 exposures of everyday living, over 30 commands and three tasks, specific to their Veteran/participant. Upon completion of their training (approx 1,500-2,000 hours), these fully-trained TOV/ADA guideline service dogs are given at no cost to a Veteran/participant.  

Tails of Valor is privately funded by generous donors wanting to give back to those have given so much.  

 

We believe that valid intervention will lead to increased long-term behavioral development that is positive for the Veteran/participant and their families.  Our dogs offer opportunities for interactions with members of the community and experience positive interactions with society. Training requires positive emotions for success which will help the emotionally detached improve social skills. Our commitment to canine and our participants are a lifetime.

 

Our Vision

Building a Behavioral Health Facility to house Standard Behavioral Health Programs with Alternative Medicine and Non-Medicinal therapies.

 

Our Values

Respect, Honor and Serve our Veterans/participants while treating the whole person not just the symptoms of a problem, helping to create a better tomorrow.