During the journey of the service dog puppies and their raisers attend training classes. The puppies also go on field trips accompanied by the trainers to work on their socialization, manners, and skills in public. The Puppy Scholarship helps offset the training costs (trainer hours, facility use, classroom supplies, training treats/supplies) during this critical period of the puppy’s learning and development.  

 This donation covers the puppy’s basic supplies and miscellaneous care costs during the beginning of that puppy’s journey.   Note: Training costs for this period are covered by our puppy scholarships.

Although this list is not complete, these are the types of things that a TOV puppy needs and that your gift of sponsorship will help us pay for:

• crate, bed, mat, bowls, leash and collar(s);

• toys and chews;

• grooming supplies;

• Tails of Valor puppy and service dog vests;

• specialized training equipment;

• microchipping, licensing, and registration;

• 12 months of veterinary care: well-puppy visits, routine vaccinations, sick/emergency visits;

• 12 months of heartworm and flea/tick preventives;

• spay or neuter surgery;

• other health screenings.

The durable items that this sponsorship pays for (e.g., crate, vests, specialized training equipment) will travel with the puppy from his puppy raiser home to his new home with his Veteran partner as needed.  Thus, this sponsorship ultimately directly benefits the Veteran as well.

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During the journey of the Tails of Valor canine, the Veteran attends our Canine Connections program, a therapeutic program focusing on animal assisted social activities leading to a better quality of life. Our Certified Peer Specialists (CPS) and trainers provide the support  needed for positive physical and mental health social interactions during training sessions with our canines,  all of who are named in honor of a fallen solider. The team trains together in a variety of public and private settings, including the Veteran’s home, workplace, community, stores, public transportation, etc. The training program is individualized to the particular Veteran’s needs and abilities. This intensive program is in addition to the hundreds of hours of training that the dogs receive at our facility and with the help of our raisers/sitter before being matched with their partners. The TOV paired dog team sponsorship directly supports the costs of:

• Creation of individualized training plan and documentation for the team by the Strategic Pairing Team;

• Private training and therapeutic session including the costs of trainer, CPS, and facility use;

• Weekly field trips for training in public locations;

• Food, supplies, veterinary care, and routine preventive medications for the dog during the training period and the team pairing period which follows certification;

• Any specialized training equipment ;

• Administration of the certification examination; and

• Annual follow-up evaluations for continued success of the TOV team Pair.