(NewsNation) — We know dogs provide unconditional love, but they can also improve our mental and physical health. That’s why Patriot Service Dogs is providing honorably discharged veterans with professionally trained service dogs.
The organization was founded in 2009 by Julie Sanderson and Susan Bolton, two trainers who saw veterans in their community struggling to afford service animals. They went on a mission to provide honorably discharged veterans with professionally trained service pets for free.
The organization’s 135 volunteers have since trained and housed 51 service animals, partner with prisons to certify Florida inmates as professional trainers and are currently training the next generation of 18 service dogs.