BOYDS, Md. – Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) is pleased to announce that it has received a $50,000 grant from the William H. Donner Foundation in support of its mission to train and place service dogs for Veterans with visible and invisible wounds.

WCC uses a Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) therapy model designed as an intervention for combat Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress. The MBTR model provides Veterans with a sense of purpose while they are receiving treatment at VA, DoD and community-based treatment centers. It is designed to remediate their symptoms of combat stress, such as isolation, emotional numbness and re-experiencing events from their combat days. MBTR also harnesses the healing power of the Warrior Ethos in which Warriors train service dogs for fellow Veterans; through the process, they learn to focus on the dogs and their mission to help another Veteran.

“Whether it’s birthing, caring for and socializing a new litter of puppies, holding training sessions or matching service dogs with Veterans, there’s no shortage of work or support needed to sustain our daily mission,” said Rick Yount, founder and executive director, WCC. “Everything we do is made possible by our loyal partners, including the William H. Donner Foundation, which supported WCC with grant funding in 2017 and again this year. Its generosity and support help provide highly trained service dogs for our Veterans and we are deeply grateful for their support.”

Training a service dog requires emotionally-based praise that challenges patterns of emotional numbing often associated with PTS. Learning to communicate assertively, practicing patience, and demonstrating empathy are skills that improve social and emotional competence—behaviors compromised by PTS and TBI.

To date, WCC has provided MBTR to more than 4,500 wounded Veterans from all branches of service, and placed 62 highly-trained assistance dogs at no cost to Veterans or their Military Families.

For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois, Warrior Canine Connection, at beth.bourgeois@warriorcanineconnection.org or 719-216-3206.