From Our Founder.
My name is Lori Stevens, and I am the Founder and Executive Director of Patriot PAWS Service Dogs. In 2005, I was working as a professional dog trainer when I was asked to help a group of disabled veterans train their dogs. After working with these veterans and visiting the VA Hospital in Dallas, I realized just how many of our disabled veterans are in desperate need of assistance dogs and I knew I had to help. With the help of a few friends and family, I started Patriot PAWS Service Dogs in a small storefront in Rockwall, TX, training only about 8 dogs at a time. Patriot PAWS has long since outgrown that little storefront and our Rockwall campus now includes administrative, training, and kennel facilities where we are able to train and house as many as 25 dogs. Working with our volunteer puppy raisers and our innovative Prison Training program at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, we are able to train an additional 45 dogs in other locations and place about 35-41 Patriot PAWS Service Dogs with disabled veterans each year.
It has been an exciting journey! But with over 50 disabled American veterans waiting for a Patriot PAWS Service Dog, there is still much work to be done and we need your help. Please consider donating your time, money or resources to help us help those who served.
Growing Strong.
We became a registered 501(c)(3) in 2006, and it’s hard to believe how much we’ve grown since then! Our Main Campus in Rockwall, TX has grown from a tiny storefront to a 3-acre location which includes our administrative offices, a state-of-the-art veterinary clinic, 25-run kennel facility and a dedicated training facility. Our small paid staff is assisted by a host of volunteers from all walks of life doing everything from administrative work, providing veterinary care for our dogs, Puppy Raising, community outreach, hosting demonstrations and fundraisers on our behalf and much, much more. – Lori Stevens, Founder
We Serve Heroes.
A young lady once told me that I was her hero. I was taken aback by her words and, upon reflection, concluded that I am no hero. The heroes are the men and women who have served our country and sacrificed so much for all of us. What I am is a truly blessed person who, with the help of our staff, volunteers and inmate trainers, is able to give back to the to the true heroes we serve by making their lives just a little bit better. We owe them far more than we can ever repay but we are doing what we can, four paws at a time!
PATRIOT PAWS THROUGH THE EYES OF TEXAS COUNTRY REPORTER.
Bob Phillips and the crew at Texas Country Reporter filmed a great segment on Patriot PAWS so you can get an “inside” look at how we are training service dogs with the help of prison inmates. Watch four veterans go through their daily routine with the female inmate trainers in Gatesville as they prepare for their graduation in April of 2015. Pay attention and you will see lives being transformed!
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