Canines Providing Assistance to Wounded Warriors® (C-P.A.W.W.®) & Veteran Canine Rescue Mission
Pilot Year Impact Report Winter 2023
FAU Foundation Inc.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Rescue Mission is committed to the positive impact of the human-animal bond and how this bond affects veterans’ mental health and wellness. By pairing veterans suffering from the invisible wounds of war, i.e., Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD), with an adopted shelter dog, and providing a training regimen and canine care, veterans benefit from improved mental health and wellbeing. The training regimen and new partnership with a trained service or support dog, allows veterans to recover from the debilitating symptoms they experience daily.
The Florida Atlantic University Veteran Canine Rescue Mission is housed in FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing’s C-P.A.W.W.® program, in conjunction with FAU’s Military and Veterans Student Success Center. External partnerships essential to this program's success exist with the Humane Society of Broward County, along with the veteran-owned and operated canine training organization, Happy With Dogs.
Through philanthropic support, FAU was able to launch the program and surpass the pilot year stretch goal, reaching thirteen veteran canine pairs. The Mission matched each veteran with a trained canine as a non-pharmacological treatment for PTSD, while providing a forever home for the dog —saving two lives, with one rescue.
IMPACT
13 veterans have consented and enrolled. Of that 13, ten veterans have adopted dogs, and three are in the process of adopting (one adoption in February 2023, and two adoptions in March 2023).
The funding provided by additional philanthropic support augmented the founding donor’s gifts. Only through this generosity was C- P.A.W.W. ®able to meet critical programming needs in the following areas:
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Veterans' canine maintenance, including vaccinations, veterinary appointments, leashes, and supplies
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The essential program coordinator role, which focuses on outreach, recruitment, and research while overseeing the day- to-day operations of the program to ensure its success
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Outreach at FAU Military Student Success Center events
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Tabling in FAU breezeway, community events, farmers markets
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The United Way of Broward, and Mission United presentations
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Social media posts
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FAU Public Affairs press release
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Local network news channels
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Veteran online publications
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Due to the success of this program, the FAU Division of Research is providing a post-doctoral student who will work alongside the director to implement and oversee the program as it is maintained and scaled.
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Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing undergraduate and graduate students have worked closely with the veterans during the entire scope of the process.
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The custom training created by Happy With Dogs includes skills needed to pass the American Kennel Club’s, Canine Good Citizen Test and the International Association of Canine Professionals’ Public Access Test.
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Through training, the dogs perform valuable tasks for their veteran, examples include:
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Deep Pressure – Putting calming weight on the owner’s body when requested
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Around – Watching the veteran’s back
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Touch – Turning on lights or pressing buttons
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Get It – Picking up an item from the floor and handing it to the owner
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Switch – Creating space when other people are in proximity or in personal space
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At the start of the program, one veteran was so impacted by their anxiety that they could not even fill out the paperwork to enroll in the program.
With support from the program staff, they completed the intake and enrollment process and were able to select a dog for adoption and training – the goal and treatment for their symptoms. Following the program, they have continued with canine training sessions once a week and report that the dog not only supports their mental health, but also supports their physical health, as they walk and care for the canine. Whereas, prior to having the dog they weren’t active and had a hard time leaving home due to anxiety. To date, the veterans who have been paired with an adopted shelter dog report that they have experienced a marked improvement in their overall well-being.
SUMMARY
Veterans experiencing PTSD have a multitude of symptoms. The C-P.A.W.W. ® and Veteran Canine Rescue Mission programs were created to treat the symptoms and improve the quality of life for the veteran and shelter dog through adoption and training. The programs give a new lease on life for both,saving two lives, with one rescue.In the first year of the program, we have been able to provide this life changing and saving support through the generosity of donors like you. As we continue the program, new philanthropic support is vital to ensure we have the resources necessary to provide specialized canine training and support the evolving needs of the program essential to the wellbeing of the veterans and canines, and continued success of the Mission in our community.
Program Pairs Student Veterans with Shelter Dogs to Tackle PTSD
Program Matches FAU Military Veteran Students with Shelter Dogs
To the Rescue: Program Matches FAU Military Veteran Students with Shelter Dogs
FAU Matches Veteran Students with Shelter Dogs to Support Mental Health
FAU Program Pairs Student Veterans with Shelter Dogs to Tackle PTSD
Marine Vet with PTSD Gains Furry Friend Through FAU Canine Veteran Rescue Mission
FAU VETERAN PROGRAM – Humane Society of Broward – Paw Prints Summer 2022 Issue
A Veterans Best Friend: A New Program
Dr. Cheryl A. Krause Parello
Director, C-P.A.W.W.®
Health Research Initiative for Veterans Faculty Fellow, Institute for Human Health and Disease Intervention (I-Health)
Professor, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing 561.297.2757
Marcie Hall, MNM, CFRE
Director of Development
Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing 561.297.3955
mhall27@health.fau.edu
Alyson Warner
Director of Development, Broward Campuses Division of Institutional Advancement 954.762.5349
warnera@fau.edu