With the implementation of the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) pilot program, the Department of Veterans Affairs is improving the well-being of veterans.
The groundbreaking initiative is aimed at providing dog training to veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The program, which operates as part of a broader complementary and integrative health strategy, is being piloted at five VA facilities across the country: Asheville, North Carolina; West Palm Beach, Florida; San Antonio, Texas; Palo Alto, California, and Anchorage, Alaska.
The PAWS Act requires VA to conduct a five-year pilot program to provide dog training to eligible veterans diagnosed with PTSD as an element of a complementary and integrative health program. It explores how dog training can serve as a valuable component of a veteran’s overall mental health care and is unique in that it does not provide veterans with service dogs but instead involves them in the training process itself.