Donate today to help us train lifesaving service dogs for U.S. military veterans and families.
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We’re a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in St. Paul, MN, dedicated to rescuing dogs and training them as service dogs to empower veterans and families so they can live healthier lives.
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Your donation brings independence to:
Combat Veterans Like Peter
“I trained with Pawsitivity Service Dogs in 2019 and received the trained service dog, Daniel, an adult black Labrador Retriever, to partner with in support of my PTSD received during combat in my service with the U.S. Army during OIF I and OEF VII.
Pawsitivity not only trained Daniel to meet my needs but trained me as well to work with Daniel, communicate with him, understand my rights and be a responsible and proactive service animal owner. Pawsitivity embodies all of the seven Army core values; especially honor, integrity and selfless service. They are some of the kindest, hardworking and generous folks I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with.
I enthusiastically recommend the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Pawsitivity Service Dogs to veterans who need a service dog.”
Veteran families like Violet's
Your generosity answers the prayers of families who have children with severe disabilities. Violet has autism spectrum disorder, and her father (not pictured) is a veteran with PTSD. We also work with blindness, deafness, epilepsy. You can read the testimonials of how other Pawsitivity dogs have helped families struggling with disabilities in multiple ways.
Who We Are
Pawsitivity Service Dogs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in St. Paul, MN, EIN 47-1446634, founded in 2012. We have earned the Guidestar’s Platinum certification for accountability and transparency, our financials, 990s, and annual reports are publicly available. We use positive reinforcement and science-based training methods, and we are full members of Animal Assisted Intervention International and the Association for Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans.
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You can dedicate your donation specifically to empowering veterans who are now cops, paramedics, and firefighters!
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First responders put their lives on the line for us every day. They battle unimaginable challenges and they do so willingly and bravely. But no one is alone. They need YOU--help empower these heroic police, firefighters, and paramedics by helping us train life-changing therapy dogs and emotional support dogs. |
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Frequently Asked Questions
When did you start Pawsitivity?
2012.
What disabilities do you train for?
PTSD, missing limbs, no or low vision, deafness, seizures, and more.
Where do you get your dogs?
We work with rescues, shelters, and breeders across the U.S. Each of these places uses a test they use to determine if a dog would be a good for training to be a service dog. These tests include elements like: Will the dog not jump up on a stranger, and will the dog let a stranger touch them all over, including their toes and teeth. Other tests include: Walk the dog walk nicely on a leash without pulling, then jump into the backseat of a car they have never been in. Will the dog ignore another dog that is barking and lunging at them. Will the dog play fetch with a stranger. Will the dog mildly startle and then recover easily if the tester loudly bang pots and pans with a spoon, as if there is thunder. The breeds of dogs that tend to work best are labs and goldens, but Pawsitivity has worked with many different breeds.
How do you train the dogs?
When we work with a rescue dog, there are four stages of training. In the first stage, the dog gets a thorough exam by a veterinarian. Then, we spend about a month making sure there aren’t any characteristics that are too hard to work with e.g. too timid, any aggression. This month is also spent teaching them manners, such as making sure they potty outside, don’t jump up on people, don’t bark at strange dogs, etc. At Pawsitivity, we use the same method that both the U.S. Army working dog program and Guide Dogs for the Blind uses: "All of the dog training is based on positive reward or feedback" -- U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. Stage two involves basic obedience such as down, sit, and stay. Sometimes we then give the dog to a foster for six months to see how they react to living in a different environment with different stimuli. Stage three is back with us, working on public access skills like going inside hardware stores, pet stores, and such. Stage four involves finding the right veteran for that particular dog, training tasks for the dog to help the veterans, and training the veteran so that they can partner with the dog. After graduation, we provide lifetime support for the veteran/service dog team.
How long do you work with the client?
We train the dog for up to two years, and six months of that time is spent directly with the client, teaching them how to keep up the dog’s training.
Do you provide lifelong support? If the client can’t keep the dog for some reason, will you take the dog back?
Yes and yes.
What do you do if the dog fails out?
The dog becomes a “Career Change Dog”, which means that we retrain the dog as a therapy dog or to become a family pet in a loving home.
What makes Pawsitivity different?
We work with veterans and families who are in very complicated circumstances, such a veteran who has a bad back from an IED explosion and has PTSD from a traumatic brain injury and has a child with autism. These kinds of cases often are too complicated for other organizations, but these are veterans who are most in need. We work with veterans who need it the most.
Honor someone special
Honor or remember someone special by making a gift in their name.
Help service dogs all year round
$50 a month provides veterinary care for a service dog in training.