By: Noelle Lambert
February’s Charity of the Month is:
Paws of War
“Helping Both Ends of The Leash”
Paws of War is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that trains and places shelter dogs to serve and provide independence to our U.S. military Veterans who suffer from the emotional effects of war. In turn, each Veteran can experience the therapeutic and unconditional love that only a companion animal can bring! Since 2014, Paws of War has supported over 100 Veterans with service dogs rescued from kill shelters.
In addition, this organization runs a variety of other programs to help Veterans in need.
The work of their Service Dog Program relies heavily on the support of their community and volunteers. They provide service dogs and their training to Veterans in need at no cost, truly providing them with a miracle! A service dog can help combat the daily symptoms of PTSD. They are trained to pick up stress signals and intervene with their owner to direct their focus back to a positive environment. Each service dog given out is intensely trained before handed off to the Veteran.
The lives of many American Heros have been changed forever because of what this organization has done for them. Co-Founder Robert Misseri delighted me with a success story of a local Long Island Veteran who had been on 9 medicines and secluded himself from his wife and children…he was suffering. After receiving a service dog, he was able to get off of all of his medicines, he took his family on a camping trip and he now attends all family functions! If you want to inquire about receiving help from Paws of War, don’t hesitate to reach out to them!
In addition to providing Veterans with a service dog, Paws of War opened their Vets to Vets Mobile Animal Clinic after they realized the crucial need for veterinary care for the pets of Veterans and first responders living with disabilities! This is the first of its kind and is manned by volunteers, veterinarians, vet techs, as well as some staff. This mobile RV provides free services, such as wellness checks, grooming, vaccinations, dental procedures and more to our hero’s companions.
After visiting the Paws of War’s main office and training facility, located at 127 Smithtown Blvd in Nesconset, I couldn’t help but feel a sincere love for and desire to help our Veterans from all who were there. This organization is “the real deal” and truly are there to help others.
In an effort to help bring dogs back home from overseas, Paws of War runs a program called Worn Torn Pups. This program provides financial support to reunite military personnel with the stray animals they found and bonded with while at war. Donations to this program helps with costs that include vaccines, medial treatment, transportation and more. This organization feels that “while the financial investment is high…the relief, comfort and joy this program provides soldiers is immeasurable.”
Paws of War relies heavily on donations and devoted volunteers to continue providing the services they offer. If you would like to donate or volunteer with this organization, please visit their website at www.PawsOfWar.org for more information and call their office at (631) 406-6595 to see how you can start getting involved!
If your organization would like to be featured in this column, please email Noelle@SouthBaysNeighbor.com
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