Maine Paws for Veterans has received a $15,000 grant from the Disabled Veterans National Foundation. John Washington

Maine Paws for Veterans has received a grant from the Disabled Veterans National Foundation for $15,000, which will enhance the Psychiatric Service Dog Program.

The nonprofit Maine Paws for Veterans was founded in 2012 as an all-volunteer organization to address the unmet needs of Maine veterans living with Post-Traumatic Stress. Over the past 10 years, it has developed a program that addresses the needs of veterans who benefit from the life enrichment of having a service dog.

Through the program, veterans undergo 26 weeks of training in order to train their own service dog.

“With this generous grant we can continue supporting the needs of disabled veterans by offering them these life-changing programs,” Maine Paws for Veterans Executive Director Tracy Shaw stated in a press release.

“This training is very important for the success of the relationship between the service dog and its lifetime partner,” said Joseph VanFonda, CEO of the Disabled Veterans National Foundation and retired sergeant major in the U.S. Marine Corps. “The amount of training required is very robust for these beautiful animals. Combating PTSD is a team effort, and I believe this training will create a wonderful relationship between the dog and its veteran.”

For more information, call 207-449-9149 or visit mainepawsforveterans.org.

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