Warrior Canine Connection (WCC)

Dog training and placement: the Warrior Canine Connection therapeutic service dog training program works with golden and labrador retriever puppies, purpose bred for health and temperament for service dog work. Recovering warriors from nicoe and wrnmmc, ft. belvoir and civilian volunteers were involved in the early socialization of these future service dogs for disabled warriors in the medical facilities and at the Warrior Canine Connection boyds, md hq. Warrior Canine Connection puppies were featured on a puppy cam that was viewed by millions of people around the world, providing the Warrior Canine Connection with an outstanding educational opportunity to share information about the breeding, care, therapeutic training, and benefits of service dogs to wounded warriors. A wcc dog must be approximately two years old and meet industry training standards to be eligible to be placed with a Warrior. The eleventh graduation of Warrior Canine Connection dogs took place in september 2021. 15 service dog and 3 support dogs were placed in support of veterans with disabilities and their families.

Mission based trauma recovery: during fye 06/30/2022 & 06/30/2021, the Warrior Canine Connection provided its therapeutic service dog training program for post-traumatic stress (pts) and traumatic brain injuries (tbi) to wounded warriors in the following locations: Maryland - wcc's healing quarters in boyds; the national intrepid center of excellence (nicoe), at walter reed national military medical center (wrnmmc) in bethesda; and the baltimore veterans treatment court in baltimore. California - at the menlo park division of the palo alto California va health care system (paws act scite); stanford university; san mateo veterans treatment court. North carolina - at the asheville va mental health care center (paws act scite); at the buncombe county veterans treatment court. Additionally, Warrior Canine Connection dogs worked with soldiers in the Warrior transition units at wrnmmc, fort belvoir, va, and menlo park, ca. Warrior Canine Connection is collaborating with wrnmmc, the uniformed services university of the health sciences (usuhs) and civilian academic experts on research associated with the neurobiology of the human-animal bond and the treatment of ptsd. These study results were published in a peer reviewed journal, miliary psychology, in november 2021. A larger research study to evaluate the efficacy of service dog training as an adjunctive treatment for ptsd and tbi and to maximize the therapeutic benefits to recovering warriors who participate in the program was initiated with these collaborative partners in 2015.