In 2005, Lori Stevens was at the Dallas VA with her son, who had just enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, when she met a group of Veterans attempting to train their own Service Dogs. With over 40 years of certified pet training experience, a Veteran father, and a soon-to-be Veteran son, Lori realized helping these Veterans was her calling. With the help of four volunteers, Patriot PAWS was brought to life.
In the beginning, there were far more dogs in the program than Veterans in need. However, a phone call from Brian Williams with NBC Nightly News would forever change that. Brian featured Lori on a segment called *Women Making a Difference.* Several Veterans, who had all but given up hope, viewed the segment, and overnight, the need for Patriot PAWS Service Dogs grew drastically. It became evident that in order to help as many Veterans as possible, this mission would take more than volunteered time. In just a year, after meeting the Veterans who started it all at the Dallas VA, Patriot PAWS Service Dogs received their 501(c)(3) status in February 2006 and was officially designated as a national nonprofit.
In 2008, Patriot PAWS expanded its Service Dog Training Program through a partnership with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The goal of this program was to teach prison inmates how to properly train Service Dogs for disabled American Veterans. In return, the inmates learned a new vocation that could be utilized upon parole. Remarkably, 22% of the inmates within the Patriot PAWS-TDCJ Program go on to pursue occupations in animal-related fields after parole, and of those, less than 1% have returned to prison. Many inmates, and their families, credit the Patriot PAWS program for permanently bettering their lives. Patriot PAWS has since expanded its partnership with TDCJ into four prison units: three women’s units in Gatesville, TX, and one men’s unit in Fairfield, TX. This program has exceeded all expectations and now serves as a model for future Service Dog Training Prison Programs.
Patriot PAWS is also proud and grateful for its wonderful program with Texas A&M University—a university-recognized, student-led program established in 2013, now known as *Patriot PAWS of Aggieland.* While at Aggieland, the service pups in training are properly socialized by attending classes with students, going to the grocery store, and performing other everyday activities. Currently, over 200 students are actively involved in the program.
A similar Puppy Raising Program was developed shortly afterward with volunteers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The program allows individuals within the DFW area to learn how to properly train, raise, and handle a Patriot PAWS pup in training, so the pups can someday change a Veteran’s life.
Since the organization’s inception in 2006, Patriot PAWS has worked with more than 700 dogs in its program, with Veteran/Service Dog Teams located in 44 states across the country. As of September 2024, 68 Veterans are still waiting to receive their life-changing Patriot PAWS Service Dog to help mitigate mobility disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, and/or post-traumatic stress. Each Patriot PAWS Service Dog takes 18–24 months to fully train, at a cost of $46,000 for the organization to provide. However, recipients will never receive a bill.