Shine A LIGHT For Charity On Paws Of War

In this new column of L.I.G.H.T. For Charity (‘Long Island Giving Help Together For Charity’), I shine a light on a Long Island-based charity named Paws Of War. This is a charity that my younger sister Jenna is now working with.
Paws Of War was formed 10 years ago and provides veterans, first responders and Gold Star families (people who sadly lost an immediate family member during military service) with a wide variety of important services through the power of love and support of rescued animals. The charity has a mission “To honor and support our veterans, active military members, firefighters and other first responders with services that enrich their lives through the rescue and training of service dogs for independence, adoption of companion animals, rescue of overseas animals in war zones, and other essential services to assist our heroes in need.”
If a veteran or first responder adopts an appropriate dog, Paws Of War will train the dog to become a service dog to suit the owner’s needs. This is an extremely important and meaningful service because many veterans return from combat with life-changing physical injuries, anxiety, depression and/or post-traumatic stress disorder. These service dogs improve the quality of life for our returning soldiers, allowing them to sleep more peacefully and engage in day-to-day activities they otherwise couldn’t.
In addition to service dog training (which includes training the dog, pairing the dog with a hero in need and teaching the two how to interact together), Paws Of War also provides the following additional services: (1) providing companion animals; (2) animal rescue for deployed military, including transporting pets across war borders; (3) no cost mobile veterinary clinic; (4) housing assistance for veterans with pets; (5) lifetime care for retired military working dogs; (6) therapy dog program for veterans and seniors; (7) Ukraine animal rescue and care; (8) disaster response and animal rescue; and (9) emergency foster and temporary pet placement services for veterans during hospital stays. Because Paws Of War helps both dogs and the heros in need of dogs, Paws Of War is proud to help on “both ends of the leash”.
All of the services provided by Paws Of War are provided to veterans, first responders and Gold Star families free of charge. Paws Of War therefore relies upon charitable donations to fund its operations. To help support Paws Of War, you can visit its website at www.pawsofwar.org.
Special thanks to Jodie Cohen, who serves as a volunteer and Adoption Coordinator for Paws Of War, for taking the time to speak with me to teach me so much about this important cause.