HRT K9 is an Alaskan-based nonprofit serving our local Veteran community. We train and place service dogs with Veterans at no cost to the Veteran. We operate our program in two ways: we have a kennel program for in-house training where we train dogs in obedience and basic service tasks before matching them with a Veteran handler to begin training specific service tasks to meet that individual’s needs. These dogs are primarily local shelter and rescue dogs. Alternatively, if a Veteran already has a dog, we can do a temperament test to see if they have the right temperament and aptitude for service work. If so, we can move forward with service training, capitalizing on the already existing bond between dog and Veteran.
HRT K9 exists to bring hope and healing to members of our Veteran community experiencing symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, TBI, MST, and other psychological issues. Our founder, Justin, struggled with PTSD and alcoholism for several years. He attended six inpatient treatment programs before ending up at Warrior’s Heart in Bandera, Texas. While at Warrior’s Heart Justin was fortunate to be a part of their canine program where they taught him how to train his own service dog, Lexie. Getting Lexie was life changing for Justin. During the process, he discovered that he had a passion and talent for dog training. After spending a further nine months in Texas apprenticing under other trainers and handlers, Justin returned to Alaska and founded HRT K9 to bring the same healing he experienced to other Veterans.
As a relatively new nonprofit in 2024, HRT K9 worked with fourteen Veteran-owned dogs and graduated our first team this summer. We also completed basic obedience training in five kennel dogs, three of whom are now beginning the process of bonding with their Veteran handler and learning specific service tasks to assist their handler.
Our next goals moving forward are to construct a metal outbuilding and install fencing to create dedicated training spaces and facilitate year-round indoor/outdoor training. This will allow us to create opportunities for members of our Veteran community to be a part of the training process and experience the therapeutic benefits of working, playing, and socializing with dogs.
The projected total cost for both projects is $100,000. We would greatly appreciate any donation you can make toward that amount
