Prince William Humane Society receives $7,500 grant

Prince William Humane Society of Prince William County, VA today announced it has been awarded a $7500 grant from the Petco Foundation to support its Warrior Buddies, Wounded Heroes Program that matches homeless shelter dogs with wounded service members and trains them to the specific needs of that wounded hero, ultimately becoming a therapy or service dog team.

Prince William Humane Society is a nonprofit organization that has been serving Prince William County, VA since 2012.  Prince William Humane Society is an all-volunteer organization whose express mission is promoting animal welfare and adoption for the homeless pets located in Prince William County, VA.  This goal is accomplished by advocating for the homeless animals, supporting adoption programs, providing financial assistance when possible and elevating public awareness.  The Prince William Humane Society helps support animal welfare organizations; including the Prince William County Animal Shelter and works diligently to help save lives by creating and implementing new programs designed to reduce euthanasia and substantially increase adoptions.

In the past 2 years P.W. Humane Society has raised funds through individual and corporate donations and paid over $60,000 for adoption fees; spay/neuter fees; medications; veterinary services; and improvements and supplies for the Prince William County Animal Shelter. 

• Prince William Humane Society’s Seniors 4 Seniors Free Adoption Program has found forever homes for 116 senior pets in the last 2 ½ years.
• The Poor Animals Welfare and Surgical Fund has paid in excess of $37,000 in two years for veterinary services, treatments, test kits and medications for homeless pets and saved the lives of 18 homeless dogs and cats.
• The Warrior Buddies Adoption Program has subsidized the adoption fee and placed over 225 homeless pets with military families. In addition, we have provided 17 wounded service members participating in our Wounded Heroes Adoption Program with homeless shelter pets as their Warrior Buddies. This program matches a homeless dog with the specific needs and desires of a wounded service member and trains the two of them to become a therapy or service dog team.  All fees are paid for by P.W. Humane Society, the trainers contribute their time and expertise and the Warrior Buddy Team is generally certified within 1 year. This program has eliminated the unnecessary wait time and excessive cost normally found in other service and therapy dog programs.
• The P.W. Humane Society has also sponsored several adoption events throughout the past 2 years which have resulted in 154 dogs and cats being adopted.
• W. Humane Society implemented the first dog park in P.W. County which was highly requested and is greatly utilized

The grant was made possible through the Petco Foundation’s annual Helping Heroes fundraising campaign, in partnership with Natural Balance Pet Foods. During the campaign each October, customers are invited to donate in Petco stores across the country to support service and therapy animals and organizations.

The Petco Foundation investment will help to create a Warrior Buddies Training and Adoption Center, where the homeless canine candidates will live and train prior to becoming a companion to a wounded service member and then go on to complete their training through the therapy or service dog certification.

 “To be considered for this grant by Petco Foundation is a great honor and blessing. Prince William Humane Society is in the process of creating the Warrior Buddies Training and Adoption Center and these funds will allow us to complete that project within the next 2 months. We have already ordered the stair lift chair which will facilitate those individuals in need of assistance at the center. We plan on having a ribbon cutting late in Sept.” said Lori Leary, President, Prince William Humane Society

The Petco Foundation has served as a voice for companion animals across the country since 1999. Today, with more than 8,000 local animal welfare partners across the country, the Petco Foundation donates approximately $15 million a year to make a difference in the lives of millions of animals. The organization is funded through donations raised during fundraisers conducted in Petco’s more than 1,300 stores across the country, as well as from Petco associates, vendors and corporate contributions. Money raised helps fund animal welfare organizations, spay and neuter efforts, animal-assisted therapy programs and humane education. The majority of the funds raised remain in the communities where they were raised, as well as animal welfare efforts nationwide.