Inspiring Confidence, Enabling Independence, and Empowering Veterans to Explore New Paths in Life With Their K9 Service Companion

Name: K9s For Camo
Address: 1508 E Battlefield Rd, Springfield, MO, 65804, USA
Telephone: 417-838-4990

Service dogs for veterans at no cost.

Rescued shelter dogs. Trained by prisoners.

Over 20 veterans commit suicide every day. One is too many.

How Can I Help

Inspiring Confidence, Enabling Independence, and Empowering Veterans to Explore New Paths in Life With Their K9 Service Companion

SERVING THOSE WHO SERVED US

Service dogs for veterans at no cost.

Rescued shelter dogs. Trained by prisoners.

Over 20 veterans commit suicide every day. One is too many.

How Can I Help

SERVING THOSE WHO SERVED US

Service dogs for veterans at no cost.

Rescued shelter dogs. Trained by prisoners.

Over 20 veterans commit suicide every day. One is too many.

K9s For Camo provides service dogs to support veterans with various needs throughout the Southwest Missouri region. Most of our veterans suffer from PTSD, but we also train K9s to provide support for other challenges, including mobility assistance, seizure alert, and diabetic alert. Our K9s assist veterans with these physical challenges, improving their daily quality of life. Still, the real magic is what happens beyond that: With their K9s by their side, we see our veterans empowered to move through life and explore the world with new confidence and security.

Making A Difference in the Veteran Community One Dog at a Time

Rescuing Shelter Dogs

Over 1.5 million healthy shelter animals are put to death each year in the United States. We not only save dogs’ lives, some within days of being euthanized, but we also give them purpose and a new path in life. They, in turn, inspire, teach, and empower those they touch along their K9s For Camo journey.

Inmate Rehabilitation

Our K9s are trained by offenders at the Jefferson City Correction Center. Inmates in dog training programs have lower depression and aggression rates, as well as lower recidivism rates. They also gain marketable experience and life skills that enable them to choose better paths as they re-enter society.

Assisting Veterans

Veterans with PTSD who have service dogs experience lower levels of depression and lower overall symptoms of PTSD. Studies confirm this, but at K9s For Camo, we see the results daily as we watch K9s empower many of our veterans to re-enter the world with renewed confidence and security.

Tune Into Our Podcast to Learn More About Our Veteran K9 Service Program

Are you interested in keeping up to date with everything happening here with the K9s For Camo team? Well, you’re in luck. Take a look behind the scenes at the work being done by K9s For Camo, our active service dogs, and the people whose lives are being made all the better for the service. Click the button below to listen to our archive of past podcast episodes, or follow us for more updates.

K9s or Camo Podcast

Donated Dog — Springfield, MO — K9s For Camo

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No one truly knows our pasts, just as no one knows the pasts of the rescue dogs we train for K9s For Camo. Giving these dogs a second chance is all that really matters to me. They could have been abused, neglected or thrown out on the streets to starve.

There is no better feeling than to take that all away from them. To teach and train them so that they too can pay it forward by changing and possibly saving the lives of the veterans they serve. By doing the tasks that we taught them to do, these dogs are giving back for the mistakes we made.

- Inmates Find a Purpose

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This morning, I stood in one of the largest aquariums in Missouri, surrounded by hundreds of kids and parents alike, enjoying the beauty of the fish swimming about as a testament to the success story. A success story that started with a simple phone call from K9s For Camo. Less than 6 months ago, I was blessed with my service dog, Liberty, who was given to me by this wonderful organization whose mission is so noble. I was unable to spend more than a few minutes of time in public at any given time before this Labrador entered my life. She has since formed an unbreakable bond with me and has offered me the ability to go out in public and live a happy normal life.

Liberty was specially trained for my specific needs as a disabled vet and offers a variety of services great and small. She is trained to assist me with my seizures, ensuring I don’t hurt myself if one hits me suddenly. After a seizure, she gets help when help is required. Liberty also provides me a means to control my PTSD when it flares up, such as when I am at the aquarium. She is trained to assist me in picking up objects off the ground, turning on lights, opens doors for me, and can even tell when I am having nightmares and wakes me up from them.

Since Liberty became part of my household, I have found that while I take very good care of her, she takes very good care of me as well. I can’t imagine life without her. She has truly given me what her name implies… Liberty.

- Liberty Provides a Normal Life

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Living the lives many of us have lived, there aren’t many things to look back on and be proud of. Sometimes, from prison, it is hard to stay on the optimistic side of things. That’s what this program is for us – something positive that we have in a world of chaos and negativity. Knowing that the work we do is going to help someone, let alone a veteran who fought for our country, gives us a sense of accomplishment that many of us haven’t felt in a while, which is gratifying beyond belief. Not to mention we are learning a trade which is in high demand in society.

The cool thing is that almost all of us had no prior dog training experience before this program. All of us started this endeavor together and we have developed a genuine sense of camaraderie. Some of us were doubtful about how successful this program would be. I mean, don’t get me wrong – trying to teach a dog to get under your head as you fake a seizure can be incredibly frustrating, but the moment the dog starts learning and completing tasks, all the frustration and hard work is completely worth it. I personally plan on continuing training dogs on my release, which has given me the sense of purpose I have desperately needed for years. K9s For Camo really is a gift to us. We have been given the chance to give back to a world that we have often taken so much from. Thank you

- Providing Pride and Optimism

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

No one truly knows our pasts, just as no one knows the pasts of the rescue dogs we train for K9s For Camo. Giving these dogs a second chance is all that really matters to me. They could have been abused, neglected or thrown out on the streets to starve.

There is no better feeling than to take that all away from them. To teach and train them so that they too can pay it forward by changing and possibly saving the lives of the veterans they serve. By doing the tasks that we taught them to do, these dogs are giving back for the mistakes we made.

- Inmates Find a Purpose

Button
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This morning, I stood in one of the largest aquariums in Missouri, surrounded by hundreds of kids and parents alike, enjoying the beauty of the fish swimming about as a testament to the success story. A success story that started with a simple phone call from K9s For Camo. Less than 6 months ago, I was blessed with my service dog, Liberty, who was given to me by this wonderful organization whose mission is so noble. I was unable to spend more than a few minutes of time in public at any given time before this Labrador entered my life. She has since formed an unbreakable bond with me and has offered me the ability to go out in public and live a happy normal life.

Liberty was specially trained for my specific needs as a disabled vet and offers a variety of services great and small. She is trained to assist me with my seizures, ensuring I don’t hurt myself if one hits me suddenly. After a seizure, she gets help when help is required. Liberty also provides me a means to control my PTSD when it flares up, such as when I am at the aquarium. She is trained to assist me in picking up objects off the ground, turning on lights, opens doors for me, and can even tell when I am having nightmares and wakes me up from them.

Since Liberty became part of my household, I have found that while I take very good care of her, she takes very good care of me as well. I can’t imagine life without her. She has truly given me what her name implies… Liberty.

- Liberty Provides a Normal Life

Button
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Living the lives many of us have lived, there aren’t many things to look back on and be proud of. Sometimes, from prison, it is hard to stay on the optimistic side of things. That’s what this program is for us – something positive that we have in a world of chaos and negativity. Knowing that the work we do is going to help someone, let alone a veteran who fought for our country, gives us a sense of accomplishment that many of us haven’t felt in a while, which is gratifying beyond belief. Not to mention we are learning a trade which is in high demand in society.

The cool thing is that almost all of us had no prior dog training experience before this program. All of us started this endeavor together and we have developed a genuine sense of camaraderie. Some of us were doubtful about how successful this program would be. I mean, don’t get me wrong – trying to teach a dog to get under your head as you fake a seizure can be incredibly frustrating, but the moment the dog starts learning and completing tasks, all the frustration and hard work is completely worth it. I personally plan on continuing training dogs on my release, which has given me the sense of purpose I have desperately needed for years. K9s For Camo really is a gift to us. We have been given the chance to give back to a world that we have often taken so much from. Thank you

- Providing Pride and Optimism

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Make a difference in the life of a Veteran and shelter animal today!

Donate Today!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Tel: 417-838-4990

Email: info@k9sforcamo.org

Address: 2733 East Battlefield Road #125 Springfield, MO 65804

K9s For Camo is a 501(c)(3) corporation.