Previous Programs and Grants
Every one of our programs and grants fill a specific need at a specific time. As an organization, we frequently pivot to meet the ever changing needs of people and their dogs and to make sure our work is consistent with current canine science.
Below are some programs and grants that we no longer have.
We started Pets Together as a response to the pandemic. Many, especially those who live in housing facilities like nursing homes or long-term care, were facing dangerous increases in feelings of isolation and loneliness.
With Pets Together, we hosted video chats for those living in long-term care facilities so that they could interact with people and their pets.
The program has since spun off as its own entity and is run by Jennifer Bashford. You can find out more here.
We know that the bond between dogs and people can not only be healing, but it can be life changing.
Many of our dogs would spend several weeks receiving basic training at Rikers Correctional Facility in New York. The dogs lived with and were cared for by inmates.
There is research that shows that programs like PAWS reduce recidivism in jails and have positive mental health affects for both the dogs and the people involved.
Due to Covid-19, the program has been put on hold.
We began funding the training of shelter dogs as K9 detection dogs as a direct response to the epidemic of police officers shooting people’s pets. More often than not, these dogs were labeled “pit bulls” and lived in marginalized communities.
Society often links folklore about certain dog breeds with marginalized communities as a way to perpetuate systems of oppression. If we could change the officers’ minds about the dogs, we could help them to unlearn their other associated biases.
A key part of the grant involved placing dogs with BIPOC and female officers. Dogs were also placed with school resource officers and used to create a sense of community among the kids, staff, and teachers.
We ended the grant in 2020.
Through our service dog program, we upended society’s expectations about people with disabilities and their service dogs. With this program, we showed people that communities aren’t inclusive unless they are accessible.
We ended the program in 2021.
