Posted: August 26, 2008, 5 a.m. EDT
Paws for Purple Hearts, a project that uses service dog training as therapy for soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder, was recently awarded with a $20,000 grant.
The donation supports the Bonnie Bergin Assistance Dog Institute in Santa Rosa, Calif., to help fund its Paws for Purple Hearts program. The goal of the project is to create a national network to serve veterans with disabilities across the United States.
Soldiers with PTSD train service dogs, who are then placed with other returned military men and women who have mobility issues sustained from injuries during the war.
A $10,000 grant from Planet Dog Foundation, which backs programs in which dogs serve and support people, matches a $10,000 grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation for a total of $20,000 to the dog institute.
President and CEO of the Reeve Foundation, Peter Wilderotter, said the two groups share a mission to enable people, especially soldiers, to overcome disabilities and challenges.