Florida Attorney General Recognizes Nonprofit’s Support of First Responders as Yellow Lab Buster Becomes Eighth Dog Adopted Through the Station Dog Program
PONTE VEDRA, Fla. (Oct. 7, 2021) – Today, K9s For Warriors, the nation’s largest provider of trained Service Dogs to military veterans, received Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Back the Blue Award for its dedication to the state’s first responders. In celebration, K9s For Warriors donated a Station Dog to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) to mitigate the stress and anxiety commonly found in dispatch operators, first responders and police officers.
Attorney General Moody’s Back the Blue Award honors law enforcement officers, citizens and organizations that have taken extraordinary steps to forge positive relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve. The campaign recognized K9s For Warriors for its Station Dog program, which reallocates trained Service Dogs that either completed their time paired with a veteran or are identified as having a temperament better suited for a Station Dog environment.
“The brave men and women of Florida law enforcement often find themselves in extremely stressful and dangerous situations,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody. “I am so thankful for the work being done by K9s For Warriors to help connect law enforcement heroes with K9s to help them heal and cope with some of the invisible wounds inflicted while protecting Floridians. I look forward to watching the Station Dog program grow and help even more members of our law enforcement community.”
Founded in 2011, K9s For Warriors has rescued more than 1,300 dogs across the country and paired nearly 700 veterans with trained Service Dogs to mitigate symptoms of post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injuries and military sexual trauma. The nonprofit’s Station Dog program provides homes for trained dogs that will no longer be paired with veterans by placing them with police and fire departments. JSO’s adoption of Buster, a yellow Labrador retriever, marks the eighth Station Dog donated by K9s For Warriors and the seventh in Florida.
©K9s For Warriors
“We are dedicated to supporting our nation’s heroes, and while our focus is on helping military veterans overcome mental trauma, we started the Station Do