Our New National Headquarters: Fulfilling a Lifelong Promise

For close to a decade, Dogs For Our Brave has operated from a 1,700-square-foot facility that we have long since outgrown.

 

We are at capacity.

 

This single fact threatens our most sacred promise: The Lifelong Partnership.

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As our first generation of service dogs begin to retire, we are faced with a new challenge. We must provide "successor dogs" to our original veterans while continuing to serve the new warriors who need us.

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In our current space, we cannot do both.

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This new national headquarters is not a "nice to have"—it is the physical foundation required to keep our promise. It is the engine that allows us to serve more veterans, maximize the welfare of our dogs, and secure our mission for decades to come.

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Why This Building? Why Now?

This new $5.3 million, state-of-the-art facility is a strategic investment in our mission. Every design choice was made to increase our impact and professionalize our training.

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1. More Veterans Served Our capacity will immediately increase from 10 bunks to 15 soundproof, weatherproof "Dog Apartments." This expansion is critical to serving new veterans while simultaneously training successor dogs for our current veteran partners—a feat impossible in our old building.
    

2. Maximized Dog Welfare In our current facility, our dogs rest in the same space where we train. This creates a stressful environment. The new building provides a dedicated, separate, and quiet housing wing, allowing our dogs to truly rest and decompress. Better welfare means less stress, which we anticipate will lead to more effective and efficient training.
    

3. Our "Special Forces" Mission We are not a standard service dog organization. Our primary focus is on veterans with significant mobility challenges—warriors who need a partner to retrieve items, open doors, or provide bracing due to amputation, paralysis, or TBI-related balance issues. This is the "Special Forces" of service dog work, and it requires a different level of training.
    

4. Elite-Level Training Facilities A "Special Forces" mission demands elite facilities. The new headquarters, of which appoximately 85% of the square footage is dedicated to dog welfare and training, is designed specifically for this complex work:

• A Simulated Apartment: A built-in bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom will allow us to train for complex, real-world tasks. We can now train for nightmare interruptions on an actual bed, not on a training room floor.

• Dedicated Training Spaces: From indoor training fields to an acre of outdoor green space, our trainers will have the professional tools they need—like integrated stairs and agility equipment—to prepare these dogs for any environment.

• Professional Efficiency: With separate "dog" and "people" kitchens, new dog washing stations, and secure medication areas, our team can focus less on logistics and more on what matters: the dogs.

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