Pet Supplies Plus, the nation's leading pet retail franchise, has once again joined forces with Natural Balance to raise awareness about the profound impact service dogs have on America's servicemen and women. As a result of this continued national partnership, Natural Balance and Pet Supplies Plus have donated $50,000 to Patriot PAWS Service Dogs, a non-profit that trains and provides service dogs for disabled veterans, at no cost. Pet Supplies Plus in Forney will host a check presentation on November 9th at 10 a.m.
Throughout November, the purchase of any Natural Balance product at all of the 590+ Pet Supplies Plus locations help to support the $50,000 donation to Patriot PAWS. This donation will help provide service dogs at no cost to disabled American veterans with mobile disabilities to help restore and maintain their physical and emotional independence.
"As a company, it's an honor to continue our partnership with Natural Balance and Patriot PAWS once again," said Chris Rowland, CEO of Pet Supplies Plus. "The impact that a service dog can have on a disabled veteran is life changing and we hope that this donation will help Patriot PAWS continue its mission. Our neighbors truly care about donating to worthy causes like Patriot PAWS, and we thank them for allowing us to make this donation possible to commemorate Veterans Day."
The check presentation at the Forney Pet Supplies Plus, located at 471 Marketplace Blvd #100, Forney, TX, will take place on November 9 at 10 a.m. CST. Local U.S. Army Veteran, Zac Tyler will be on-site at the event with the service dog he was matched with from Patriot PAWS Service Dogs this past summer. Zac Tyler of AR served in the United States Army infantry as well as Army National Guard attaining the rank of corporal. Zac served a total of 7 years.
"For over 10 years now, we've partnered with Pet Supplies Plus to bring awareness to Patriot PAWS and their amazing organization in honor of Veterans Day," said Darcy Hagan, vice president of Sales, Natural Balance. "We are always looking for ways to give back and this donation helps Patriot PAWS continue its incredible work of providing American servicemen and women with the invaluable gift of a service dog."
While the positive impact of service dogs on the wellbeing of veterans is widely known, many are unaware of the immense costs associated with training a service dog, which is around $35,000 per dog. Patriot PAWS aims to eliminate this cost for the veteran with the help of their donors, volunteers and training programs. On top of the existing demand, countless studies indicate the devastating impact of the pandemic, alone, has on the emotional and physical health of the nation, including American veterans–making Patriot PAWS' services that much more essential.
Founded in 2006 by professional dog trainer, Lori Stevens, Patriot PAWS aims to train and place service dogs with disabled veterans. Since 2015, Patriot PAWS has placed 293 total teams with veterans and others with mobile disabilities. Currently, they have 85 service dogs in training. Patriot PAWS can house up to 25 service dogs at their Rockwall Campus and the rest dispersed throughout their various programs, which include the Texas A&M Student Led Puppy Raiser Program, their local DFW Puppy Raiser Program and their partnership with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice where inmates in three local prisons train service dogs. The organization continues to remain focused on its mission, and with the help of Pet Supplies Plus and Natural Balance, expects to be able to make a handful of additional placements by the end of the year.
"The funds raised from the partnership between Pet Supplies Plus and Natural Balance will allow us to continue our mission to help provide our disabled American veterans with a Patriot PAWS Service Dogs," said, Patriot PAWS Founder Lori Stevens. "Donations like these allow our organization to remain at no-cost to those who receive the gift of a service dog."
Pet Supplies Plus offers a wide array of natural pet foods and a variety of made-in-the-USA pet consumables, including food, treats, rawhide and chews. Set in welcoming neighborhood environments, Pet Supplies Plus team members get to know their neighbors and pets by name at every store. Full-service grooming, self-serve pet wash stations and fresh bakery treats are also available in-store at many locations. Neighbors can now fill prescriptions online and receive home delivery for quality medications and specialty diets. Whether shopping in-store or online, choosing local is easy. For more information, visit www.petsuppliesplus.com.
