Petland Charities Donates $4,000 to Heartland Canines for Veterans

Listen to this article

Press release: Petland, Inc.

Petland Charities is pleased to announce the results of its November fundraising campaign, which raised $4,000 for Heartland Canines for Veterans, a 501c3 organization that provides companion, service and therapy dogs for disabled veterans.

In 2015, Petland, Inc. committed to supporting the cost of one dog per year for five years. The average cost to raise and train each service dog is $7,200. This November, in an effort to provide additional support, Petland stores initiated a ‘Round Up at the Register’ campaign for Heartland and raised $4,000.

“Since 1967, Petland’s focus has been matching the right pet to the right customer and enhancing the human animal bond,” said Elizabeth Kunzelman, Director of Public Affairs. “We were excited for this additional opportunity to support the work of Heartland Canines for Veterans and are grateful to be able to help enhance a veteran’s life with a devoted companion.”

The mission of Heartland Canines for Veterans is to provide companion, service, and therapy dogs for disabled veterans. Heartland Canines for Veterans was established as an active 501c3 non-profit organization in 2015 and is led by a team of Missouri Pet Breeders. Heartland provides dogs that have been donated by professional breeders from the Missouri Pet Breeders Association. Each one of these dogs undergoes about 12-14 months of professional training to be able to aide veterans in the following areas (but are not limited to these): PTSD, seizure response, hearing disabilities, mobility assistance, and diabetic alerting. Heartland works with an affiliate veterans’ organization, Compass Quest, to identify candidates and their needs.

Veterans can go to the website for more information and to fill out an initial application.

Petland’s and Petland Charities’ national Community Service outreach includes offering support to local police, sheriff and fire departments as well as support for military veteran service dogs. The assistance for protective K9 units is most often a feeding program, supplies or fundraising for specific items, such as bite-suits or training gear. Petland stores currently support more than 150 K-9 units across the country. Support for veteran service dogs often goes towards the costs associated with raising, training and on-going care.

This year Petland also became a supporter of the launch of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife Law Enforcement Program five K-9 units and began a feeding program for Ohio Rescue Dog Association’s 10 K-9s.

Additionally, Petland supports service and therapy dogs for children through Safari Stan’s Children’s Charities which supports St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.