Rogers-Lowell Area News

Soldier On Service Dogs Seeking New Training Facility, Short-Term Funding to Continue Operations

Soldier ON Service Dogs (Soldier On) is a 4-year-old 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides service dogs at no charge to Northwest Arkansas (NWA) veterans with post traumatic stress disorder and/or traumatic brain injury (PTSD/TBI). Soldier ON was founded by Angie Pratt, who has been the principal benefactor, CEO and owner of the training facility in Fayetteville for the last four years.

Soldier ON’s program model is a two-year process that involves 1,800 hours of dog training and six months education for veterans who receive the service dogs. The training process costs (on average) approximately $40,000 per service dog team. The organization has a strong relationship with the local Veterans Administration (VA) hospital, although the VA does not provide funding to support the program. As a result, Soldier ON relies entirely on contributions from individuals (including their main benefactor, Pratt), corporations, foundations and fundraising campaigns, to support the program.

Pratt recently notified the Soldier ON Board of Directors of her decision to retire as CEO and her intention to sell the property housing the training facility. The Board has reached out to other local and national service dog organizations to explore opportunities to secure an alternative training facility, as well as significant short-term funding needed to continue operating. The Board is dedicated to the mission of Soldier ON and to finding alternative facilities and sponsors. However, if those discussions are unsuccessful, Soldier ON will have to discontinue its operations.

Veterans and service dogs remain the Board’s top priority. Veterans in the program are currently working through a transition plan with their program manager, who is also a mental health professional. Veterans were advised to inform their mental health counselors of the change in circumstances and Soldier ON trainers have voluntarily offered follow-up training refreshers for graduated veteran-service dog teams and also provided each veteran with a list of trusted NWA dog trainers. Dogs currently in the training program will continue to work with volunteer puppy raisers and professional trainers.

For more information, contact Soldier On Service Dogs at (479) 521-9301 or soldieronservicedogs.org.