The Canine Program at Clear Path for Veterans (CPV) has been well-established for a decade. Since its inception, the program staff has consistently maintained high standards and continues to raise the bar for growth and advancement.
In 2017, the program took a major shift, with the introduction of a Puppy Development Program, aimed at raising and training purpose-bred Labradors to become service dogs for veterans with military-related post-traumatic-stress (PTS), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and/or military sexual trauma (MST).
This program enhancement came about in response to the growing need for service dogs for our Nation’s Veterans. As of June 30, 2021, the Canine Program has been accepted into the Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans (ASDPMV).
ASDPMV is a coalition of non-profit service dog providers for military Veterans working to prevent suicide and improve Veterans’ mental health.
As stated on their website, the goal of the ASDPMV is as follows: Our goal is to ensure that best practices are utilized by qualified organizations to ensure that Veterans are paired with the most beneficial service dogs; increase awareness and understanding of the medical evidence that supports the use of service dogs, and advocate for the expanded use of qualified service dogs.
As a member organization, CPV hopes to contribute to this mission by sharing best practices across the nation with other like-minded programs.
CPV is one of the few programs in the country that have completed a study showing results of its training program correlated with the mitigation of symptoms related to PTS.
Furthermore, this study indicates that participants of the Canine Program had higher self-compassion, increased quality of life, and decreased perceived stress. Program Director Ryan Woodruff said, “It’s time for Clear Path to go beyond the borders of New York State with its world-class programming. There are too many Veterans out there that could benefit from these services and it is our duty to serve them. Furthermore, it is our pleasure to serve those who have served, and the least we could do as a supportive nation.”
