Tag: PAWS Act

PAWS Act Becomes Law Not a Moment Too Soon

Just a few days before the war in Afghanistan finally came to an end this week, President Biden signed into law the PAWS Act, aka the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act.  The timing couldn’t be better.

The PAWS Act requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to launch a $10 million, five-year-long dog training therapy program to provide service dogs to veterans suffering from PTSD. Amazingly, this will be the first time in U.S. history that the VA has paid for providing these important service animals to veterans.

“We commend the White House for supporting this bill as a critical step in combatting veteran suicide, and we’re confident in the path ahead for service dogs ultimately becoming a covered VA benefit to veterans with PTSD,” Rory Diamond, CEO of K9s For Warriors, said in a press release. K9s for Warriors is the country’s largest provider of trained service dogs to military veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma.

It’s a tragic statistic that about 20 veterans die by suicide every single day. Nearly 90,000 veterans died by suicide between 2005 and 2018.

Could service dogs help prevent this? Veterans with PTSD who had been paired with service dogs had less suicidal ideation and greater symptom improvement than veterans paired with emotional support dogs, according to a 2021 VA study.

The dog training therapy program will begin on Jan. 1, 2022. Per the PAWS Act, the VA must provide the following:

  • Eligible veterans will be able to receive dog training instruction from nongovernmental accredited 501(c)(3) nonprofit service dog training organizations, such as K9s For Warriors.
  • Those veterans will be taught positive reinforcement dog training for skills that help their PTSD symptoms.
  • Best of all, when the training is completed, the veterans will have the opportunity to adopt the dogs they trained.

“In communicating with veterans and their healthcare providers, it’s more imperative than ever to embrace the lifesaving impact of a service dog and to raise awareness for this treatment option as a proven method for mitigating debilitating symptoms of PTSD and suicidal ideations,” Diamond said.

Here’s hoping the pilot PAWS Act training program will be a huge success. From now on, the VA should provide service dogs free of charge to any veterans who need them.

Photo: K9s for Warriors

Proposed PAWS Act Would Protect Pets of Domestic Violence Victims

About half of all women living with abusive partners choose to stay in the relationship because they are afraid to leave their pets behind, according to the ASPCA. Only 3 percent of U.S. shelters for victims of domestic violence currently allow pets.

Most of the women who do go to shelters said their abusive partner also threatened, harmed or killed a family pet. And 25 percent of those women return to the abuser because they fear for their pets’ lives.

To change these sad statistics, the Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act of 2015 (H.R. 1258) was reintroduced in Congress on March 5 by Reps. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.). It is intended to “protect the pets of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence,” according to the bill text.

The PAWS Act was initially introduced last year, but failed to pass.

“Sadly, domestic violence is something one in every four women will experience at some point in their lives,” said Clark in a press release. “This isolating experience is made even worse for those who fear for the safety of their pet. Most pet lovers, including me, consider their beloved dog or cat a part of their family. No one should have to make the choice between leaving an abusive situation and ensuring their pet’s safety.”

Specifically, the PAWS Act would:

  • “Prohibit threats or acts of violence against a person’s pet under the offenses of stalking and interstate violation of a protection order,” according to the bill text. It would requires the abuser to pay the “full amount of the victim’s losses,” including the costs for veterinary services.
  • Provide grants from the Dept. of Agriculture to create programs that would provide housing assistance and support services to victims and their pets.
  • Strongly assert the need for states to expand legal protections for the pets of domestic violence victims. Only about half of all U.S. states currently have laws protecting the pets of domestic violence victims.

On March 23, the legislation was referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture.

The PAWS Act is supported by many groups, including the National Network to End Domestic Violence; the ASPCA; the Humane Society of the United States; and the American Veterinary Medical Association.

“Too many victims feel compelled to stay in abusive relationships to protect their pets,” said Ros-Lehtinen in the press release. “This bill protects both victims and pets. We should continue to work for the day when victims of domestic violence will not be hindered in their decision to leave an abuser.”

Photo credit: Michelângelo Mazzardo Marques Viana

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