Brooksville nonprofit building new service dog training facility
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - The nonprofit, K9 Partners for Patriots, bought land for a new service dog training facility.
The Brooksville organization purchased over 10 acres off California St. and hopes to break ground on the new building in 2024.
K9 Partners for Patriots has rescued 226 dogs from shelters that are now working service dogs or are in training.
K9 Partners for Patriots serves over 750 veterans.
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"The number one job of a service dog is that they're supposed to be working for you at all points in time," K9 Partners for Patriots instructor and certified master dog trainer Jessica Kendrat said. "They need to be focused on their veteran, not on everything that's going on around them."
The nonprofit serves over 750 veterans from counties across the state, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando.
"They can smell the rising adrenaline levels, the cortisol levels rising in your body, and they can actually alert to different things that are happening prior to them happening," Kendrat said.
The nonprofit organization bought over 10 acres for the new building.
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"The bond that we can create that we see between the service members and their dog is second to none," K9 Partners for Patriots veteran support counselor Damian Watson said. "You see a difference from the first class versus the last class. Not only are they bonded, but now they're this team that is well-oiled and working."
According to K9 Partners for Patriots, data shows 22 veterans are lost to suicide every day.
"We always think of combat, you know, and obviously, that's a big thing in armed forces. But there's other situations that you will come across in military service that can cause trauma and can put you in the same places," Watson said.
K9 Partners for Patriots serves veterans from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando.
The nonprofit’s new facility will be built just a few miles north of the current facility. Communications director Gregg Laskoski said it will include an elevator and expanded scenario rooms, including a coffee shop and doctor’s office, which will all be used as part of the service dogs’ training.
"We want it to have the environment where our veterans are most likely to go when they have to go places in public," Laskoski said.
The estimated cost for the nonprofit’s new facility is $4 million, Laskoski said. If you want to donate, click here.