Warrior Canine Connection

MISSION STATEMENT: Warrior Canine Connection is a pioneering organization that utilizes a clinically based Mission Based Trauma Recovery (MBTR) therapy model to help wounded Warriors reconnect with life, their families, their communities, and each other.

HISTORY: Accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI), Warrior Canine Connection (WCC) is a recognized leader in the service dog industry as well as the field of Animal Assisted Therapy. The organization offers two key programs to support wounded Veterans—providing a unique form of Animal Assisted Therapy and placing highly-skilled Service Dogs with Veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and/or low mobility. Since its founding, WCC has placed 185 assistance dogs with Veterans and Military Families and engaged more than 13,000 in its unique therapeutic service dog training program. 

The organization’s founder, Rick Yount, was the first in the country to pilot the use of service dog training as a therapeutic intervention for PTSD and TBI. Today, WCC’s program is an integral part of Veteran treatment programs at leading VA, Military and university hospitals; Veterans Treatment Courts and State correctional facilities; and community resource centers.

PROGRAM DETAILS: The training methodology used in WCC’s Animal Assisted Therapy program (known as Mission Based Trauma Recovery or MBTR) was specifically designed to assist Veterans recovering from the hidden wounds of war. Working through a defined curriculum, WCC trainers coach Warriors to train future service dogs by using positive reinforcement methods of shaping canine behavior. This hands-on program has been shown to reduce stress/anxiety, improve concentration and executive functioning, reduce irritability, facilitate social reintegration, and provide Veterans with an increased sense of purpose. Training a service dog also requires emotionally based praise that challenges patterns of emotional numbing. Learning to communicate assertively and effectively, practicing patience and demonstrating empathy are skills that improve social and emotional competence, behaviors often seen compromised by PTSD and other brain injuries. 

Based on positive results, the MBTR program is in high demand with military and VA hospitals, Veterans Treatment Courts and correctional facilities, community intervention programs, and other nonprofit organizations. The success of WCC’s program also inspired national lawmakers to pass the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act in 2021. This important legislation called for the Department of Veterans Affairs to replicate the MBTR program at VA hospitals across the country. WCC collaborated with VA leadership on implementation of the PAWS Act and currently serves as the nonprofit service provider at 2 of the 5 pilot sites. 

WCC currently operates 15 program delivery sites in five states, including two locations in Virginia.