Recent Happenings Across the Regions!
Written by Michael Hughes
Edited by Sonja Jordan
SAN DIEGO, CA
We recently had the opportunity to highlight the critical role puppy parents play in the early development of our service dogs. Puppy parents are an essential part of our training pipeline, helping lay the groundwork for confident, capable service dogs long before formal training begins.
During our conversations, we shared how everyday involvement, from home routines to public outings builds a strong foundation for each dog’s future success. Puppy parents provide invaluable socialization and exposure to diverse environments, helping dogs learn to navigate the world with calmness and confidence. In essence, puppy parents play a meaningful and practical role in preparing our dogs for service, working hand in hand with our professional trainers.
What Is a Puppy Parent?
A puppy parent is a dedicated volunteer who cares for a service dog in training when the dog is not on-site at Paws for Purple Hearts. While Paws for Purple Hearts provides food, toys, and training supplies, puppy parents provide something just as vital: a loving home environment. Through everyday life experiences, meeting new people, living in different homes, and exploring new settings, puppy parents help dogs develop the social and emotional skills they need to become reliable service dogs.
Nitro recently visited Home Depot with his puppy parent, practicing his early training in a bustling, real-world environment filled with carts, tools, and curious shoppers. Nyla looked out over San Diego on a hike with her puppy parent, experiencing new terrain and outdoor sights. Ullrich spent time at a local park, learning to remain calm around children, unfamiliar sounds, and new smells. Each experience is a small but powerful step toward his future role as a service dog.
MENLO PARK, CA
Paws for Purple Hearts is proud to partner with the San Jose Airport, which welcomes our dogs in training for quarterly exposure visits. These trips allow our dogs to practice navigating TSA, moving through terminals, and boarding planes, critical skills for service dogs that will one day travel with their veteran partners.
The airport also supports our team meetings, allowing newly matched service dog teams to practice the travel process together before heading home or embarking on future adventures. Airports can be overwhelming environments for dogs, so this partnership plays a key role in building confidence and ensuring our teams are prepared for real-world travel.
Benefits of a Service Dog: Service dogs increase accessibility for veterans and military personnel by helping them navigate high-stress environments such as airports, crowds, TSA screenings, and flights, providing both practical assistance and emotional support.
PENNGROVE, CA
This is Ume (left) and Jasper (right) on the final day of Canine Assisted Warrior Training® (CAWT®) on February 4, 2026. As part of their last session, Ume and Jasper joined veterans on a field trip to the SFVA facility, where they demonstrated the tasks and skills the veterans learned throughout the eight-week program.
Our signature program, Canine-Assisted Warrior Therapy®, is an innovative therapeutic service dog training program for veterans and active-duty military personnel living with PTSD and traumatic brain injury. Participants learn the skills to train service dogs for fellow warriors, gaining hands-on experience, renewed purpose, and a powerful sense of connection.
All of our service dogs in training participate in therapy programs prior to placement, allowing each dog to impact 40 to 60 warriors before being matched with their forever partner.
TACOMA, WASHINGTON
Our team recently took service dogs in training Yzma and McKenzie into the city for advanced exposure training. Alongside their mentors, they visited Pike Place Market in Seattle, practicing navigating crowded spaces, riding elevators, and staying focused amid distractions. They successfully ignored other dogs, resisted tempting smells from restaurants and spice shops, and remained attentive to their handlers.
We also welcomed BOSS (Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers), who helped refresh our site. Stay tuned for an exciting reveal of our newest puppy soon!
RUTHER GLEN, VA
We had the distinct honor of visiting the Coalition for Government Procurement in Washington, D.C., where we shared the mission and impact of Paws for Purple Hearts. During the event, we conducted a live training demonstration to showcase how our dogs are prepared to support veterans in their daily lives.
A highlight of the presentation was introducing Waldron, one of our puppies named in honor of Roger Waldron, President of the Coalition. Attendees joined in celebrating our mission with purple-themed beverages, and we were thrilled to connect with so many supporters. We are grateful for the invitation and honored to return next year.