State Project

Combat veteran-founded and operated, Semper K9’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for wounded members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families by providing them custom-trained service dogs free of charge to disabled veterans.

The group’s mission is to find the right pup, train the right pup properly, and connect the right pup with the right veteran who has returned from service in need of some canine assistance. They have a 100% success rate with their services.

The dogs are trained to help with immobility issues and actions most people take for granted, like picking up the laundry or opening a refrigerator. They are also trained to spot anxiety in veterans suffering with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and then act in a way that can alleviate those symptoms, such as waking a veteran as he or she begins experiencing night terrors.

Semper K9 typically evaluates more than 100 canine candidates annually, and accepts 10-15 new dogs into their program each year. While their mission is to use rescue dogs, occasionally the group is provided purebred dogs that are donated by members of the community who want to give back to our veterans. Most of the dogs in the program are Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, or crossbreeds of those.

Training takes as long as it takes, and depending on how long it takes, the cost for training can exceed $20,000. Semper K9’s 2017 graduates all completed training in less than 12 months. They will be graduating their 100th assistance dog this summer.

Dogs that don’t meet graduation standards are retrained as companion or emotional support dogs. Semper K9 doesn’t give up on their dogs or their veterans.

Semper K9 also provides training and support for the entire family through its Family Integration Program, in which they teach caregivers and other family members the skills needed to support the veteran in their recovery through animal-assisted therapy.

Every day, 20 veterans take their own lives as a result of the trauma they experienced during their service. Semper K9 offers rescue dogs and troubled veterans the chance to come together for a new beginning and the chance to save each other.

Boulder Crest Foundation believes that there is no greater mission than helping combat veterans, first responders, and their families rediscover hope, purpose, and a future that is truly worth living.

The Boulder Crest mission is to train people to thrive in the aftermath of their trauma, to transform times of deep struggle into profound strength and lifelong growth. Their signature Progressive and Alternative Training for Helping Heroes (PATHH) programs teach their participants how to make peace with their past, live in the present, and begin planning for their future.

Boulder Crest understands the sacrifices and stresses of military and veteran families and believes that each family member plays a crucial role in the health and wellbeing of the entire family. Through PATHH programs and Rest and Reconnection (R&R) Stays at their lodge-and-cabin facilities, families have an opportunity to learn more about themselves and each other and rediscover the love and connections that brought them together.

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains on 37 acres initially surveyed by George Washington, Boulder Crest Virginia provides a serene, peaceful setting where individuals and families who are struggling are embraced and understood, and can find the path to a life worth living.

The Bluemont location provides programs and activities that help veterans, first responders, and their families reconnect with each other.

Therapeutic and recreational activities at the Bluemont location include equine, archery, art, music, labyrinth walks, hiking on the Appalachian Trail, and kayaking and fishing on the Shenandoah River. Optional organized group activities, such as barbecues and bonfires, create opportunities for guests to connect with and draw strength from one another in this warrior’s paradise.