Submitted
The Hamilton County Veterans Corp. held its Hamilton County Community Resource Fair on Oct. 11, and one of the stars of the event was Veteran’s Best Friend Indiana, Inc. (VBF).
It was so awesome to see and hear of the great things they do with pets and how they help treat and care for the Military Veteran community.
VBF’s Mission
Veteran’s Best Friend is a non-profit organization established in 2015 and based in Indianapolis. VBF works to create lasting relationships between veterans, Gold Star Families, and rescued dogs and cats throughout central Indiana. Pets are placed with veterans at no cost.
It is proven that caring for a loving pet can help ease anxiety, loneliness, depression, even PTSD symptoms. Pet ownership encourages love and acceptance, companionship, responsibility, interaction, and exercise.
Finally, VBF is honored to provide this service to the men and women who have served our country and to those families who have lost a loved one.
VBF’s Process
In order to ensure a “furever” placement, VBF connects interested veterans with dogs or cats that match their lifestyle and personality. All animals are rescued from a statewide network of shelters and rescue groups and spend four to six weeks in training before being partnered with their matched veteran. All animals are fully house trained, and dogs are trained with obedience skills such as sit, stay, and can walk politely on a leash.
For veterans who already have their own pet, VBF offers dog training scholarships that include up to two sets of four private lessons with a professional dog trainer.
How to apply
Visit veteransbestfriendin.com to fill out an application to either adopt a pet, or if you already have a dog, to receive one-on-one training from a professional dog trainer. The program is free to veterans of all conflicts and to Gold Star Families.