The Navy SEAL Museum’s K9 Project

The Navy SEAL Museum’s K9 Project is one of four charitable outreaches of the Museum’s Trident House Charities Program. A 501(c)3 organization, the Museum’s K9 Project serves the warriors of the Special Operations community and their families. (Tax ID: 59-2569073)

Partnering with Baden K-9 in Ontario, Canada, with the generous support of dedicated donors, the Navy SEAL Museum has donated multiple working dogs to deserving veterans of the Special Operations community. This unique program creates an effective platform to help veterans assimilate back into civilian life by facilitating a special relationship between warrior and dog. The bond between elite operator and elite canine provides the connection and fellowship many veterans often find lacking when transitioning back into civilian life. Many of our warriors have expressed they often feel structure missing or their purpose is lost after leaving years of training and combat behind.

The Navy SEAL Museum’s K9 Project is unique because it seeks to serve active duty and veterans from varied backgrounds with very different needs. Working with Baden K-9 in Ontario, the K9 Project places service dogs with individuals with diverse needs. The recipient may have physical mobility limitations, or may suffer from the invisible wounds of war, like traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The K9 Project radically improves their quality of life–physically, mentally, and emotionally–by introducing an unconditionally loving, working companion to begin or advance the healing process.

Once a veteran in need is identified, Baden K9 works closely with the Museum and a match is made with the appropriate canine. The veteran and his family are given a high level of training over several days and weeks to initially embed the dog into the home. This helps to create a foundational bond between the new handler and canine, but also curates the beginning of a long-lasting relationship between veteran and other military operators–active and retired–who also support the process.

However, the program does not stop once the canine enters the home; the veteran is provided lifelong support and ongoing training, or “sharpening”, of this unique bond. Baden and Museum both recognize that as time wears on, the needs of the veterans and their families change; Baden and the K9 Project remain engaged with each recipient to walk alongside him as part of this evolution, offering the ongoing support and training required to meet developing needs. Our commitment to our recipients never ends.

The K9 Project seeks to strengthen the community by providing dogs who bridge the gap between service to country and civilian life that follows. These service dogs administer hope, healing, connection, and purpose, often where other assistance has not. The K9 Project and Baden K-9 are committed to providing dogs that guide warriors through the darkness of daily combat–even after they have left service.

We are a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. Your support is greatly needed, deeply appreciated, and makes a difference in the lives of many. To make a contribution, please visit our Support Page.

“I had a good start in the Navy, completing SWCC training (Class 16) and serving at SBU-12. From there I went onto BUD/S (Class 217) and was stationed at ST-2. While attached to a platoon, I suffered a spinal injury during training. This resulted in a medical discharge and my career was suddenly cut short. I would not understand until years later how these events truly affected me both physically and emotionally.

For a very long time, I took those painful emotions and just pushed them down. I tried to ignore them and didn’t admit to myself that my coping skills were unhealthy. I pushed myself and my family to their limits.

After enduring a roller coaster of surgeries and emotional issues for close to 20 years, I learned about the K9 Project at the Fort Pierce Navy SEAL Museum. I immediately reached out and applied. I was truly at my lowest point. I felt helpless and without a purpose, though I hid this from the world. I was in a very dark place.

A few months later, I was texted a photo that could not have had a greater impact on my life. The K9 Project sent me a picture of Sully, a brand-new German Shepherd who had just been born at Baden K9 in Canada. I immediately felt a surge of joy, something I have had a hard time experiencing since leaving the military. Then COVID stopped the delivery of Sully and made it almost impossible to bring him over the border. The K9 Project went above and beyond to find a way to put us together.

Working with Sully over the past few years has shown me that an animal can truly show unconditional love. He has been with me for just over four years now. Sully is a watchman over my wife and children, a protector of our home, and my friend.

I am an example of the success of the K9 Project and will promote and assist in any way to ensure its future success. This program changes the lives of veterans, and I am forever grateful for the ways that it has changed mine. Thank you.”

K9 Project Recipients

Your charitable donations to the K9 Project are making a marked difference in the lives of our veterans.
Here is a profound testimony.

Video: Navy SEAL Museum’s K-9 Project

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The K9 Project Gallery

Information for Prospective Recipients

The Navy SEAL Museum has been working in tandem with Baden K-9 since 2016, gifting service dogs to our nation’s retired Special Operators. Our commitment to our veterans is not only the provision of a service dog to support varied needs, but also providing a lifelong partnership of ongoing training and a rich network of support for success. Our veterans come to us with a need, and we address it with compassion, a chartered strategy, and companionship.

Prospective canine recipients are encouraged to apply online. Initial eligibility requirements for the program are as follows:

The applicant must have served as a member of Naval Special Warfare or other Special Forces Unit. (DD214 is required upon applying.)
The applicant must be active duty or an honorably discharged member of the military.
The applicant must demonstrate a need for a service animal.
The applicant must be willing to commit to the care of the animal throughout its lifespan.
The applicant must have suitable home for the service animal.
The applicant’s family members must be active participants in the training and care of the service animal.

The first step to determine eligibility is to fill out an application.
Fill out the K9 Project application and submit it for review.
A copy of your DD214 will also need to be emailed to kevin@navysealmuseum.org.
For K9 Project application questions or further support, please email kevin@navysealmuseum.org

Submit K-9 Project Application

Partners

The K9 Project is grateful for the generous support of our partners.

Testimonials

To the National UDT/Navy SEAL Museum and the Museum’s K9 Project, to Swim With A Mission, to everyone who has donated–not only money but time and resources–and to Baden K-9 (who bears the burden of keeping alive the ancient, sacred, tried-and-true methods of breeding and training the most amazing dogs on the planet): there are not enough ways to express my sincere gratitude. Thank You, thank you, THANK YOU, ALL!

“Getting a Baden dog through the Navy SEAL Museum profoundly changed my life in the best ways possible.
I am a SEAL reservist with almost 39 years of total service and over 20 years of active (SEAL) service.

During my SEAL career, I have been deployed to and operated in 22 countries. The years on the job have taken a toll on my physical and mental well – being. I found it very difficult to interact with people in everyday situations until I received my Baden dog through the Navy SEAL Museum. My outlook on life has improved significantly and once again I can function much better in daily social interactions.

Phil Ryan, along with Josh Perry, was instrumental in helping me obtain my Baden dog. Not only did I get a companion dog, but also I received some of the finest K-9 training available at no cost.

Now I give back to both the SEAL Museum and Baden K-9 by helping to coordinate the Frogman Foundry series at the museum. Educating the public about Navy SEALs and the K-9 program.

I am very fortunate that I was selected to receive this wonderful dog and I would like to help others to have the same opportunity as I did.”

“I am confident Camo will provide me the grounding to better manage my chronic symptoms of anxiety, depression, and high alertness stemming from combat stress and minor TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). Camo’s calm demeanor and loyal companionship will assist with my mobility to get out more and continue to move forward in life. At first sight, Camo helped me be at peace. I am confident from my time with dogs when I was younger, while deployed, and while at some treatment clinics that Camo will be a life-changer for me. I am overjoyed and eternally grateful for all the Navy SEAL Museum and Baden K-9 have done for me and for what they do for my peers.”

“I am a former Navy SEAL. It has been and honor and a privilege working with the Navy SEAL Museum Demonstration Team, which unexpectedly started my journey in the K-9 community and, ultimately, the Museum’s K-9 Project. I have had several dogs as pets, but never had I achieved the bond that I have with my Baden K-9 named Storm, a female Belgian Malinois. Storm was selected and trained by The Dogman, Josh Perry. She is forever bringing into focus my understanding and way of seeing the world around me. These are very special animals. Bred, reared, and trained in an ancient tradition forgotten by most. I never considered having a trained K-9 as a companion. I certainly did not understand how beneficial one could be for me and my family. My understanding of this today only fuels my desire to do what I can to educate and assist as many other veterans that are interested in a K-9 to have the privilege to experiencing what I have. They can provide home protection, retrieve prostatic limbs, detect depression and seizures, rebuild trust issues, help with situational awareness, rebuild social interaction and communication breakdowns, and simply bring peace and happiness at times when it is most needed.”

“I am extremely proud to have served my country as a SEAL for 23 years. My career path has taken me through extreme times. Now that my service has ended, I am realizing the cost of my service. Like many, I feel a great void. There are several components that contribute to this “void” to include: loss of identity, loss of purpose, feelings of anger, sadness, depression, grief, frustration and an overall feeling of isolation and loneliness. In this new phase of my life, I have a hard time relating to and connecting with other people and my view of the world has darkened.

The K-9 Project is significant to me because of the fact that someone who I never met went out of their way to brighten my stoic existence. This is something I am reminded of every morning when I am greeted by my dog enthusiastically wagging his tail.

Owning this canine has provided me with a new responsibility and duty which in turn led to an increased sense of identity, purpose, and happiness. During my service, my biggest fear was the possibility of failing my teammates. Now my canine is my teammate and I had to find a new motivation. This motivation has been effective at cutting through many of my internal obstacles, which allows me to function at a higher level.

Basically, I learned that fear can drive motivation and you will find happiness along the way. My identity and purpose in this phase of my life is someone who protects and ensures the best for my family and my dog. It is hard to be angry, sad, depressed, grief ridden, frustrated, and lonely when you have unconditional love.”

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