February 23rd marks the first anniversary of Puppy Jake Foundation and we are so proud of what we have accomplished in just one short year! The Foundation began with one yellow retriever named Jake, and has grown before our eyes. PJF currently has 12 dogs in training and will add over 12 more by Fall 2014.
Puppy Jake Foundation service dogs have been very busy with their training schedule in order to prepare to be placed with deserving wounded military veterans. To practice essential skills and expand their training beyond Iowa, PJF dogs took a trip to San Diego. The trip to California was a great success; the dogs did terrific on airplanes, moving walkways, glass elevators, boats, trolleys, metros, buses, cabs, aboard the USS Midway, and meeting dolphins and seals. Future destinations for PJF dogs include Kansas City and Chicago.
Although we have wonderful dogs in our program going through rigorous training, we would not be able to fulfill our mission without our wonderful supporters. Puppy Jake Foundation has grown to include more than 50 Puppy Raisers and Puppy Sitters, hundreds of general volunteers and thousands of supporters. In just one year, our Facebook has more than 4,770 followers.
The financial support we have received has also been beyond expectations. By the end of 2013, Puppy Jake Foundation had financial contributions from hundreds of individuals and dozens of local businesses. One program in particular stood out; Hy-Vee Homefront chose Puppy Jake Foundation as one of the military organizations to support for the year. Also, Puppy Jake Foundation has been recognized as one of the top three non-profit organizations in Cityview’s annual "Best of Des Moines".
Of all of our accomplishments in 2013, Puppy Jake Foundation is ecstatic to get our first group of service dogs placed with deserving wounded military veterans in Fall of 2014. Please check back in with us to see what’s going on with Puppy Jake Foundation. Thank you for all your continuous support!