Animal Friends for Veterans

Animal Friends for Veterans Logo

Supporting vets. Rescuing pets.

Many veterans return home carrying scars—both visible and invisible—that make it challenging to adjust to civilian life. These can include conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other daily struggles. Feelings of hopelessness and a desire to give up are unfortunately common.

One veteran shared with us, There were so many times I wanted to end it all, but I didn’t because I didn’t want anything bad to happen to my dogs.”

At Animal Friends, we understand the powerful bond between veterans and their companion animals. These pets can provide much-needed support, keeping veterans active, engaged, and giving them a reason to keep moving forward.

Animal Friends has a long history of supporting veterans and service members. Founded in 1943 during World War II, we have grown into a full-service animal welfare organization, proudly serving the pets and people of southwestern Pennsylvania.

Veteran and dog

Recognizing the life-changing power of the animal-human bond, and with nearly 200,000 military veterans in the Pittsburgh region alone, our commitment is stronger now than ever before. That’s why we are so proud to offer Animal Friends for Veterans, our comprehensive adoption and resource support program for veterans and their pets.

Services for Veterans

Careers at Animal Friends
  • Matchmaking Services

    Animal Friends offers personalized pet matches for veterans and proudly waives the adoption fee for any dog, cat, or rabbit—an important tradition we continue. We also provide any necessary services to help strengthen the bond between you and your new companion.

    To begin, fill out an adoption application and indicate that you're a veteran. Once submitted, we’ll contact you to discuss your needs and provide a brief survey to help us match you with the right pet.

food distribution sign
  • Pet Food Assistance

    Through our Chow Wagon Pet Food Bank, Animal Friends can provide access to free nutritious food for dogs, cats and rabbits living with veterans who are facing financial hardships to ensure nobody goes hungry.

Vet Surgery
  • Spay & Neuter Help

    All animals adopted from Animal Friends are spayed or neutered prior to adoption. But, any cat or dog living with a veteran (including outdoor community cats) in need of spay/neuter services will receive a 20% discount on a spay or neuter package at Animal Friends Wellness Clinic. City of Pittsburgh residents may also be eligible for a free spay/neuter surgery through a special application process.

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  • Vet Care Assistance

    The cost of veterinary care can quickly become a stressful challenge – especially during times of financial uncertainty. Veterans will receive a 20% discount on already affordable wellness services and vaccines for dogs and cats at our Wellness Clinic.

Training
  • Behavior Help

    To ensure a good fit well beyond the adoption or to strengthen the bond with a pet already in their home, veterans will receive a 20% discount on a wide range of select dog training classes through Animal Friends University, as well as free access to our behavior help line. Additional services such as one-on-one training sessions may be available dependent upon need.

Emergency Boarding
  • Emergency Support

    While our goal is to keep pets at home with loving families, our team is here to offer support when it is needed most. Animal Friends can offer emergency boarding for any dog, cat or rabbit living with a veteran in crisis. For assistance, please contact our Admissions team at Admissions@ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org.

How To Support

A Legacy of Service and Support for Veterans

Major Follansbee was a highly decorated Green Beret who served on multiple deployments in both Iraq and Afghanistan, earning two bronze stars among numerous other commendations. Tragically, in December 2012, he took his own life.

His parents, Dr. and Mrs. William Follansbee, know firsthand the alarming statistics about suicide in the military and established the Major Ben Follansbee Memorial Fund to support veterans programming at Animal Friends with the mission of helping veterans and saving homeless shelter animals. For more information on Animal Friends for Veterans click here.

Maj. Benjamin Follansbee Memorial Fund

Contact Us

Our team is looking forward to hearing from you so we can share details about how we can customize the program to fit your (and your pet’s) needs. Please contact us at Veterans@ThinkingOutsidetheCage.org or 412.847.7030 to get started. Please monitor your junk or spam folder for our response in case it ends up there by mistake.

Veteran and dog