Pawsitive Teams

What Pawsitive Teams does

Pawsitive Teams, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation (EIN 33-0851474) founded in 1997 and incorporated in California in May 1999, operating from a 5,000 sq. ft. Training Center in the Miramar area of San Diego. Its core function is the breeding, raising, and training of assistance dogs — through a volunteer-inspired, volunteer-run model in which 100+ volunteer trainers keep dogs in their homes for two years of positive-reinforcement (operant conditioning) training — followed by placement with San Diego County residents. The organization delivers three program lines: a Service Dog Program (mobility assistance dogs for individuals with disabilities and a specialized track for military veterans with PTSD), a Facility Dog Program (dogs placed with professionals in schools, counseling centers, courts, and military settings), and a Therapy Dog Program that delivers goal-directed animal-assisted therapy through certified volunteer teams. Supporting offerings include the six-week Therapy Dog Prep School ($270 per handler/dog pair), the six-month Facility Dog Academy launched in 2023, the CICR program at Naval Medical Center San Diego for active-duty service members with PTSD and TBI, and a Virtual Canine Therapy online content platform launched in 2020.

The business model is a hybrid of charitable donations and modest program fees. Revenue streams include individual and corporate donations, employer matching gifts, vehicle donations, planned giving and Endow San Diego endowments, $7,500 puppy sponsorships, a $2,500 service dog placement fee with a $50 non-refundable application fee, and Prep School tuition. All in-person program delivery is geographically constrained to San Diego County, with a self-serve online pre-application portal and community-driven go-to-market (educational presentations at schools, disability support groups, diversity fairs, and military facilities). Output volume is deliberately small: only 2-3 service dogs are placed per year due to program size, and 20 therapy dog teams were certified in 2023.

The organization's defensibility rests on its Assistance Dogs International accreditation held continuously since 2006 (with five-year re-accreditation cycles), its Patriots Initiative accreditation, its multi-decade institutional relationships with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, the Naval Medical Center San Diego, and local philanthropic foundations (Las Patronas, Las Primeras, Sundt Foundation), and a long-tenured volunteer trainer and staff base. It is governed by a Board of Directors, has 1-10 part-time paid staff, and reports no parent company, private equity, or institutional investment ownership.

Name

Pawsitive Teams

Legal name

Pawsitive Teams, Inc.

Website

https://pawsteams.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pawsitive Teams is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that trains and places service dogs, therapy dogs, and facility dogs for San Diego County residents, including mobility assistance for individuals with disabilities and PTSD support for military veterans, supported by 100+ volunteer trainers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Service Dog Training and Animal-Assisted Therapy

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Pet Services (Grooming, Training, Daycare) (CRALAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

Keywords

• Service dog training
• Animal-assisted therapy
• Facility dog placement
• Therapy dog certification
• Mobility assistance dogs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Relies heavily on donations from individuals who believe in the power of dogs to improve lives. Accepts one-time and recurring donations, employer matching gifts, vehicle donations, and puppy sponsorship ($7,500)
2. Service Dog Placement Fees: Applicants pay a $50 non-refundable Application Fee and a $2,500 Placement Fee after matching. Financial assistance guidance is provided.
3. Therapy Dog Prep School Tuition: Six-week Prep School sessions at $270 per handler/dog pair (from 2025), with $100 audit option without a dog. Fees subsidize the mission.
4. Planned Giving and Endowments: Accepts planned gifts including bequests, charitable remainder trusts, life insurance beneficiaries, stock gifts, and participates in Endow San Diego initiative

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pawsitive Teams is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that trains and places service dogs, therapy dogs, and facility dogs with San Diego County residents and professionals. The Service Dog Program provides mobility-assistance dogs to individuals with physical disabilities; the Therapy Dog Program offers goal-directed animal-assisted therapy; and the Facility Dog Program places dogs with professionals in workplaces such as schools, counseling centers, and courts. Supporting offerings include the Therapy Dog Prep School, Facility Dog Academy, and Virtual Canine Therapy platform.

Product overview

Pawsitive Teams is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates a multi-program portfolio focused on training and placing assistance dogs in San Diego County. The organization offers three core programs: Service Dog Program (mobility assistance dogs for people with disabilities), Facility Dog Program (dogs for workplace settings), and Therapy Dog Program (goal-directed animal-assisted therapy). Supporting these are the Therapy Dog Prep School (training for therapy dog certification), Facility Dog Academy (certification for owner-trained facility dogs), and Virtual Canine Therapy (online platform). The Service Dog Program also includes a specialized track for military veterans with PTSD, and the CICR Program specifically supports military personnel with PTSD and TBI through community reintegration. All programs operate from the organization's 5,000 sq. ft. Training Center in the Miramar area of San Diego.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PAAT (Pawsitive Animal Assisted Therapy): Goal-directed therapy dog program where handlers work with professionals to help clients achieve defined goals.

Products and services

• Service Dog Program Trains and places fully-trained mobility assistance service dogs with San Diego County residents who have mobility-limiting disabilities. Dogs perform tasks including retrieving dropped items, opening doors, helping with undressing, bringing the phone or wheelchair in an emergency, and activating adaptive switches. Placement fee is $2,500 with a $50 application fee.
• Therapy Dog Program (PAAT) Goal-directed animal-assisted therapy program where certified volunteer handler/therapy dog teams work with professionals to help clients (children and adults) achieve clearly defined therapeutic goals at select local facilities in San Diego County.
• Facility Dog Program Places fully-trained facility dogs with professionals (such as those in schools, counseling centers, and courts) who use the dog in the workplace to accomplish client-related goals. Dogs receive the same two years of intensive training as service dogs and must be adaptable to workplace environments. The handler/professional must reside and work in San Diego County.
• Therapy Dog Prep School Six-week training program preparing both handler and dog for therapy dog certification. Offered four times per year at the Pawsitive Teams Training Center at $270 per handler/dog pair (effective 2025), with a $100 audit option for attendees without a dog. Fees subsidize the nonprofit mission.
• Facility Dog Academy Six-month certification program for owners who want to use their own well-trained dog in a workplace setting as a facility dog. Includes in-person classes, workplace meetings, practice sessions, ongoing observations, and a final certification test.
• Virtual Canine Therapy Online virtual canine therapy platform providing photo galleries of therapy dogs and information about the benefits of eye contact with dogs and oxytocin release.
• Service Dogs for Veterans with PTSD Specialized service dog training and placement program for military veterans diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder residing in San Diego County. Uses a separate pre-application process from the non-veteran service dog track.
• CICR Program (Canine Inspired Community Reintegration) Six-week program designed to help active-duty military service members recovering from PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury re-enter the community. Operates in partnership with Naval Medical Center San Diego.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Assistance Dogs InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of not-for-profit organizations that train and place assistance dogs. Pawsitive Teams is an accredited member, required to pass re-accreditation every 5 years.
• The Patriots InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccreditation organization that determined Pawsitive Teams as one of the finest organizations supporting America's armed forces service members, veterans and their families.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• San Diego Humane Society: Large regional nonprofit in Pawsitive Teams' service area providing animal welfare services including pet therapy programs. While not training assistance dogs, it represents the broader San Diego pet/animal services ecosystem and potential partner or competitor for community attention and donations.

Direct peers

• Guide Dogs for the Blind: Large ADI-accredited nonprofit providing guide dogs and service dogs to people with disabilities. While focused on guide dogs, its service dog program and volunteer puppy raiser model closely parallel Pawsitive Teams' approach.
• Canine Companions for Independence: Largest US nonprofit training service dogs for individuals with disabilities. Operates multiple regional training centers, ADI-accredited, and offers service, hearing, and skilled companion dogs—directly comparable to Pawsitive Teams' service dog program but at national scale.
• Pet Partners: National therapy animal organization registering therapy animal teams for visits to hospitals, schools, and other facilities. Closely comparable to Pawsitive Teams' Therapy Dog Program and Prep School certification function, though with broader species scope.
• Patriot Paws Service Dogs: Texas-based nonprofit training mobility assistance and PTSD service dogs for disabled American veterans at no cost. Directly comparable model to Pawsitive Teams' service dog and veteran programs with similar two-year training cycles.
• K9s For Warriors: Largest US nonprofit specifically providing service dogs to military veterans with PTSD/TBI. Direct comparable to Pawsitive Teams' veteran PTSD program, with ADI accreditation and similar goal-directed training methodology.
• 4 Paws for Ability: Nonprofit training service dogs for children and veterans with disabilities including autism, mobility issues, and PTSD. ADI-accredited with similar volunteer-raised puppy model and placement fee structure.
• NEADS World Class Service Dogs: ADI-accredited nonprofit training service dogs for veterans, people with disabilities, and children with hearing loss. Uses volunteer puppy raiser model similar to Pawsitive Teams and offers Prison PUP partnership program.
• Canine Inspired Community Reintegration (CICR): Military-focused service dog nonprofit at Naval Medical Center San Diego that specifically partners with Pawsitive Teams on their CICR program. Trains and places PTSD/TBI service dogs for active-duty military—direct programmatic peer.

Others

• Assistance Dogs International: Coalition of not-for-profit assistance dog training organizations that accredits Pawsitive Teams. Sets industry standards and is comparable as an ecosystem/standards body rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCClvfeYPGNcMubjaTjcXrFg
• Instagraminstagram.com/pawsteams
• Xx.com/pawsitiveteams
• Facebookfacebook.com/pawsteams
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pawsitiveteams

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pawsitive Teams