Soldier's Best Friend

What Soldier's Best Friend does

Soldier's Best Friend is an Arizona-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that pairs rescued Arizona shelter dogs with U.S. military veterans living with combat-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, or depression. Since inception the program has produced 483 veteran-dog team graduations, rescued more than 380 shelter dogs, and delivered 3,376 training hours in 2025; the 500th team was celebrated in June 2026. The organization operates training facilities in Peoria (headquarters) and Tucson (opened June 1, 2026), and conducts a portion of its dog training inside Perryville prison in Goodyear through an inmate-training program. Services are delivered to eligible veterans at no cost via a direct-application intake process.

The underlying 'product' is a multi-stage service dog training and pairing workflow: rescue dogs from Arizona shelters, train them (including through the prison-based pipeline), certify them as service animals, and match them with vetted veterans who then receive ongoing support. There is no software platform, mobile app, or proprietary technology stack disclosed; the program relies on in-person training, community referrals, and a web-based application and donation funnel. Distribution is direct-to-veteran within Arizona, supported by a multi-channel marketing mix (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, blog, email newsletter, PR, and community events).

Revenue is generated entirely through donations and grants. Streams include individual donations (qualifying for the Arizona Qualified Charitable Organization tax credit, QCO code 22497), corporate partnerships (Fulton Homes, 94.5 KOOL FM, Petco Love, Dayspring Pens), and foundation grants concentrated among a handful of major Arizona family foundations (Dorrance Family Foundation, Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation, Robert Kemper Corrigan Foundation, Frances and John Wahl Foundation, Evelyn and Lou Grubb Charitable Fund). The organization is governed by a board of directors and staffed by personnel including Development Manager Emilio Driscoll; no parent company, private equity, or venture capital ownership is indicated.

Name

Soldier's Best Friend

Legal name

Soldier's Best Friend

Website

https://soldiersbestfriend.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Soldier's Best Friend is an Arizona 501(c)(3) nonprofit that rescues shelter dogs and trains them as service animals for U.S. military veterans with combat-related PTSD or TBI, delivering the program at no cost through Peoria and Tucson training facilities funded by donations and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veteran Support Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Charity Clinics & Medical Aid (BPAGAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Medicine & Training-Integrated Veterinary Services (HLAMAAAI), Foster & Volunteer Network Programs (BPAGAIAF)

Keywords

• Service dog training
• Veteran support services
• PTSD therapy programs
• Animal rescue nonprofit
• Assistance dog programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Peoria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to support the nonprofit's mission of pairing service dogs with veterans at no cost.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Support from foundations including Dorrance Family Foundation, Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation, Robert Kemper Corrigan Foundation, Frances and John Wahl Foundation, and Evelyn and Lou Grubb Charitable Fund.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsors and partners contribute support, donations, and visibility to the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Soldier's Best Friend rescues Arizona homeless dogs from shelters and trains them to become certified service dogs that are paired at no cost with U.S. military veterans living with combat-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), anxiety, and depression. The organization runs a structured training pipeline, including inmate-led training at the Perryville prison in Goodyear, and graduates veteran/dog teams through in-person programs at its Peoria headquarters and Tucson training academy.

Product overview

Soldier's Best Friend is an Arizona-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides a direct service program pairing rescued homeless dogs with U.S. military veterans who have combat-related PTSD or traumatic brain injury (TBI). The organization offers service dog training at no cost to eligible veterans. Their core offering is the Veteran/Dog Teams program, which includes rescue of Arizona homeless dogs, training (including prison-based training programs at Perryville prison in Goodyear), and pairing graduates. They also operate foster programs for dogs awaiting placement. As a service-focused nonprofit rather than a technology product company, Soldier's Best Friend does not offer software products, platforms, or modules—their 'product' is the life-saving service dog pairing and training service delivered directly to veterans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Veteran/Dog Teams Service Dog Program End-to-end service for U.S. military veterans with combat-related PTSD, TBI, anxiety, or depression: the nonprofit rescues an Arizona homeless dog, trains it to become a certified service animal, pairs it with the veteran, and provides team training and ongoing support, all delivered free of charge through training facilities in Peoria and Tucson.
• Dog Foster Program Volunteer-based foster care program for Arizona community members who temporarily house rescued shelter dogs while they progress through evaluation, training, and pairing with a veteran.

Quantifiable outcome

• 383+ veterans graduated with service dogs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fulton HomescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnering with Soldier's Best Friend to help recruit veterans for the service dog program. Fulton Homes supports the organization's mission through community outreach and veteran engagement initiatives.
• 94.5 KOOL FMcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner working with Soldier's Best Friend to help recruit veterans for the program through radio broadcast outreach and community engagement.
• Dayspring PensminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated 40 engraved pens featuring the Soldier's Best Friend logo. Located in Virginia Beach, Dayspring Pens specializes in luxury gift pens with custom engraving.
• Petco LoveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate supporter and contributor listed among major contributors on the organization's Contributors page.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• K9s For Warriors: The largest nonprofit provider of service dogs to U.S. military veterans with PTSD/TBI. Directly comparable in mission, customer segment (combat veterans), and free-to-veteran service-delivery model, but operates at materially greater scale (multiple campuses across FL/VA).
• America's VetDogs: Affiliated with Guide Dogs of America and supported by the Guide Dog Foundation, this nonprofit trains and places service dogs with disabled U.S. veterans. Closely comparable product (trained service dogs) and customer base (veterans), though it also serves first responders.
• ECAD (Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities): Nonprofit service-dog organization training dogs for veterans and civilians with disabilities. Comparable in training methodology and recipient-population focus, though smaller and regionally focused in the Northeast.
• paws4people: Nonprofit that trains and places custom-trained service dogs with veterans, children, and civilians with disabilities. Comparable in its prison-based training pipeline and dual-mission framing (dogs rescued from shelters paired with recipients), giving it the closest operational overlap with SBF.
• Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs: Nonprofit that trains service dogs for veterans with PTSD and TBI as well as others with disabilities. Direct competitor in the veteran service-dog space with similar no-cost-to-recipient model.
• Pets for Vets: Nonprofit that pairs shelter dogs with U.S. military veterans. Closely aligned with SBF's dual-mission of rescuing shelter dogs and supporting veterans, though Pets for Vets focuses more on companion animals than certified service dogs.
• Canine Companions for Independence: Large nonprofit providing trained service dogs to people with disabilities, including veterans, free of charge. Highly comparable in service-delivery model (no cost to recipient) and dog training operation, though its mission is broader than the veteran-specific focus of SBF.

Broad incumbents

• Wounded Warrior Project: Large, well-established veteran-services nonprofit offering a broad portfolio of physical/mental-health, employment, and benefits programs. Overlaps with SBF only on the veteran-PTSD support theme but dwarfs SBF in scale, donor base, and brand awareness.
• Team Red, White & Blue: Nonprofit connecting veterans to their communities through physical and social activities. Competes with SBF for veteran mental-health philanthropic dollars and veteran engagement mindshare, though without the service-dog delivery model.
• Disabled American Veterans (DAV): National veterans-service organization focused on benefits, disability claims, and transition support. Touches the same veteran population as SBF but through advocacy and benefits navigation rather than service-dog provision.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SBFNonProfit
• Facebookfacebook.com/SoldiersBestFriend
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soldiersbestfriend
• Instagraminstagram.com/soldiers_best_friend

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Soldier's Best Friend