K9s For Warriors faces criticism for Texas operation

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local nonprofit is facing criticism for the work it is doing in San Antonio.

Ponte Vedra-based K9s For Warriors has a training facility there and it is asking the city for $2.25 million to expand but members of the bond committee in the city say they have not placed enough dogs with veterans so far to justify the money.

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One member of the bond committee said she is uncomfortable with the non-profit being on the bond.

“If they haven’t gotten 200 dogs already since 2019 what exactly is another $4 million added to that facility going to do to get them to the 200 mark?” Keri Neff said.

Neff has been a member of the bond committee.

The pushback is about the success of the program, its transparency, and the local benefits.

Jacksonville City Councilman Rory Diamond, the CEO of K9s For Warriors was not able to speak with us because he was flying. However, a spokesperson says they have rescued 123 dogs in Texas since 2019 in partnership with ACS and other shelters.

The spokesperson said 123 dogs were rescued in and around the San Antonio area; 72 dogs were from ACS specifically.

“The pandemic made it impossible to reach that number. It significantly slowed our procurement process pushing our campus opening back many months. We finally opened the Petco Love K9 Center in September 2021. Our campus has not been open for an entire year, " a spokesperson said in a statement.

Neff also has other concerns regarding the non-profit.

“They have absolutely refused to commit to only serving San Antonio veterans,” she said.

She says they are not helping veterans locally in San Antonio and has concerns over the waitlist, which is currently four years. A spokesperson for K9s for Warriors said they have 18 Texas dogs with warriors already with 16 Texas dogs waiting to be paired.

The spokesperson also said they build and are opening a Mega Kennel Training Facility in May 2022. That, on top of expansion in San Antonio and Phoenix, will help cut the waitlist time, the spokesperson said.

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Neff wants to know where all the money will go, as well as the dogs and says she has not gotten answers.

“They have a lot of opportunities for outside funding for fundraising so why do they need our city money?” she said. “It doesn’t seem like these projects, in the end, are transparent on how the money is spent and what’s the scope of the projects.”

K9s For Warriors sent us the following statement:

K9s For Warriors made the decision to expand its program to San Antonio in 2019 due to its high canine euthanasia rate, large veteran community, and access to dogs in need to reduce the veteran waitlist. Since then, the organization has invested 6 million private dollars in the city and will invest an additional $2 million by the end of 2022. K9s For Warriors opened the Petco Love K9 Center in September of 2021, months later than anticipated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, significantly slowing the dog procurement rate. Despite not having a facility until eight months ago, K9s For Warriors saved 123 dogs. This month, the first class of Texas Warriors graduated in San Antonio with Texas-rescued dogs. K9s For Warriors is committed to the City of San Antonio and the great state of Texas.

The veteran waitlist is a result of the high demand for the program among the veteran community. It is priority number one of K9s For Warriors to significantly reduce our waitlist—it’s why we are building the Mega Kennel facility, the nation’s largest rescue to Service Dog training facility. It will give K9s For Warriors the capacity to house 150 additional dogs and dramatically increase our ability to meet the demand of our veterans. Phase one of this project is opening next month.”

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