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Benefiting Our Communities
Leveraging our expertise to positively affect pet communities both locally and across the globe.
Animal shelters often operate with razor-thin budgets, relying heavily on donations just to get by. They don't always have the capacity to replace bedding every time it gets damaged, which is an all too common occurrence when caring for stressed or anxious pups. K9 Ballistics has been happy to step in, donating over tens of thousands of dollars worth of durable dog beds to shelter pups in need. Recipients of our donations include the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center, Shelter Hope Pet Shop, and Camarillo Animal Shelter.
Working dogs can also be hard on their beds, given their high drive and energy levels. These qualities are necessary for them to perform their jobs, but can lead to destructive behaviors on their off hours. Police, firefighters, and other first responders often struggle to find bedding that is both comfortable and sturdy enough to withstand the habits of their canine companions. To help out, we've donated a number of armored beds to both the Oxnard Police K9 Unit and Ventura County Firefighters.
We also offer a standing discount to veterans, active-duty military members, and first responders nationwide through GovX.
Founded in 1996 and based nearby in Santa Paula, California, the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to strengthen America's disaster response by training up search and rescue dogs for fire departments all across the country, free of charge.
The dogs they take in are rescued from abuse or abandonment, with too much energy and drive to settle in as a family pet—in other words, dogs that might not have made it out of a shelter under normal circumstances. These rescues become rescuers, going on to save countless lives with the training SDF provides them.
We're proud to help along their mission by donating some of our Chew Proof Armored beds to them. These are our toughest beds, ideal for both training purposes (they work well for such commands as "Place") and for standing up to the heavy chewing and digging these energetic dogs like to engage in.
Akagera National Park, located in eastern Rwanda, is home to a wide array of wildlife, including mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, lions, zebras, giraffes, and antelope. The park is a protected refuge for the animals that live there, and hunting them is illegal. However, poaching remains a problem.
To ensure the safety of the wildlife, the park rangers there run a Canine Anti-Poaching Unit to track down and guard against poachers. On their own, these rangers have little chance of being effective, but with the aid of their dogs they have managed to almost completely eliminate poaching in the park. Unfortunately, due to limited resources, these dogs were left to sleep on wooden pallets in their kennels when off duty.
K9 Ballistics was happy to step in and donate all the beds they needed to them, completely free of charge. Now these brave pups have our sturdy Chew Proof Armored Vinyl Dog Beds to relax on after a hard day of work.
Guide Dogs of America | Tender Loving Canines
Puppy Raising Program Sponsorship
Guide Dogs of America | Tender Loving Canines (GDA|TLC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the care and training of working dogs. Their mission is to transform and empower the lives of blind individuals, as well as veterans and children with autism, by partnering them with expertly raised guide and service dogs.
For over 70 years, GDA|TLC has handled the breeding, raising, and training of these special dogs, and they continue to provide support even after graduation. All of these services are provided free of charge for the eventual recipients, and GDA|TLC relies on donations and volunteers to keep their program running smoothly.
Puppy Raisers are very important to GDA|TLC. These dedicated volunteers care for puppies from 8 weeks old to 16 months old, teaching them basic obedience, socialization, and house manners to prepare them for their future roles. That first year is crucial in getting the puppies confident and ready for formal training.
To support these volunteers, we specially designed the Puppy Essentials Kit. These bags are packed with high-quality gear to ensure raisers have the right tools for their puppies training journey. Some of the items in these kits, such as the K9 Training™ Treat Pouch, K9 Training™ Target Block, and our K9 Play™ California Grizzly Bear, are also available for purchase on our site.
One of our own team members had the privilege of raising Flash, a puppy in training, who will soon go off to formal training. This experience showed us the importance of puppy raisers and the role they play in these dogs' future lives. Together with GDA|TLC, we’re proud to support these volunteers by providing them with essentials for their puppies success that will make a lasting difference in the lives of those in need.
Flash came to us at about 3 months old. He was an energetic and curious puppy, but also very smart. His raisers spent countless hours teaching him essential skills like loose leash walking, along with commands such as “sit”, “down”, “stay”, “come”, “close”, and more. Flash also got to experience many new environments, preparing him for his future work ahead. Now, at just over a year old, he has mastered all these skills and is getting ready to move on to formal training.
The time and effort invested in a dog’s early development is an important role that puppy raisers do to shape future guide or service dogs. Flash’s raisers witnessed firsthand the dedication and impact the program has. As he moves on to his next phase, we are incredibly proud of how far he has come. We’re grateful to be part of his journey and can’t wait to see the difference Flash will make.
If you’re in Southern California and interested in learning more about becoming a puppy raiser, click here to find out how you can get involved!