Daffron Doghouse Helps Wounded Warriors

When Chuck and Kate Daffron first brought their German Sheppard Zeus home, they had no idea it would be the start of a new journey for them. They adopted Zeus with the intention of training him as a service dog for one of their daughters, who has severe asthma and is anaphylactic.

Instead, Zeus had his own ideas about how to help the family; he immediately bonded with Chuck. An Army veteran and Operation TBI Freedom client, Chuck has a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post traumatic stress disorder, which causes migraines, memory loss and blackouts. To everyone’s surprise, Zeus began picking up on subtle body cues and could predict Chuck’s blackouts.

Another eye-opening moment for the couple came when they were walking Zeus. A homeless Vietnam veteran came up to the couple to say they had a beautiful dog. “We ended up talking to him for over an hour,” Kate recalled. Seeing how Zeus helped bring the homeless veteran out of his shell and make a connection with someone, they realized, “We need to train dogs for other wounded warriors.” The experience became the catalyst for the creation of Daffron Doghouse.

The couple began doing extensive research about service dog training and certifications. “Other service dog organizations have a long waiting list for pre-trained dogs, or they want to take the person’s dog away for training,” Chuck said. He and Kate wanted to take a different approach with Daffron Doghouse.

“Many veterans have their own dogs already, and there’s no standardized breed that can become a service dog,” he stated. Through the model the couple developed, they provide veterans with training curriculum and the veterans can train their own dogs with support from Daffron Doghouse.

“The dogs are in the veterans’ hands throughout the whole training process, which allows for immediate bonding. Also, by being active in the training process, the veteran gains a sense of accomplishment in being able to take an active role in their own rehabilitation,” Kate explained. “This way the dogs are already having a positive therapeutic effect even before they are fully certified as service dogs.”

Veterans go through a series of self-paced training modules that teach general service dog functions, as well as specific task training. “We researched all the major service dog certification organizations and incorporated all the minimum standards for each organization into our training program,” Kate said.

Chuck assists veterans with individualized training based on what they need their dog to do, such as using automatic door openers or picking up things from the floor. All the training is done with positive reinforcement, never punishment, to develop the best relationship with the dog.

In addition to assisting veterans through the certification process, Daffron Doghouse ensures service dog teams have long-term support. They help participants create an online support network with other injured veterans who are part of a service dog team. They also advocate for veterans facing an access challenge, where doubts arise about the dog’s certifications. “Many of our service dog handlers have ‘hidden’ disabilities, which makes them more susceptible to access challenges,” Kate stated.

The couple plans to develop Daffron Doghouse into a national nonprofit organization, and they have already started working with fellow veterans in the Operation TBI Freedom program. Their ultimate goal is to help other injured veterans better access their community with the assistance of a service dog. “Our goal is to get them back into society,” Chuck said. “A service dog can help them reach out and connect with their community.” With Zeus still at his side, the dog is helping Chuck do the same.

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Read about Scott's experience training his own service dog.
Learn more about Daffron Doghouse.