Our mission is to provide animal-assisted therapy and other mental health services to military veterans and their loved ones living with service-connected trauma. Paws and Stripes offers unique and extensive approaches that set us apart from other organizations focusing on the same or similar populations. Paws and Stripes helps New Mexico veterans reintegrate into civilian roles and develop meaningful missions and goals within their lives as veterans. Focusing on catered mental health support, therapeutic services, and service dog training, Veterans enrolled in our programs are given the opportunity to learn life skills to create increased self-awareness in their environments and provide the insight necessary to deal with everyday civilian anxieties such as finances, career challenges, caring for children and maintaining a healthy marriage. Lindsey Kay founded Paws and Stripes and has served as its Executive Director since 2010. With her personal experiences as a family member of a veteran living with a brain injury and chronic severe PTSD, Paws and Stripes was born out of an understanding firsthand of the challenges of trauma and its repercussions on Veterans and their families. The Veteran Service Dog Program’s unique model was first established to address the specific needs of veterans living with these invisible disabilities and is nationally accredited by Assistance Dogs International. Through the implementation of mental health in 2012, the organization has evolved to prioritize veteran well-being through a more holistic approach to service. To date, Paws and Stripes clinical staff have a combined 50 years of experience working with clients overcoming trauma and the organization has raised more than ten million dollars to support New Mexico Veterans.