Soldier’s Best Friend

Meeting of the Minds

By Katrina McDowell on Jan 28, 2025 in Giving

Since 2011, Soldier’s Best Friend has seen significant results for veterans suffering from mental health issues, with over 60 percent of program graduates reporting to have reduced their suicidal thoughts, improved their quality of life and reduced their need for medications.

Yardi-supported nonprofit Soldier’s Best Friend in Peoria, AZ, provides U.S. military veterans living with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI) with service or therapeutic companion dogs, most of which are rescued from local shelters. The veterans and dogs train together to build a trusting relationship that touches two lives simultaneously and inspires countless others.

“A second part of our goal is to make a positive impact on the pet overpopulation problem. We are dedicated to pairing and training service dogs with veterans at no cost to the veteran,” said Mik Milem, executive director for Soldier’s Best Friend.

Soldier’s Best Friend boasts 12 years of experience with this program, and its dedicated, highly qualified staff, with more than 95 years of combined dog training experience, is proof of the program’s quality. The team is led by an executive director who reports to the Board, composed of Soldier’s Best Friend founder John Burnham and ten officers. These staff members report to the executive director:

• FTE veteran services manager handles veteran recruitment and application process
• FTE training program manager manages the veteran/dog team’s training schedules
• FTE adoption coordinator finds appropriate dogs for veterans at dog shelters and manages the veteran/dog pairing process.
• 11 staff PTE dog trainers train the veteran/dog teams
• Three PTE contract dog trainers and handle evaluations of the veteran/dog teams for the Public Assistance Training portion of the training program.  

By the end of 2024, Soldier’s Best Friend served 185 veterans and plans to increase to 190 in 2025. While they provide services at no cost to participating veterans, the average price is $7,500 per veteran/dog team. This is why funding from Yardi is crucial for helping with training teams and providing the dog supplies needed for each dog. In addition to the additional veterans helped, Soldier’s Best Friend will continue to grow its Prison Dog Training Program at Fort Grant Prison and see at least 20 dogs from that program to veterans.

“We are grateful for the support from Yardi for our program. It’s impressive that there are so many veterans among the Phoenix employees. It makes the partnership with Yardi that much more meaningful because we know they understand the needs of veterans living with PTSD,” expressed Milem.

Graduate Training program

Soldier’s Best Friend doesn’t just stop at training. It offers ongoing support services to its veteran and dog graduates, inviting them to participate in second-level training through its Ongoing Graduate Training program. After two years, veterans can also re-qualify for service dog status. They can mentor new veterans in training. Its Mentorship Program pairs current participants with graduates for support and guidance, and it has a peer-to-peer support group for veterans to share their journeys.

Soldier’s Best Friend graduate veterans are also invited to attend group classes for further training. In these ways, Soldier’s Best Friend invites program participants and their families to stay involved in its veterans community after graduation. Supported by a growing body of scientific research, the canine companionship its training program provides helps veterans survive and thrive after life-altering trauma.

Since 2011, Soldier’s Best Friend assessments using the Veteran Administration’s PTSD Checklist consistently report these outcomes for program graduates, painting a hopeful picture:

• 85% who were identified as previously having suicidal thoughts report a reduction in suicidal thoughts

• 85% report that having their service/therapeutic companion dog has resulted in an improvement in their quality of life  

• 65% report that having their service/therapeutic companion dog has reduced their need for medications.

David and BeBe’s Meeting of Minds

David’s personal journey with PTSD began when he quit self-medicating with alcohol in 2009. The nightmares, flashbacks and depression that followed were isolating. He paid more attention to the effects of PTSD in his life rather than living life outwardly, directing attention to other people, including loved ones. Since entering service dog training with BeBe, his life has changed in that he is now outwardly directing attention to BeBe and all the people in his life.

Life with BeBe is a symbiotic relationship. David takes care of her, and she takes care of him. Interestingly enough, he is training her with the help of trainers at Soldier’s Best Friend, and she is teaching him simultaneously. They both enjoy learning new tasks, and there is a good feeling when there is a meeting of the minds between his dog and himself.

“Thank you, Soldier’s Best Friend! I did not know how much it would mean to me when I started this program,” expressed David.

Volunteer Opportunities

Soldier’s Best Friend can always use fosters for its rescued dogs. When they pull a dog from a rescue, they place them with a foster for about four weeks so the dog can adjust from living in a kennel to being in a home. SBF provides food, crates, toys, and training for the fosters. They also have trainers come once weekly to work with the dogs and the foster to prepare them for the veteran they will go to.

Those interested in becoming a foster parent can fill out their online application.

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