About Us

Operation K9 is a non-profit organization launched in early 2012 and received 501(c)(3) designation in September 2012. All of our staff are volunteers and all donations go directly to the mission of training service dogs.

Operation K9

Our Mission: Healing, we are dedicated to the Mission of training Service Dogs for our wounded military veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury and/or physical injury(s) sustained in combat that warrant the need for a Service Dog.

Our Background: Joan Moss, founder of Operation K9, brings over 40 years experience in training K9’s for both civilian and law enforcement. Joan’s love for her job, training dogs to save lives, has prompted this very noble cause. She believes that each Service Dog during a bonding process can save a Combat Veteran that sustained traumatic injuries. The Service Dogs allow many of these combat soldiers to return to work, interact with their family, or just get through the night without waking up alone, lost or confused. The reality of a combat soldier is that “scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real.” (Cormac McCarthy). Joan understands that these scars do not have to be visible and that is why she has started this non-profit organization, healing Combat Veterans one service dog at a time.

He picked me; he came up to me and wanted to be around me. He slept right next to me that night, and we were pretty much friends at that point. - Justin McKinney

Operation K9 takes careful consideration in matching a combat Veteran with a trained Service Dog at no cost to the service member. The Veteran will meet criteria if they have served in the United States Military Armed Forces post September 11, 2001 and have been medically retired due to physical and invisible wounds of war as a result of armed conflict. The Service Dog’s training is specific to the individual needs of the Veteran. Operation K9 will be adhering to the training standards set by Assistance Dogs International and are striving to receive accreditation. THANK YOU to all who have served our country.