Dogtopia worker hugging a dog and getting licked

Founded in 2017, the Dogtopia Foundation enables dogs to positively change our world by supporting three worthy causes: Service dogs for veterans, youth literacy programs, and employment initiatives for adults with autism. By connecting dogs with the organizations we support, we help veterans, children and adults with autism reach their full potential. One hundred percent of the donations we receive are distributed directly to the organizations we support.

We are proud of the positive impact that the Dogtopia Foundation has made to date in our three focus areas, and we look forward to continuing to change the world through connecting dogs with our communities.

Service Dogs for Veterans

The Dogtopia Foundation is grateful for our veterans’ service and all they have sacrificed for our country, and its time for us to give back to them. The Dogtopia Foundation funds service dog training, so that pups can provide support to United States military veterans returning home with physical and emotional challenges. To date, the Dogtopia Foundation has sponsored 17 service dogs for deserving veterans. The Dogtopia Foundation partners closely with organizations like America’s VetDogs and Next Step Service Dogs.

Youth Literacy Programs

The Dogtopia Foundation is also focusing on supporting youth literacy programs and educational initiatives for elementary school children (especially those that incorporate our furry friends). For three years in a row, we have proudly funded Sit.Stay.Read’s Keep Reading Celebration in Chicago, which focuses on academic success for students. At this incredible event, more than 2,500 children from kindergarten to the fourth grade had the opportunity to read to dogs which has been shown to increase literacy rates. The children were also provided with packages containing books to keep them reading over the summer. 

Employment Initiatives for Adults with Autism

The Dogtopia Foundation is aiming to lower the unemployment rate of adults with autism by actively employing individuals with autism in our Dogtopia locations. We have recently launched a new initiative which supplies each Dogtopia location with an Employment Guide for Hiring Adults with Autism that we developed with the Southwestern Autism Research & Resource Center. This guide will help our locations set recruitment goals; it will also ensure collaboration with local organizations that will implement effective and efficient processes for our teams and provide coaching to individuals with autism. 

We are proud of the impact that the Dogtopia Foundation has made  to date by connecting dogs with veterans, children and adults with autism and we look forward to continuing to support these worthy areas of focus. 

Follow the Dogtopia Foundation on social media for up-to-date information. Join the Dogtopia Foundation in fetching it forward! Donate, get involved, apply for a grant or visit our website for more information.