Media

It was a happy and emotional day on Oct. 6 as 13 veterans and service dog teams from Next Step graduated, allowing guests the opportunity to witness the special bonds that have formed between the pairs and hear from clients about the way the dogs have made a difference in their lives.

Read more at

Rancho Santa Fe’s Ben Brown, a veteran United States Army Ranger and Purple Heart recipient, will take on the Kodiak Ultra Marathon in Big Bear Lake on Aug. 17-18. Brown is running the 102-mile race to support veterans, police officers and firefighters through his nonprofit 9 Week Warrior that he founded with his wife Chondra,

Press Release for DVNF

Escondido, California — May 18, 2019 – Next Step Service Dogs is honored to announce it has received a grant from the Disabled Veterans National Foundation (DVNF) for $10,750 which will assist in funding the extensive care and training of two service dogs for two veterans with PTSD.

Sally Montrucchio, Executive Director and

Click on the thumbnail to view the pdf.

“This guy,” said Travis Schneider, pointing toward the big brown eyes of his service dog, Gibbs, a white Labrador retriever.

And sports.

These two things have made Schneider’s life tolerable since he left the Navy in 2012. The former gunner’s mate lives with severe post-traumatic stress disorder and a mild brain injury after nine months in Iraq