About Us

Mission, Vision, Values

Operation Freedom Paws empowers veterans and individuals with disabilities to restore their freedom to live life.

Through a special therapeutic canine-human relationship, all veterans and individuals with disabilities live an enriched life and engage in their communities.

Our RECIPE for success!

Respect:

We honor differences without judgement or prejudice.

Empathy:

We are sensitive to each individual’s emotions and experiences in order to provide a safe environment.

Community:

We are a collective of individuals with shared goals, achieving a common purpose.

Integrity:

We are genuine and authentic in all that we do.

Perseverance:

We overcome daily obstacles and barriers to achieve our full potential.

Excellence:

We exceed expectations in all that we do.

There is hope.

Past trauma, disability and illness erodes all aspects of life, from relationships and work, to physical and mental health. Our clients and their carefully matched canines enter the service dog training program together, undertaking a transformational journey. The trust that is built within this relationship forms the foundation for more trusting relationships in the world. Although the scars never completely disappear, our program helps clients develop the tools they need to mitigate future crises, and see possibilities where they once saw hopelessness. This change is life-altering for our clients and their families.

“Operation Freedom Paws is my sanctuary. When I arrive at the OFP site I no longer think about my troubles or the stress that seems to consume my life at times. Katie is my third service dog, which means I’ve trained with two other programs. OFP is by far the best program I have ever trained with.” — Veteran

Mary Cortani, OFP Founder instructing on a field

Our Founder

“The most amazing thing,” said Mary, “is to see the person and the animal transform into this amazing working team where they just help each other navigate life and they create a new normal. My life is blessed. I may not be worth a lot of money, but I am very rich.”