Our History

A former critical care nurse in the Surgical ICU / Trauma unit of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center, Beth Russell, RN, launched Freedom Dogs in 2006, later becoming its lead trainer and director. Both of her parents were veterans of World War II, so Russell had a great interest in working with the military.

In May of 2009, Freedom Dogs completed a pilot program with the Marine Corps’ Wounded Warrior Battalion-West at Camp Pendleton as requested by the Commandant of the Marine Corps. It paired specialty service dogs and their trainers with two Marines—becoming an indispensable part of the Marines’ rehabilitation and recovery from post-traumatic stress. This pilot was so successful that it resulted in an ongoing close partnership between the Wounded Warrior Battalion – West (WWBn-W) and Freedom Dogs — the only one of its kind in the country.