Rescue 22 Foundation, a nonprofit that provides service dogs to veterans, is facing a funding crisis that has left veterans waiting for life-changing assistance.

The shortfall comes as veterans who rely on trained dogs for mobility and daily support confront delays the foundation says could stretch “in the next few months.” The situation has drawn firsthand accounts from veterans who say the program once offered a vital bridge from injury to independence.

Kelsey Lainhart, a U.S. Marine veteran who suffered a spinal cord injury after a bomb explosion during a mission in Afghanistan in 2021 and now uses a wheelchair, described how a service dog figured into her recovery. “When I first got hurt, one of the first things that I wanted was a service dog,” she said, reflecting on the practical and emotional role a dog can play.

Staff at Rescue 22 Foundation say the gap traces to abrupt changes in expected federal support. “The Rescue 22 Foundation provides life-saving service dogs to veterans all over the country,” a spokesperson said. The same spokesperson described a sequence of events that began with congressional budget hearings and an anticipated grant that did not materialize: “First were the congressional budget hearings. We were expecting a grant that would have provided a considerable amount of funding for our mission, and the rug was pulled out from under us.”

The foundation’s statement frames the shortfall as a funding disruption that will slow placements and extend waits for veterans on its lists. Officials have warned that scheduling and training timelines — typically coordinated months in advance — are being reworked as the group reassesses budgets and donor commitments.

Rescue 22’s work includes pairing trained dogs with veterans who have physical injuries and post-traumatic needs; among the dogs the foundation describes is Ali, a golden retriever mix noted for a calm temperament. The foundation’s online material outlines programs designed to match dogs like Ali with veterans who need mobility assistance or emotional support, and the organization has appealed to supporters to sustain those placements on which veterans depend. You can find the foundation’s mission and program details on the Rescue 22 Foundation website.

Lainhart spoke not only about her own need but about the wider implications for other veterans. “It’s definitely unfortunate,” she said, describing concern for veterans currently awaiting a dog. She also urged confidence in the organization’s work: “I think anyone considering donating can have peace of mind,” she said, pointing to the training and care such pairings require.

The funding lapse has prompted questions about timing: program staff say delays will affect placements “in the next few months,” a window that matters to veterans managing daily tasks from home access to therapy schedules. Rescue 22 has previously coordinated training, placement and follow-up care designed to keep transitions smooth for recipients and their families.

Local attention to the crisis has included coverage by regional outlets that have chronicled veterans’ stories and the foundation’s appeals for renewed support; the foundation’s public-facing pages explain how donors and partners can contribute to the Veteran Service Dog Trust program.

For veterans like Lainhart, who experienced a battlefield explosion in 2021 and continues to navigate life from a wheelchair, the program’s pause is more than administrative: it delays a tool she says many reach for early in recovery. Community support and donor responses in the coming weeks will shape how quickly Rescue 22 can resume planned placements.

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Original reporting: view the original article.