History

Executive Director Joe Jeffers developed the vision for Warriors’ Best Friend (WBF) in 2012. Joe is a long-time animal lover and spent decades volunteering at shelters. He wanted to do more to showcase the potential and importance of homeless dogs, and he became passionate about the idea of training them to provide service to those in need. Having grown up in a military family, Joe understood many of the challenges of military life. This inspired him to develop an organization that combines his passions for both homeless dogs and the military. In 2013, Bella Jeffers joined the WBF mission as lead canine trainer, focusing on training service dogs for veterans with post-traumatic stress and/or traumatic brain injury. WBF’s first placement was in 2015. In 2016, WBF built its training facility on a 64-acre property located in Kansas City, Missouri (near Liberty).

From 2012 to 2021, WBF provided service dogs at NO COST to veterans who suffer the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), military sexual assault, and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Since its inception, WBF has placed approximately 65 service dogs with individuals and agencies.