K9s for Warriors planning Ponte Vedra expansion

Business

Military service dog trainer and provider K9s for Warriors wants to expand its Ponte Vedra “mega kennel” location.

The St. Johns River Water Management District and St. Johns County are reviewing plans for the project.

K9s for Warriors is planning to add a 4,300-square-foot military veterinarian clinic for its service dogs at 70 Warrior Way between U.S. 1 and Nocatee Parkway in Ponte Vedra.

It is proposed to be a 4,300-square-foot military veterinarian clinic for its service dogs at 70 Warrior Way between U.S. 1 and Nocatee Parkway. The site plans show 23 parking spaces.

K9s for Warriors, through K9s for Warriors Inc., owns the land. CHW Professional Consultants of Alachua is the civil engineer. Gainesville-based Walker Architects is the architect.

According to k9sforwarriors.org, Shari Duval founded K9s for Warriors in 2011 to train and pair service dogs with veterans with military-related traumas. Duval’s son Brett was a civilian K9 bomb dog handler who returned from Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder.

K9s for Warriors is planning to add a 4,300-square-foot veterinarian clinic at its Ponte Vedra location for its service dogs.

“Doctors couldn’t help her son, but she found that a Service Dog could. Shari found a new mission in life: to put all her time and resources into helping restore her son’s life and the lives of returning combat Veterans through the use of Service Dogs,” according to the website.

It says K9s for Warriors has paired 1,000 veterans with service dogs.

K9s for Warriors is a 501(c)(3) organization. In addition to the Ponte Vedra location, it has two facilities in San Antonio, Texas.