Our Partnership With Shelter To Soldier

What Is Shelter to Soldier?

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, approximately 18 U.S. veterans and one active-duty service member commit suicide every day, an average of one life every 69 minutes. In 2022 alone, 6,407 veterans younger than 45 years old died by suicide – the second leading cause of death for that age group. Meanwhile, PTSD cases continue to rise, leaving many veterans struggling with invisible wounds. At the same time, more than 1,800 dogs are euthanized daily across the United States.

Shelter to Soldier addresses both crises by rescuing shelter dogs and pairing them with veterans suffering from PTSD and invisible wounds—particularly in cases where the VA won’t cover the cost of a service dog.

How the Program Works:

• Dogs are rescued from shelters and professionally trained as service animals
• Veterans are trained as handlers while their dogs complete service training
• The training process takes 12-18 months
• Upon graduation, the veteran-dog pair begins their partnership
• Each placement costs approximately $22,000 in hard costs

Expert Training & Credentials: The Shelter to Soldier team brings unmatched expertise in service dog training through prestigious organizations including:

• Animal Behavior College
• Starmark Academy
• National Association of Dog Instructors
• American K-9 Interdiction

Since 2012, Shelter to Soldier has placed over 100 service dogs with veterans, providing psychological support while giving homeless dogs a life-saving purpose. The program improves quality of life for deserving veterans while preventing shelter dogs from euthanasia—creating two success stories with every placement.

Our Partnership With Shelter to Soldier 

We’re proud to be a Red Star Sponsor for this organization. Griffin Funding has been supporting STS’s efforts since 2014, and we wholeheartedly endorse their mission. We’ve stepped up our commitment to take our philanthropic outreach to the next level by sponsoring at least one dog per quarter. So far (as of 10/19/25), we have 6 amazing shelter dogs that have been placed with veterans in need to help make their day-to-day life better. 

As of 9/5/2025, Griffin has donated a total of $142,475 to Shelter to Soldier.

Our new initiative takes our outreach to the next level. For every loan that Griffin Funding closes, whether it’s a VA loan, conventional loan, FHA, jumbo, or any other loan product, we donate $100 to STS in the name of the borrower. This means that when you finance your home with Griffin Funding, you’re directly contributing to a veteran’s recovery and a shelter dog’s second chance at life.

Why Shelter to Soldier

The VA medical system does not provide or help pay for service dogs for veterans who are suffering from psychological disabilities. It’s been well documented that service dogs have a significant impact on the mental health and well-being of veterans. With the added component of rescuing the dogs from shelters where they would otherwise be euthanized, we’re proud to say we help “Saving Lives, Two at a Time” each and every day.

Griffin Funding has always been passionate about helping veterans. It’s why one of our specialties is the VA (Veterans Affairs) loan. It stands to reason that STS’s mission to help our servicemen and women and their fight with PTSD, TBI, and other invisible wounds resonated deeply with us.

How You Can Contribute

Shelter to Soldier is supported solely through charitable contributions from corporations, charitable foundations, and private individuals. The cost of a dog’s journey through the program is $22,000 and includes adoption, safe housing fees, medical care, training, equipment, food, grooming, treats, toys, supplements, testing and certifications, liability insurance, handler training, and graduation materials for the veteran.

If you want to join Griffin Funding in helping support Shelter to Soldier and their mission, there are many ways to pitch in:

• Volunteer – Whether you can help raise funds, or provide your own particular talents, any support helps the organization.
• Sponsorship – Your company can sponsor a dog/veteran in a Red Star Sponsorship, or help cover the cost of an event.
• Fundraising – Help share STS’s mission by raising funds for the expenses of training dogs and matching them up with their prospective new partners.
• Donate – Your money will be used to pay for training expenses and administrative costs. 90% of funding goes directly to program services. 
• Shop – Buy an item from their Amazon, Walmart, or Chewy wish list to support their vital program supply needs, and shop their STS store to further support their mission.

If you are interested in contributing to this great cause, visit sheltertosoldier.org, or fill out their contact form. You can also learn more about them via Facebook and Instagram.

Think you can personally benefit from their program? Call 855-287-8659 for a confidential interview.

Other Ways We Support Veterans

Our business model at Griffin Funding concentrates on serving the veteran population by providing VA mortgage loans across the country, so we’re proud to donate a portion of the loans we close to sponsoring STS dogs.

Griffin Funding specializes in VA loans which are designed for veterans and service members, as well as surviving spouses. VA loans are low-interest fixed loans that don’t require a down payment because they are backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

We offer the following VA loan programs: 

• VA purchase loans: A VA purchase loan can help you buy a home with no down payment and competitive interest rates. It’s a great way to use your earned VA benefits to secure affordable financing.
• VA streamline refinance loans (IRRRL): The Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan makes it easier to refinance your existing VA loan to a lower rate or better terms. It’s a fast and simplified option with minimal paperwork.
• VA cash-out refinance loans: A VA cash-out refinance lets you tap into your home equity and access cash for expenses like debt consolidation, home improvements, or other financial needs. It also gives you the option to refinance into a VA loan if you don’t already have one.

We also provide the following free tools for anyone interested in a VA loan: 

• VA loan calculator: This calculator helps you estimate your monthly payment based on the loan amount, interest rate, and term. It’s a simple way to see what fits into your budget.
• VA loan affordability calculator: This tool shows how much you can realistically afford with a VA loan. It factors in your income, debts, and expenses to give you a clearer picture of your purchasing power.

If you’d like to work with Griffin Funding to see if we can help you secure a VA loan, feel free to contact us.