The Gary Sinise Foundation has established the Hero Companion Care Fund at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, which will help cover the cost of veterinary care for service dogs of active and veteran military families. 

“The College of Veterinary Medicine is proud to work with the Gary Sinise Foundation on meeting the needs of military families in financial need,” said Lorin D. Warnick, D.V.M., Ph.D. ’94, the Austin O. Hooey Dean of Veterinary Medicine. “This gift provides highly valued support and we recognize the foundation’s thoughtfulness and generosity to meet this important need in our region.”

Cornell will serve as the Northeast hub for the foundation, which first established the program in Texas. Beginning Nov. 3, the Hero Companion Care Fund will augment the costs of veterinary care through hospitals and programs run by Cornell. It will also help facilitate affordable veterinary clinics in the Northeast specifically for the military community.

A 2024 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that service dogs were an effective way of reducing military service-related PTSD among veterans. Although the Veterans Association will pay for some routine veterinary needs of an official service dog providing mobility support, owners with service dogs for military-related PTSD must cover the costs on their own.

“Thanks to the generosity of the American people, the Gary Sinise Foundation is proud to expand our program to provide medical care for service dogs of our nation’s heroes and defenders through Cornell University,” said Jim Ravella, Executive Vice President, Gary Sinise Foundation. “It has always been Gary’s mission to uplift those who serve and to be a trusted conduit for other Grateful Americans to say thank you to those who provide the blanket of freedom we all sleep under every night.”

Affordable veterinary clinics for military families sponsored by the Hero Companion Care Fund are in the works for 2026, coordinated with local private practitioners, with dates and more information to come. These clinics will be facilitated by the Cornell Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program, and will include vaccinations, wellness checks and other preventative health care services.

“Support from funds like this enables us to reach underserved communities directly,” said Dr. Jessica Reed, the Janet L. Swanson Director of Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program. “These clinics will bring compassionate, essential veterinary care to military families who might otherwise have to go without. It’s about honoring their service by caring for the animals they love.”