From all of us at Suncoast Financial & Insurance Agency — proud sponsors of Project K-9 Hero

They spent their careers keeping travelers safe, helping find missing people, and working alongside the men and women who serve our country. They never asked for a paycheck, a pension, or a thank-you. And when their working days end, most of them retire with nothing — no federal benefits, no medical coverage, and often thousands of dollars in health care costs left for the families who take them in.

That may finally be about to change.

The K-9 Hero Act of 2026

On July 14, 2026, Congressman Derrick Van Orden introduced H.R. 9664, the K-9 Hero Act of 2026, in the House of Representatives. The legislation aims to improve the lives of retired federal working dogs who dedicated their careers to protecting and serving the United States.

If passed, the K-9 Hero Act would establish an annual grant program to help cover the medical expenses of retired federal working dogs through nonprofit organizations that specialize in their care — organizations like Project K-9 Hero, which we at Suncoast Financial & Insurance Agency are honored to sponsor.

Why This Bill Matters

The need is bigger than most people realize:

• A 2022 Government Accountability Office report found approximately 5,100 working dogs serving across 40 federal programs — including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and every branch of the U.S. military.
• Once these dogs retire, there are currently no federal benefits to cover their continued medical care.
• The average annual cost of caring for a retired military working dog was estimated at $1,182 per year back in 2017 — before factoring in surgeries, specialty care, and the service-related conditions many of these dogs develop. Veterinary costs have only climbed since.

The families who adopt these heroes — many of them veterans, active-duty military members, and first responders — shoulder those costs themselves, often turning to nonprofits for help. Project K-9 Hero alone has more than 1,000 pending applications from retired K-9s waiting for support.

Under the proposed legislation, eligible nonprofits could receive up to $1 million each from a $5 million annual budget to provide medical care for retired federal working dogs — regardless of who owns them.

"In the case of Project K-9 Hero, the passing of this bill would mean we could admit every qualifying retired federal working dog currently on our waiting list," said Jason Johnson, Founder and CEO of Project K-9 Hero, who helped write the legislation.

Our Connection to This Cause

Suncoast Financial & Insurance Agency is a proud sponsor of Project K-9 Hero, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to ensuring the best quality of life for our nation's retired Police K-9s and Military Working Dogs. From its 177-acre facility in Whitwell, Tennessee, Project K-9 Hero provides medical expense assistance, prescription food, and end-of-duty services for nearly 400 retired K-9 Heroes across the country.

We believe in being part of something bigger than ourselves — and few causes are bigger than making sure the dogs who spent their lives protecting us are protected in return.

How You Can Help

The K-9 Hero Act of 2026 has been introduced, but it still has a long road to becoming law. Here's how you can stand with these K-9 Heroes:

• Follow the bill's progress. Track H.R. 9664 at congress.gov and watch for updates from Project K-9 Hero.
• Contact your representative. A short call or email letting your member of Congress know you support the K-9 Hero Act of 2026 makes a real difference.
• Spread the word. Share this story with friends, family, and fellow dog lovers.

These dogs gave everything they had for us. Let's make sure our country gives something back.

Please stand with us as we work to see the K-9 Hero Act of 2026 signed into law.