Every ball that leaves our hands and lands in a shelter carries something heavier than rubber. It carries the belief that every dog — no matter where they came from or what they've been through — deserves a moment of pure, wild, tail-wagging joy. Mission #4 of Project Play It Forward just delivered 24 of those moments. And this one? This one hit different.
We are proud to announce that 24 WUNDERballs have been successfully sent out to K9s For Warriors — the nation's largest veteran service organization dedicated to ending veteran suicide, based right in Ponte Vedra, Florida. This mission was made possible entirely by the generosity of 12 incredible donors who chose to give something that can't be measured in dollars: the gift of play.
Let's talk about what happened, why it matters, and how you can become part of this mission before we roll into Mission #5.
What Is Project Play It Forward? (And Why 10,000 Balls?)
Here's the heartbreaking truth that keeps us up at night: right now, as you're reading this, thousands of shelter dogs are sitting in kennels with nothing to do, no one to play with, and no idea that somewhere out there — there's a family who would love them completely. The problem? Playful, energetic, joyful dogs get adopted faster. And a dog who has never been given a toy to chase doesn't know how to show the world who they are.
That's exactly why we created Project Play It Forward. The mission is simple, ambitious, and 100% powered by people like you: we want to donate 10,000 WUNDERballs to shelter dogs and service dog organizations across America. And for every single ball our donors send, WACKYwalk'r matches it ball for ball. You donate one — two balls show up. You set up a monthly subscription — the deliveries never stop, and neither does the impact.
"A ball isn't just a toy. In a shelter, it's a spotlight. It makes a dog run, leap, and light up — and when a potential adopter sees that? That's the moment a dog finds its forever home."
— THE PROJECT PLAY IT FORWARD TEAM
We started with an ambitious goal because shelter dogs deserve an ambitious effort. Missions #1 through #3 proved that this community shows up — and Mission #4 proves it again. Now, let's meet the extraordinary organization that received these 24 balls.
K9s For Warriors — Ponte Vedra, Florida
If you haven't heard of K9s For Warriors, get ready to be moved. Founded in 2011 by the late Shari Duval — a mother who wanted her son to heal — K9s For Warriors has grown into the largest veteran service dog organization in the United States. Their mission? Determined, relentless, and simple: end veteran suicide by pairing highly trained service dogs with military veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma.
The numbers are staggering. Roughly 20 veterans die by suicide every single day in America. Around 20% of post-9/11 veterans suffer from PTSD. But here's the other number that changes everything: according to a landmark 2024 NIH-funded clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open, veterans paired with a service dog had 66% lower odds of a PTSD diagnosis compared to those on a waitlist. That's not a hopeful statistic. That's proof.
K9s For Warriors' national headquarters sits in Ponte Vedra, Florida, and houses 64 climate-controlled kennels, nine enclosed dog play yards, a bone-shaped swimming pool, and a state-of-the-art indoor training facility. The dogs training here aren't just learning skills — they're becoming lifelines. And now, thanks to Mission #4, they have 24 WUNDERballs to chase, fetch, and absolutely demolish during off-hours. We couldn't be more honored.
Why K9s For Warriors? Two Lives Saved at Once.
Here's what makes this partnership so powerful, and why we couldn't think of a more fitting recipient for Mission #4: the majority of K9s For Warriors' service dogs are rescues. They come in from shelters — overlooked, under-stimulated, sometimes written off — and they are transformed into life-saving battle buddies for veterans who need them most. Each pair who graduates from the program represents not one, but two lives saved: the dog and the warrior.
Play is a critical part of that transformation. It builds confidence, burns energy, creates bonds, and gives a dog the kind of mental stimulation that makes them sharper, calmer, and more trainable. The WUNDERball — with its unpredictable bounce, natural rubber texture, and virtually indestructible build — is exactly the kind of enrichment tool that supports that process. These aren't just fun toys. For dogs in training, they're equipment.
"The majority of our K9s are rescues, giving them a second chance and new purpose to serve a Veteran in need. Each pair who graduates represents two lives saved — the Service Dog and the Warrior."
— K9s FOR WARRIORS
Every WUNDERball we sent to Ponte Vedra will soon be bouncing unpredictably through those nine enclosed dog play yards. Dogs who might have once stared at a blank kennel wall are now leaping, sprinting, and doing the kind of wild-eyed WUNDERball chasing that would make your heart explode with happiness. Mission accomplished. And mission ongoing.
Mission #4 by the Numbers
🎯 Mission #4 Impact Report
24 WUNDERballs Delivered to K9s For Warriors, Ponte Vedra, FLEvery ball you donate takes us one step closer to our goal of 10,000 balls. We match every donation ball for ball. Help us fill that bar.
Twenty-four balls. That's 24 dogs with something to fetch. Twenty-four training sessions made more engaging. Twenty-four moments of pure, unfiltered dog happiness in a place dedicated to healing — for dogs and humans alike. Each WUNDERball that went through our doors and into those kennels was funded by real people who looked at a checkout page, saw an option to give a shelter dog a ball, and said yes.
We said yes right back. Because for every ball our donors send, we send two. That's the whole game. That's Project Play It Forward.
🏆 The Heroes Behind Mission #4
Mission #4 was made possible by these extraordinary donors. When you donate a WUNDERball you are randomly assigned to a mission. We are currently filling Missions #5, #6, and #7 with more to follow soon. Thank you — from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who has taken part in this program including:
These 12 people represent something we believe deeply: that dog lovers are good people who do big things when given the chance. You didn't just buy a toy. You funded a mission. You put a ball in the paws of a dog who is learning how to help a veteran reclaim their life. That's not a small thing. That is an enormous, rippling, beautiful thing.
We thank you. K9s For Warriors thanks you. And twenty-four dogs in Ponte Vedra are absolutely, definitely, unreservedly chasing WUNDERballs around a yard and thanking you in the only language they know — pure, unbridled joy.
The Ball That Makes This Possible: Meet the WUNDERball
So what exactly are we sending to these shelter dogs and training facilities? Not your grandmother's tennis ball. Not some flimsy rubber thing that'll be in three pieces by Tuesday. The WUNDERball is a handcrafted, virtually indestructible fetch toy made from 100% reclaimed natural rubber — born right here in North America from the same excess material we use to make our legendary WACKYwalk'r leashes. Zero waste. Maximum wacky.
No two bounces are the same. The irregular shape makes every toss a mental workout — dogs never stop chasing.
The textured natural rubber surface massages gums and removes plaque with every chew and fetch session.
Backed by our Chew Proof Guarantee. Built for aggressive chewers and the toughest play sessions. This ball survives.
Dense natural rubber that still floats — perfect for pool days, beach fetch, lake play, and K9 swimming pools in Ponte Vedra.
Made from reclaimed rubber. No plastic. No synthetic toxins. Safe for your dog and kind to the planet.
Toss it in the top rack. Clean ball, happy dog, zero hassle. Repeat indefinitely.
The WUNDERball comes in four sizes — Small (up to 15 lbs), Medium (up to 40 lbs), Large (up to 80 lbs), and XL (80+ lbs) — so every dog at every shelter and training facility gets the right fit. And when you buy one for your own pup, you can donate one for a shelter dog at the same time. Two dogs win. Every time.
How to Join the Mission: It's Embarrassingly Simple
You've read this far, which means you're the exact kind of person we built Project Play It Forward for. Here's how you become part of Mission #5 (and every mission after that):
Head to gowacky.us
Visit our WUNDERball donation page. We have made it easy to find the donation button and taken the choices out of the equation. We will donate a random selection of sizes and colors to each Shelter.
Choose One-Time or Subscribe Monthly
A single donation is powerful. A monthly subscription is a movement. Set it, forget it, and know that every month, another batch of WUNDERballs is heading to a shelter that needs them.
We Match Your Ball, Ball for Ball
For every WUNDERball you donate, WACKYwalk'r sends another one on us. Your 1 becomes 2. Your 5 becomes 10. The math is beautiful and doubles your impact instantly.
Watch the Missions Roll In
We announce every completed mission right here on the blog — complete with the shelter, the ball count, and the hero donors behind it. Your name could be on the next one.
Whether you're a lifelong dog lover, a military family who knows the difference K9s For Warriors makes, or just someone who saw this post and felt something — there's a place for you here. This mission has no minimum. It has no maximum. It just has a goal: 10,000 balls, 10,000 moments of joy, and a long, long list of dogs who got to run, leap, and feel what it's like to play.
A Note of Gratitude to the Shelter Partners Making This Possible
None of this works without the incredible organizations on the receiving end — the shelters, training facilities, and rescue organizations that welcome these donations and put them directly into the paws of dogs who need them. K9s For Warriors is a shining example of what it looks like when a shelter-rescue pipeline becomes a healing mission. We are so grateful for the work they do, for the dogs they save, and for the veterans whose lives are changed by those dogs.
If you represent a shelter or service dog organization and would like to be considered as a recipient for an upcoming Project Play It Forward mission, reach out to us at via our contact page. We are actively growing our list of mission partners as we climb toward 10,000 balls, and we would love to hear from you.
The Road to 10,000 Balls Starts With You
Mission #1. Mission #2. Mission #3. Mission #4: Complete. Each one is a chapter in a story that gets better as more people join it. We started this project because we believed that the dog-loving community — people who know what a good fetch session means to a happy dog — would show up. And you have. Every single time.
But 10,000 balls is a big number. It's going to take more missions, more donors, more shelters, and more moments like the one happening right now in Ponte Vedra, Florida — where a rescue dog that was once overlooked is learning to be a warrior's best friend, chasing a wacky rubber ball through a sunny play yard, completely unaware that 12 strangers made it possible.
Those strangers are listed above. And the next group of strangers is going to include you.