Diane Durante

Diane is the Patriot K9’s Board Secretary, Operations Support Specialist, Assistant Instructor, Grant Committee Chair, puppy raiser and puppy foster.  She’s been involved with the organization since she started volunteering in 2018.

Diane is not just a part of the Patriot K9’s team, but she knows what it truly means to have a service canine make a difference in her life.  Though she’s not a veteran, Diane has experienced suffering and trauma, and in 2018, decided to see if a canine could help her live a fuller life.  She met Patriot K9’s founder Sarah Thuot by accident, shared her story, and the two decided completed the train the trainer program.  With her dog Anders, the two completed the training, and now Anders helps mitigate disabilities from PTSD and several medical conditions.

Now Diane continues to pay that forward, helping raise or foster six canines for Patriot K9’s. She continues to serve the organization because she says the Patriot K9’s family has been an integral part of her healing journey, and “it has been a privilege to be a part of positively impacting the greater community and our veterans.”

Diane was born and raised in the Wausau/Weston area, where she still lives with her two sons Ryan, and Brandon.  Ryan enjoys tinkering with cars and Brandon likes to fish and hunt.  As a family, they enjoy helping raise and foster puppies for the Patriot K9’s organization.

Diane earned her bachelor’s degree as an occupational therapist from Concordia University in Wisconsin and earned her master’s from UW-La Crosse in Education Professional Development. She’s now a nationally board-certified massage therapist/bodyworker and can also provide canine massage.

You can contact Diane at - Diane.Durante@Patriotk9s.org