Bravehound's first dog Irma was paired with a veteran of 22 years military service. At the 2017 Animal Hero Awards Irma received the prize for 'Caring Animal Of The Year'. Bravehound was voted the UK's best Voluntary/Charity project in the
National Lottery Awards 2017.
Invictus Games medallist
JJ Chalmers visited the organisation to deliver the news. Chalmers, a former
Royal Marine served in
Afghanistan. In January 2019 Bravehound founder and CEO Fiona MacDonald was chosen by UK Prime Minister
Theresa May for a Points of Light Award which recognises "outstanding volunteers who are making a change in their community". In April 2019 Bravehound won the Soldiering On Award for animal partnership; The Soldiering On Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of those who have served their country, and the diverse people and groups who work together in support of the Armed Forces Community. In July 2020 Bravehound joined with the
Theater of War Project, presenting an online performance with
Jason Isaacs,
Nyasha Hatendi,
Lesley Sharp and
David Elliot. Theater of War Productions presents readings of
Sophocles' Ajax and Philoctetes for military and civilian communities.
Research initiatives Bravehound and
Parachute Regiment Robert Hewings, who is also an ex-handler for police dogs, are working on a research project that involves training dogs to recognize the scent of
nightmares. The charity works with Hewings, studying how dogs can be taught to sniff out a nightmare, when veterans may give off a scent of extra
cortisol,
adrenaline and
sweat. The goal is to teach dogs to intervene when veterans are having
anxiety attacks, which may be linked to the scent of added cortisol release, leading the dogs to wake them, jump onto their lap or seek attention to calm them down. In an interview, Hewings explained: In 2025 Bravehound were ratified as a full member of both Assistance Dogs International and Assistance Dogs UK. Bravehound is the only Scottish member of ADI and the only ADUK member in Scotland, to provide assistance dogs to veterans in who carry invisible wounds related to their military service. ==Patrons==