From Military.com:
“Shelter Dogs Help Veterans Heal
Trauma of War”
At 13 pounds, Sandy may not look
like your stereotypical service dog. The Shih Tzu-yorkie mix, found abandoned
in an alley, has a face that seems more doll-like than dutiful. But for owner
Teri Pleinis -- a 23-year Army veteran diagnosed with PTSD after serving in
Iraq -- Sandy has been life-changing. "I've already been able to decrease
my meds because Sandy is around to help me -- and I've only had her two
months," said Pleinis, who lives in Tampa. "She's like, 'I'm here for
you, Mom.' She'll sense when I start getting anxious and she'll just crawl into
my lap." Pleinis and Sandy are in training at the nonprofit K9 Partners
for Patriots, an 11,000-square-foot facility in Brooksville, 75 miles west of
Orlando, that has won four grants from the U.S. Department of Defense since
opening in 2014. To date, it has helped nearly 300 veterans with post-traumatic
stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and military sexual trauma heal from
the invisible wounds of war. But unlike other programs that train specific dog
breeds and then place them with veterans, K9 Partners for Patriots selects dogs
from pet shelters and rescue groups based on temperament -- or uses the
veteran's own dog -- and then trains both the veteran handlers and the dogs
together. It's a 19-week course that has produced nearly 300 graduates from 31
Florida counties, including those in Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole. "We
have rescued over 140 dogs so far, many slated for euthanasia," said Mary
Peter, a certified master dog trainer who founded the organization. "But
we want to use the veteran's dog if it's social enough and well-balanced
mentally to come into the program. If it already has a bond with that veteran,
we don't need to reinvent the wheel." The dogs are first tested for their
ability to sense and react to the stress hormones released when a veteran is
anxious or panicky. They also have to be relatively young -- ideally, 9 months
to 3 years -- and be calm, confident and friendly with adults, children and
other dogs. They can be massive Bernese mountain dogs or tiny Lhasa apsos,
stately German shepherds or playful Dachshunds. Or anything in between. "When
we test the dogs, we walk the dog around, and we watch," Peter said.
"If it jumps in everybody's lap, kisses everybody, loves everybody, that
dog's a no. It'll be a great pet for someone, but we need a dog that senses
adrenaline, and then pulls toward that veteran who is releasing it. And most of
the time when this happens, the dog will then lay or sit in the lap of that
veteran, and you can't pull him away. It is beautiful to watch." That's
how it was for John Taylor, 39, a medically retired Army warrant officer who
has battled the effects of PTSD, traumatic brain injury, vertigo and tinnitus
for a decade. Pinned on a rooftop during the siege of Sadr City, Iraq, for
eight hours, he saw his best friend die. "I lock myself up. I don't go
anywhere really, and if I do it's very short and I don't go by myself," he
said one day in December, as he was just starting the program. "I don't do
well when there's a lot of people." As he talks, a rescued Rottweiler
named Levy, found in the woods, nudges Taylor with his nose, then stares
longingly into his eyes, trying to coax his attention. "That dog is
working for him right now," Peter said. Taylor gazes back and stroke's the
dog's head. "I hope he helps me, you know, get back out there," he
said. The program is free to veterans, who can come back indefinitely after
they graduate for the camaraderie and advice. They also get free pet supplies,
help with dog food and medication if they need it plus peer-support counseling
groups. "It's amazing what happens here," said Denny Brown, a
licensed clinical social worker with the program. "Obviously, it's not a
cure. But we have had dogs literally save a life" that otherwise would
have been lost to suicide. The best thing about a service dog, Brown said, is
its constant presence. "So if the veteran is having an issue at night --
whether it's nightmares or anxiety -- the dog is right there," he said. Researchers
from the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida and the
private Saint Leo University are studying the work at K9 Partners for Patriots
to document the impact. And so far, before and after assessments show it's
working, said James Whitworth, an associate professor at UCF's School of Social
Work who has counseled military members and their families. "Participants
in this program consistently report statistically significant improvements in
their social/relational functioning and in their mood, along with reductions in
the PTSD-related difficulties from pre-test and post-test," Whitworth
writes in a recently published study of 43 veterans who were evaluated using a
standardized trauma symptom survey. "They are also able to describe in
their own words how training and having a service dog is greatly helping them
to get better. Most notably, participants are far more willing to start and
complete this program for their PTSD compared to standard trauma treatments
such as prolonged exposure and cognitive-processing therapy." At a time
when 22 veterans and active-duty service members take their own lives each day
-- and suicide rates have soared among younger veterans -- advocates say the
need for K9 Partners for Patriots and programs like it is critical. "We're
troubled by the apparent failure on the part of the Department of Veterans
Affairs to reduce the veteran suicide rate," said Gregg Laskoski, the
charity's communications director. "Frankly, the VA may be complicit in
contributing to a significant number of veteran suicides because for decades it
has opted for pills, pills and more pills -- to the exclusion of alternative
therapies," such as service dogs. Pleinis doesn't disagree. Though VA
doctors helped her survive, she wanted an alternative to the litany of
medications they prescribed. "I'm on a lot of them, but not as many as I
used to be, and I hope to be able to stop altogether," she said. Still
suffering from anxiety, nightmares and a severe startle response, the mother of
two went through five attempted pairings with canine partners before Sandy came
along in early October. "I was disappointed at first, but I truly believe
God has a plan," Pleinis said. "And then they brought in Sandy and
she was like, 'Hi, I'm here!' And she jumped in my lap. Now, Sandy is my
medicine. She's helping me be happier."
^ This is such a great idea
(training rescue dogs from shelters and even a veteran’s own dog to be used as
a service dog.) I really hope this program is expanded across the country to
help all soldiers and veterans that need it. ^
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