Dogs for Soldiers: Healing for PTSDDecember 6, 2011
Dogs make extraordinary service animals.
- They guide the blind, alert the deaf, and perform tasks for the wheelchair-bound.
- They predict seizures, cheer the elderly, and encourage children with dyslexia to practice reading aloud.
- Dogs are used to sniff out explosives, cancer, illicit drugs, and agricultural contraband.
- They find lost persons and criminals.
Amazingly, dogs are proving their mettle again, helping returning veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) heal from the traumas they endured and carry with them every day. The dogs are trained to help veterans cope with symptoms of PTSD, including hyper vigilance, anxiety, flashbacks, depression, and social isolation.
The soldiers’ service dogs allow them get things off their chest they can’t tell anyone else and pass no judgment. The dogs provide the companionship and trustworthiness of the human “battle buddy” these soldiers depended on in combat.
The dogs are always available to calm anxiety, and let their battle-toughened owners remember to feel and express their softer sides. Dogs are hyper vigilant by nature and provide more accurate information about whether a circumstance is safe or truly dangerous, helping the veteran gain confidence as he or she re-integrates into society.
A new program, “Train a Dog — Save a Warrior,” matches returning veterans with dogs, most from kill shelters. Ironically, the soldiers are also saving the dogs’ lives. Although quite new, the program has had remarkable success. The dogs wear a special vest identifying them as a registered service animal, which provides them access to most places with their owner.
To learn more about these extraordinary dogs, check out http://www.tadsaw.org/default.htm.
Here’s an inspiring video about America’s Military Working Dogs. Definitely worth watching (get out the tissues first!).
