Dogs fascinate me, and especially service dogs. Service dogs help humans in so many ways: they help sight-impaired persons navigate the world. They warn children and adults with epilepsy when a seizure is impending. They can assist those of us with physical challenges by doing such chores as retrieving shoes and turning on lights. And yes, they can provide emotional assistance to those with anxiety challenges, like veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
PTSD is a very real battle for many Americans, and particularly for military veterans. PTSD causes anxiety and horrific flashbacks in those who have witnessed or survived a traumatic event. According to the National Center for PTSD, run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (www.ptsd.va.gov), PTSD affects the family and relationships of those suffering the disorder. Those with PTSD have nightmares and experience anxiety attacks, which can lead them to avoid social situations. PTSD is often described as being constantly on guard and anticipating the worst.
I’m grateful to the brave men and women who share their stories of battling PTSD. It can be a struggle for these men and woman to experience daily life without extremely high degrees of panic and anxiety, and yet they courageously share their struggles, with the hope that sharing equals empathy and understanding. PTSD and other anxiety disorders are an epidemic among military personnel; it is estimated that twenty-two veterans take their own life every day.
Service dogs help prevent that. These dogs are highly trained, and they are effective at calming and protecting their handlers when the need arises. They help reduce depression, ward off panic attacks, and assist their handlers in the event of an injury. In 2009, Senator Al Franken of Minnesota introduced legislation to help provide funding for service dogs for military personnel. Since then, an estimated 220 service dogs have been studied to see the impact on military families. However, because it is difficult to know exactly how a dog helps those suffering with anxiety disorders, it can still be hard for a veteran with PTSD to find funding for a service dog. Funding for service dogs is often allocated to veterans who have physical injuries first.
I’ve tried to accurately depict the training these dogs receive; any errors within the story are mine. I am indebted to Katie Young of Southeastern Guide Dogs for enduring hours of my questions. Katie specializes in training dogs who assist people battling PTSD.
If you’d like more information or would like to sponsor a service dog, there are many resources available online. Check out the following organizations:
• Southeastern Guide Dogs, www.guidedogs.org
• Paws for Veterans, www.pawsforveterans.com
• Warrior Canine Connection, www.warriorcanineconnection.org
An excellent book about service dogs is Until Tuesday by Luis Carlos Montalván. Montalván was a captain in the United States Army, and his story about his golden retriever service dog, Tuesday, is both heartwarming and eye-opening.
It is true that the handler can be the only person who pets, feeds, and interacts with a service dog for the first thirty days of the dog living with a new family. It often does cause jealousy and pain for the other family members, who can struggle to understand why a dog provides such special support.
Military families—the whole family, not just the person serving—give our country their all. I am personally grateful to the Buttram family, the Durband family, and the Trew family for the many sacrifices they’ve made over dozens of years to ensure our collective safety and freedom. Thank you, friends!
And finally, I am a dog owner and lover, and my family and I often narrate what our two silly dogs—Lucky and Cookie—are thinking as they lope and leap and love their way through the world. In this story, Miss Daisy sees a rainbow of colors, and while it’s likely that dogs aren’t fully color-blind as is commonly believed, they most likely have a mild red-green color confusion. It is also believed that dogs experience multiple senses simultaneously, like a human with synesthesia might. Knowing these facts truly makes me wonder how a dog navigates the world, and the voice of Miss Daisy comes from hours spent with my two fuzzy fur balls. We share this planet with our pets—with all animals—and we owe them our best.