Veterans Day Tribute to Veteran Service Dogs

Time Magazine has an extremely touching video talking about how service dogs are helping many of our nation's veterans cope with post traumatic stress disorder following a return from combat.

The soldiers themselves are telling their stories of how they struggled to deal with family and friends again after serving overseas and how getting a service dog helped them integrate back into life.

According to one spokesperson the video, 18 veterans commit suicide every day in this country -- that's 6,570 suicides a year.

Meanwhile, 4 million animals are killed in shelters each year. They are making attempts to match the dogs to the veterans to end the deaths of both groups.

It is dog's like these in the vidoe (several are 'pit bull type' dogs) that the recent US Department of Justice Ruling on the Americans with Disabilities Act that says service dogs should be exempt from breed-specific laws -- just for people (and dogs) like these. And these are the same people that the city of Denver continues to want to discriminate against by delaying their vote to allow exceptions to their 'pit bull' ban for service dogs. 

Thanks to Time for the touching stories. Thanks to the men and women of our military for their services....and thanks to the dogs for theirs.

Comments

[EmilyS]

don't forget that many (most/all?) military bases BAN "pit bulls" from on-base housing. What will they do if one of these vet/pit bull teams needs to live on-base???

[jane miller,LISW, CDBC]

Nice to meet you. Cherish the moments. My book, "Healing Companions: Ordinary Dogs and Their Extraordinary Power To Transform Lives," includes compelling stories of veterans and others and how their psychiatric service dogs have helped them survive their debilitating symptoms of PTSD, TBI & MST. Thanks. Peace, Jane

www.healing-companions.com
Jane Miller's groundbreaking new book on psychiatric service dogs.

[Dianne in DC]

I cry every time I watch this... yes, the military has a laundry list of breeds that are banned including German Shepherds and Rotties. Yes, it is probably unconstitutional. I volunteer with Pets 2 Vets, and the shelter interiors were shot at the Washington Animal Rescue League. And the little pit puppy at the end, she was adopted by the volunteer coordinator with P2V.

www.p2v.org

and she was not a bait dog, she had a skin allergy.