by Tova Sherman
Remembrance Day is upon us and there is no better way to recognize this important date than by asking ourselves; how can we support veterans and their families?
Although there are various ways to contribute, one of the best ways I have personally seen involves introducing animals (primarily dogs). At reachAbility, we are entering our fourth year of the Pet Project, working with our lovely Newfoundland-Poodle mix, Neo. Although we have a therapy dog as opposed to a service dog, we cannot emphasize the positive results we have seen over this time. For many of our clients, especially those with a history of trauma, engaging with a trained and loving dog provides a welcome moment of comfort. This can be especially helpful for clients who are at reachAbility to work on emotional management, or to plan a new path forward after life has thrown a roadblock in their way.
Specially trained service dogs provide more than comfort. Studies show service dogs provide significant benefits for veterans with physical and mental health conditions. These benefits include:
- Reduction of symptoms: Studies show that veterans paired with trained service dogs experience a significant reduction in the severity of PTSD symptoms, anger, and sleep disturbances.
- Improved emotional and social capacity: The bond with a service dog can lower levels of anger, decrease loneliness, and improve social interactions and quality of life. The companionship and unconditional love from a pet can provide a sense of hope and connection. Walking a dog is also a social catalyst, providing opportunities to engage with others and combat social isolation.
- Increased physical activity: Service dogs encourage veterans to engage in more physical activity, which can have indirect benefits for their cardiovascular health.
Additionally, service dogs can perform specific tasks like alerting to anxiety. A trained service dog can sense when a veteran is experiencing anxiety and respond to help manage the situation by:
- Providing physical comfort: Tasks like deep pressure therapy or nudging can help interrupt flashbacks and provide a calming physical sensation.
- Providing emotional support: The simple presence of a companion animal can elicit positive emotions and remind the veteran that they are safe.
- Enhancing safety: Dogs can be trained to perform tasks that create a sense of security, such as checking rooms or providing a “block” to create a boundary in public spaces.
- Waking them up: Some service dogs are trained to gently wake a veteran from nightmares, which can be helpful when medications make it difficult to wake up to an alarm.
While the benefits of having a trained service dog are significant, the unfortunate truth is that the challenges involved in acquiring such a dog are significant too. Funding is the primary challenge, as the training required costs on average $25,000 per dog. Additionally, long wait lists remain for veterans seeking a service dog.
This Remembrance Day, if you, your family, workplace, organization or school wants to make a difference in the lives of veterans, consider raising funds to donate a service dog to a veteran in your community. An excellent place to start is with the Canadian Veteran Service Dog Unit, which you can learn more about at cvsdu.ca.
If you’d like to know more about Neo, you can visit reachability.org/pet-project, or you can write to her at neo@reachability.org.
