Dogs universally provide happiness. But did you know service dogs can be helpful to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? Since many veterans have experienced troubling situations that caused PTSD later in their lives, service dogs can help them. From easing their pain to providing a better quality of life, these furry friends save more lives than you know.
What Do Service Dogs Do?
Service dogs give veterans the chance to live a better quality of life. They allow veterans to find renewed enjoyment in life by reducing their stress. These dogs also help veterans minimize their intake of medication. Because of their extensive training, service dogs can pick up on signs of stress and fatigue in someone with PTSD. Therefore, the dogs are trained to bring peace to the owner’s mind. Another benefit of service dogs is how they can help veterans with disabilities. The best part is that there are a few types of service dogs. For example, guide dogs can help veterans with vision issues. On the other hand, family service dogs can help military families who may have lost a loved one due to serving. The family service dog provides love and comfort during difficult times as well. As for facility therapy dogs, they provide therapeutic services to veterans and families who are being treated in medical facilities.
Why Are Service Dogs Important?
While the physical benefits of a service dog may be obvious, they also benefit emotionally. After all, service dogs provide companionship. Adding a dog into a veteran’s life means they will always have a loyal companion with them. A service dog will take some of the burden mentally of a veteran’s illness or disability. Veterans will feel a greater feeling of independence, and confidence in social settings, and have more motivation.
What is PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop over time after a person is exposed to a traumatic event. PTSD is a common condition among veterans who served in the military. Symptoms of PTSD may include disturbing thoughts, feelings, or dreams related to real-life experiences and events. It may cause mental or physical distress, difficulty sleeping, and changes in how the individual may think or feel.
What Causes PTSD?
PTSD can be caused by many things. In most cases, veterans who witness or experience traumatic events while serving causes PTSD. This can range from combat, training, or military sexual trauma.
How You Help Veterans
Service dogs can be very costly, but they make a huge difference in helping those in need. Thankfully, there is a plethora of organizations that help veterans obtain these types of dogs free of charge. You can help by donating funds to organizations that train service animals for veterans. A few organizations are K9 for Warriors, Patriot Service Dogs, Pups4Patriots, and America’s Vet Dog all provide service dogs for veterans free of charge. Please keep in mind that most of these organizations run off donations.
