PTSD service dogs for vets

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is common among soldiers and first responders who’ve seen carnage up close. There is a remedy for those suffering from PTSD. And that remedy has four legs, loving eyes and a heart that offers endless affection.

This is Kevlar. A two-year old lab mix, rescued from an animal shelter hours before he was to be put down. Kevlar is “Citadel Canine Society’s” newest recruit.

Right now he’s learning to be obedient with his trainer Carrie Shanessy. The goal, is for Kevlar to become a service dog for a veteran suffering with PTSD.

Carrie Shanessy: “When they’re standing at a counter and they get that feeling that somebody’s behind them–that ambush feeling, you can train the dog to watch their back.”

For victims of PTSD, depression and anxiety, especially when out in public, can be severe.

Shanessy: “When you’re out in public he has your back, he’s there for you when you start feeling anxiety. Your pet, your dog, you’re concerned about your dog, you focus on your dog, right?”

Right now, Kevlar is doing simple agility training at Chippewa Park in Welland.

Kevlar will be doing basic training with Carrie for about a year before he goes to his permanent home.

Kevlar is one of two in Niagara being trained as PTSD service dogs. Over two years, Citadel Canine has trained more than a dozen such dogs. Most go to war vets and a third of the dogs to first responders diagnosed with PTSD.

It costs about four thousand dollars to train and care for one dog before it’s ready for service.  Click on the link if you wish to donate or find out more.