PAWS Provides Service Dogs to Veterans with PTSD
The number of service dogs to support veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions was increased when President Biden signed the “Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act (PAWS)
“As a dog lover and someone whose career is dedicated to helping Americans with disabilities, caregivers, and veterans, I was very happy to see the Biden administration pass this,” said Alan Hubbard, NTI’s chief operating officer. “We all know how dogs can help humans with physical, mental, and social issues.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs will conduct research and provide grants to accredited service-dog organizations for a pilot study to be done for dog training therapy for veterans. Previously, the VA has covered service dogs for veterans with physical disabilities.
“We’ve said this before and we say it here again because we believe it with our whole hearts: No society can afford to neglect the post-deployment well-being of its service members,” said Sara Amundson, the president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, in a blog for Humane Society.” We share the view of tens of millions of Americans that the nation has a special debt to those who have answered the nation’s call to duty. The alarming threat that PTSD and other mental health challenges pose to those who have served compels us to honor their faith and allegiance.
“For all of us, the presence of companion animals brings myriad benefits—psychological, social, and medical. Our bond with dogs is all about loyalty and devotion, character traits that veterans may understand even more deeply than the rest of us," Amundson said.
The VA had been waiting for the results of a scientific survey to adopt the programs for veterans with PTSD. Services dogs perform several duties, including turning lights on, going through a room before their handler enters, and waking them up from a nightmare. Supporters hope the pilot programs will help reduce the number of suicides. According to the VA, from 2005 to 2018, nearly 90,000 veterans died by suicide.
"Many veterans with mobility impairments have had their lives changed -- in some cases, saved -- by service dogs," said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), one of the bill's cosponsors, according to the Military Times. "Our bill would expand this treatment by launching a pilot program to make veterans with mental health issues such as depression eligible to receive service dogs."
(A nonprofit organization, NTI helps veterans, family caregivers and Americans with disabilities find at-home jobs with free training and job placement services. You can register for free at www.ntiathome.org.)