Military.com – As the old saying goes, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But as one organization has shown over the course of five decades, a dog can become a veteran’s new best friend.
This past Fourth of July the national nonprofit Canine Companions celebrated 50 years of providing expertly trained service dogs to veterans, free of charge.
The organization has placed more than 8,300 service dogs since its inception in 1975, improving the lives of children, adults, and veterans with disabilities and to provide specialized support to professionals working in healthcare, education and criminal justice.
Since Canine Companions’ first service dog, Abdul, was trained in Santa Rosa, Calif. in 1975, the nonprofit has linked canines to countless humans for positive results.
FAKE ESA’S CONFIRMED: “Every day, thousands of people register their emotional support animal (ESA) online to access services like housing, but what are they really getting for their money? The shocking answer is that most are getting absolutely nothing.” – USServiceAnimals.org
It’s been a wide-ranging effort consisting of more than 34,000 volunteers who have raised service dog puppies;
the graduation of 7,100 service dog and handler teams;
1,150 facility dogs joining owners at veterans’ places of work;
and matching 600 veterans with canines to minimize the effects of conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while uplifting them with regained hope and independence.
“The Labrador/Golden Retriever cross is purpose bred as the primary service dog breed of Canine Companions, combining intelligence and temperament.”
‘You Think It’s Normal’
One of those hundreds of veterans who has received a canine companion is Daryl Sager, a former U.S. Marine Corps aerial gunner once deployed on 24-hour notice to protect American embassies in Kosovo and Macedonia. He served from 1996-2000.
He later joined the United States Air Force, ultimately spending a dozen years in the service.
During a stint in the Air National Guard, he simultaneously worked as a Santa Rosa (Calif.) firefighter aiding not just with Northern California’s most devastating wildfires but also conducting vehicle extrications and tending to casualties …
