Wounded Veterans Book Review

Post-traumatic stress disorder (commonly referred to as PTSD) is one of the most common, consequential and perilous illnesses a soldier returning home can face. Yet, here

There are between 45 to 55 million dogs per household in America (American Humane Association 2012). Furthermore, according to a national survey, the majority of dog owners chose to get a dog for the companionship as the major reason for having a dog (American Animal Hospital Association, 2004). After all, dogs are nonjudgmental, give unconditional love, can be trusted with our most intimate feelings and emotions, and are highly intelligent. These dog characteristics can significantly enhance the lives of thousands of youth and adults, especially those with disabilities and/or those who live in continuing care facilities. There are approximately 20,000 service dogs in the U.S., which includes 10,000 guide dogs (American Humane Association 2012)

Veterans. All of those that have previously served our country in the United states military. Sadly much to often, these veterans come back from their tours physically and mentally damaged. Along with broken and or missing limbs, they are often diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD. I found the fascination for this illness and veterans while watching a new show on t.v. with my family. It’s called Dogs of War. This show is about a program called “Paws and Stripes” that connects veterans that are harshly affected on a daily basis to service dogs. I know that the concept of veterans and service dogs isnt a new concept, but what is different about this program is that they get the dogs from an animal shelter, then

Over 900,000 veterans live in Ohio alone and many of them are in need of help after returning from war. Wags 4 Warriors is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation with a goal to provide veterans with service dogs to ease the strain of daily life. The largest struggle that many veterans face today is PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) which is an affliction caused by a terrifying event. Wags 4 Warriors is not only a service dog organisation but also a support system for the veterans and their families. We provide the dogs and training at no cost to the veterans themselves and many of the dogs are rescued

In the wake of the wars, our military’s men and women have experienced things that most people cannot dare to dream of. Although some of them are able to transition into the civilian life, many are left with scars that are mentally and physically traumatic. Rick Yount established Warrior Canine Connection in order to help veterans and their families find a service dog to successfully guide and aid veterans to become stronger and to function better. Service dogs have been around for many years helping veterans get back on their feet and helping them with their disabilities. Post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury affect hundreds of veterans each day. Those who suffer from amputated limbs must rely on others and mechanical devices to function.

This memo recommends that the Michigan Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW-MI) use its resources to support Michigan House Bill 4843. This bill attempts to address the need for the increasing number of Michigan Veterans affected by psychological diagnoses and the benefits that come from utilizing service dogs to decrease effects associated with these diagnoses for Veterans to function in society. It would allow a five-year pilot program to be established to record the significance service dogs have on decreasing psychological symptoms of Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. It would also record the number of Veterans who are able to return to normal functionality within society due to utilizing a service

According to Rick Nauert, who has his Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin in information science with focuses on health care informatics, health administration, health education and health policy, reports that “Chris Goehner, a 25-year-old Iraq war veteran, reported that he was able to cut his doses of anxiety and sleep medications in half after getting one of the service dogs” and “he also saw an end to his night terrors and suicidal thoughts” (n.p.). In Love and Esnayra finding they found that, “another 40% report that their use of medication has decreased subsequent to human-canine partnership” (12). Moore also found in her study that, “three participants stated that employing their psychiatric service dog allowed them to greatly decrease their psychotropic medication usage” (90). All of these veterans shown above have been able to lower the amount of medication they are on, just by having a psychiatric service dog by their side and there to support the veteran with anything they may

These illnesses can make it hard to do actions needed in everyday life when they return home from the battlefield. Since these illnesses are often more mental rather than physical, one of the best ways to help soldiers who suffer with PTSD or TBI is to provide a service dog to help their needs. A service dog is “any dog that is individually trained to work or perform a task for the benefit of an individual with a disability” (“Service Animals”). It may be hard to train a service dog or even find a dog to train. Approximately 3.9 million dogs enter shelters nationwide each year and of those 3.9 million, about 2.7 million are euthanized each year (“Pet Statistics”). Many of these dogs that are in shelters are strays as a result of improper care from their previous owners. Much of the nation’s animal cruelty is a result of conflicts between their owners. A 2011 survey states that about 10.2 million men and women are physically assaulted by their partner in the United States every year, and 62 percent of the nation's households have at least one pet ("Animal Cruelty Facts and Statistics”). Animals are just the victims of the prejudice that is going on around

Military Pathway (2013) concluded “Military life, especially the stress of deployments or mobilizations, can present challenges to service members and their families that are both unique and difficult”. Hence, it is not surprising that soldiers returning from a stressful war environment often suffer from a psychological condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This paper provides a historical perspective of PTSD affecting soldiers, and how this illness has often been ignored. In addition, the this paper examines the cause and diagnosis of the illness, the changes of functional strengths and limitations, the overall effects this disease may have on soldiers and their families, with a conclusion of

Dog aided therapy in a combat theater began in that same year. The dogs each had a value of $25,000 invested in them for their training process. The foremost service dogs underwent training for two years valued expensively at $25000 to $50000 per year (Ritchie and Amaker, 2012). The research focuses on investigating the significance and input of service dogs towards benefiting veterans and service members diagnosed with or at risk of PTSD. The impact and input service dogs offer to the service men and women deployed in

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that causes anxiety and distress due to an extremely terrifying event. PTSD occurs in people who have experienced an event that is life-threatening, terrifying to include seeing someone they personally know or don’t know endure death (Kalat, 2013, p. 383). Recently the Veterans Affairs Administration (VA) has seen significant rises in diagnosing and treating PTSD sufferers in returning combat soldier from Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the National Center for PTSD out of 100 veterans 20 are likely to return with PTSD symptoms (Veterans Affairs Administration, 2010). This is out of the roughly two million soldiers that have fought in the Iraq and Afghanistan war. It is noteworthy that

War and combat experiences have a way of changing lives in dramatic ways. Deployments can range in length but experiences during those times can forever change a soldier. For veterans, the consequences of combat can be long lasting. According to a study done by the RAND corporation, “post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression, are specific disorders that have been shown to be extremely prevalent among soldiers returning from combat” (“RAND Assesses Post-Deployment Health-Related Needs Of Iraq Veterans.”). Effective treatments for PTSD exist however, no one method or therapeutic technique is appropriate for every client. For this reason new approaches for treatment are being tested. Positive results are being seen with the new treatment of PTSD called canine assisted therapy. Every veteran should get the opportunity to find a treatment that works best for his/her condition. That is why we need a bill that will help this problem. Therefore, a bill to establish canine therapy programs for veterans in the medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs

There has been a long history with animals and their natural bonds with humans for many decades now. Dogs have helped people with a multitude of illnesses for some time now, however Americans were not the first to discover this natural trait in animals. The Germans during World War 1 were the first to discover this. In the book, History of Guide Dog Use by Veterans it states that the German army in particular “relied heavily on the use of German shepherds as ambulance and messenger dogs. The Germans reportedly used more than 25,000 dogs during World War I. ' these dogs were ideally suited for this type of work, with ell-known traits such as trainability, loyalty, intelligence, strength, and endurance” (Ostermeier 587). In today 's society, we have numerous people who are unaware of the services that animals can provide for humans. Specifically humans with mental or physical disabilities. In this paper I will present various types of service animals as well as the many services they provide.

The PTSD Treatment Program that is being proposed is directed towards police officers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and pairing an officer with a service dog obtained from a shelter. Post-traumatic stress disorder is the most common disorder officers suffer with. This program is implemented for police officers working a part of the Calgary Police Service. The treatment aspect of this program focuses on treating officers psychologically, socially, and physically. It is based off of military based principles regarding service dogs. The cost to start this program would consist of a government grant of $100,000 to pay for costs such as building rental, dog adoption, full-time and part-time employees. Lastly, the PTSD Treatment Program

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. “It costs PPH $20,000 to fully train a service dog that will be placed with a wounded warrior.” This means that these dogs retail for upwards of