“All of a sudden I could do everything they talked about in therapy, but I never thought I could do.”

…like, in a way, I was just completely angry with everybody really.

If you go out into the ocean one day and you get attacked by a shark, can you think about ever going back out into that ocean again? And enjoying the experience?

To me, that’s going outside of my front door.

I think we all have that turning point in our life where it comes down to almost losing everything and everyone that’s important to you before you finally say, maybe it’s time for me to look into getting some help.

You did really good.

See his ears pinned?

Mm-hmm.

He knows something’s going on but he’s listening to you. My name is Sarah and I am the CEO and founder of Patriot Canines of Wisconsin. We are a service dog program that helps and trains certified service dogs for military veterans diagnosed with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and/or military sexual trauma, or any of the combination. We pair shelter dog and veteran and we bring them back once a week, an hour-and-a-half for six consecutive months.

For the last couple of years, I’ve been talking with my husband about the possibility of getting a service dog, but it’s hard of you to uproot your life for three months to go train with your dog. Between the husband, kids, and work, I mean how do you manage all that? So, the fact that they’re local was number one and the fact that they’re so friendly and I mean just willing to teach and work with you and your dog.

See how we’re all laughing and what are they doing?

They’re just chilling.

They’re behaving because you’re not worried about it. Only about 1 in 50 dogs can make the cut to be a service dog. And we’ve gotten them from the local Humane Societies around the surrounding counties when the right dog comes in and then they give us a call. We’re saving two lives at once.

You look at the statistics rate, 22 veterans per day nationwide approximately commit suicide because of their disability, and we’re bringing in a shelter dog. We’re giving them both a second chance.

They’re starting that bond from day one. And they’re also developing something that you just can’t create in a week or two. Our program, we train you and we train your dog together.

It’s an amazing opportunity, to one, be the one to train him. It’s really helped strengthen up our bond together.

They’re trained to do deep pressure therapy. They’re trained to do tasks to protect and alert from behind. And then, the end is all public access work. We do public buildings, we do elevators, we do city transportation, we do stores. And you are focusing on trying to find what you need to find, but you also have to be aware of what your canine is telling you. It can smell, it can sense, it picks up on everything. And it starts coming in and working.

He can tell when I’m starting to get anxious or when there’s something that is coming, like, I’m going to have flashbacks or an episode. He automatically come close to me or he’ll, at the house, when I’m having a little hard time, he’ll come and put his legs on top of me, like, “Hey.” You know?

One of the things that’s good for you as a veteran is that he’s responsive to you. That sort of teamwork mentality. It really sets in well with the mentality of a veteran.

Leave it. Good job, boy.

Approximately 94% of veterans on alternative therapies service dogs are showing exponential growth and reduction in either chemical therapies that they need to use and/or social and psychological therapies. We interject fun and we interject relaxation and they start warming up and they start developing a camaraderie for each other and within the group.

And I’ve also come to find that even before coming here, it’s like the anxiety levels are a little higher. And as soon as we get into training, it all melts away.- After 11 years of being in therapy and anger management groups and all kinds of stuff, honestly, this is like– It’s like a miracle pill, you know? Like, all of a sudden I can do things that they talked about in therapy, but I never thought I could do, you know?

It’s like having the old Jen back, when she was little, there was this joy of life and everything else, and now I feel like we’re getting that back. The pre-Iraq Jennifer and that’s been huge for all of us actually.- He engages people in conversation with me. It’s starting to happen so much more naturally now.

I’m able to have a lot more sleep, which is giving me a more stable, kind of, day.

He’s… He’s changed my life.

If you have the opportunity to do this, do it because the truth is, you’re not broken. You have a lot to offer, you know?