What is your opinion about Service Dogs used to help a Veteran through his/her personal battle with Combat PTSD?

I'm proud of the 4 months that I spent in the VA's residential PTSD program. It was used against me in divorce court, which was disgraceful, but I stood proud and let them make an ass out of themselves. During my time in the program, one thing is certain, the service dogs were the best therapists. A good dog has emotional radar. When their fur-less pet is having a bad day, they are the first to know it. That wet nose is heading right for your forearm for a nudge. When you are having a hard time dealing with grief and loss, a dog is never judgmental, they are fantastic listeners, and they always agree with us whenever we need to vent about the VA pissing us off. We have to care for them, nurture them, and clean up after them. It is a great way to remember that life has a way of going on. We are the most important thing in someone's life. We experience unconditional love in the purest, most basic form. They pull us out of our shells. They are fantastic icebreakers. We might not want to talk about ANYTHING, but we can always talk about our dogs. Before long, the conversations include more than just what is happening in the dog's life, and we can open up about our own life.

I think it is brilliant.  Did you know there is such thing as a 'Dog University'?  Dogs can be so beneficial to society: http://www.berginu.edu/

My girlfriend helped me get a small dog to help with PTSD and just for good companionship. I can tell you my little 5 lb. Chihuahua/Terrier mix has been quite a blessing in my life. I often isolate from people and places (physically or just "checking out"). I have heard that an official service dog is expensive and long waits, but one way or another dogs are wonderful for helping to relieve the symptoms and just bonding in general. Thanks for such an excellent topic :)

My pets have helped in my recovery from PTSD and Depression and my mother's dog has been a blessing to me. There should be more service dogs available as an alterntive holistic healing therapy.

You can see my opinion about Service Dogs (and what good they do) in two of my posts:
1) Gaining Freedom - A Personal Journey in Surviving PTS and TBI, and
2) Watching your brother/sister's back - helping fellow Servicemembers and Veterans

as well as related info in my other post: Getting Real About PTS And TBI

As for your questions, yes, they should be more available, yes, they should be a (strongly recommended) option for treatment, and yes, the VA should provide more assistance and education on this alternative. All of these would save lives. Period.

Benjamin Finnell
American Fork, UT

I arrived at the VA Hospital in Salt Lake this morning much like any other time I have gone there, with my service dog Norman at my side. This time, however, I was met at the entrance by a uniformed Police Officer. Yes, the VA has their own police force, but that is a different issue. The reason the VA Police officer cited for stopping me was that the Salt Lake City VA Hospital does not recognize PTSD service dogs as being service animals. He refused to recognize the prescription from my physician, the tags identifying him as a service animal, and the federal law (Americans with Disabilities Act) that requires that they grant access to ALL service animals.

Instead, the administration of the VA Healthcare System in Salt Lake have created a sub-class of service animal that they have declared "of no real use" (the officer's words). He claimed that dogs cannot be trained to performs tasks for PTSD, that they either "are born with the instinct to do it, or not, but it can't be trained." Regardless of the falsity of his logic, federal law requires ALL service animals be granted access, not just some.

After much lecturing and telling me how I was wrong for calling my dog a service dog (I have a prescription from my physician and he is properly trained to do specific tasks, which makes him a service dog), the officer provided me with a copy of the VAMC Salt Lake City policy (dated March 5, 2014) on which he highlighted the section covering therapy, companion, and emotional support animals (because that is what he said they considered my service dog). Nowhere in their guidance does it prohibit PTSD service dogs by name, but the VA Salt Lake City Police are using this document to categorically discriminate against servicemembers who have PTSD and use a service dog to help manage their PTSD. When I pointed out that it did not prohibit PTSD service animals and listed the tasks that Norman (my service dog) performs, he stated that only physical tasks were recognized. He then proceeded to discount the necessity of having a service dog for epilepsy or diabetes because "we are in a hospital, so if they need medical care, they are right here." He continued to lecture and berate me for fifteen minutes while I attempted to excuse myself (I wouldn't leave without a written copy of the policy, so he delayed making the copy while he lectured some more).

Interestingly, the VA themselves are currently running a clinical trial on the benefits of service dogs for PTSD (http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT01329341). If they are willing to concede that there is likely a clinical benefit to having a service dog for PTSD, why then would they not allow someone who has a service dog and at the same time to access the health care that they are entitled to?

Some of you may wonder, "What does a service dog actually do for PTSD?" The reference at (http://www.iaadp.org/psd_tasks.html) has some wonderful answers, but the truth is that just like every other service animal, they are trained to perform specific tasks that aid their owner/handler in dealing with/overcoming their disability. But the key thing is that these must be specific, concrete, identifiable tasks that you can point to and say "This is what my service dog does to deal with my disability."

During my service, I earned a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star (with combat "V"), and am now rated 100% disabled due to my PTSD. The VA should not deny me access to care based on the fact that I have a service dog. Please consider signing my petition to change this policy at Change.org: https://www.change.org/petitions/sen-orrin-hatch-investigate-the-systematic-violation-of-the-americans-with-disabilities-act-ada-by-the-va-medical-center-in-salt-lake-city

More links on service dogs for PTSD:
http://www.americanhumane.org/interaction/programs/servicedogsforveterans/
http://www.nami.org/ADVTemplate.cfm?Section=Advocate_Magazine&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=109134

Definitely!! Dogs have unquestionable devotion to their owners, so are ideal for wounded warriors. Only problem I see is educating the public/businesses that they are necessary, just like any other service dog.

I think it is a Great Idea, The unconditional love of my Border Collie Maggie was a great thing for me.

I have no issue, it seems to help many people. I did encounter an active duty Marine who was being stationed OCONUS with a PTSD dog. I thought that was a bit weird, if he was that disabled what is the USMC doing sending him overseas?

I think they are awesome. I have friends that use them and have had no complaints. It helps lit them know when an attack is coming and can help calm the vet down. I am aware of several programs if anyone is interested. I will get with one friend to see which ones she recommends. I hear there is a real good one in FL, but at the moment I can't remember the name. It is also probably best to help train your new buddy so you are on the same page. I just wonder when we can have them on active duty. That would be nice.