Service dog comforts Bells veteran with PTSD

Service dog comforts Bells veteran with PTSD

By MARIANN MARTIN
mmartin10@jacksonsun.com
January 10, 2010


When Aimee Sherrod paces the floor after a nightmare, her dog Bear licks her face. When she feels frightened by a large crowd, Bear blocks people by standing in front of her. When she yells at her husband and family, Bear puts his nose in her hand.

"On the days I push everyone else away, he won't leave me alone," Sherrod says as she sits on the couch in her Bells home. Bear, a service dog from the organization Puppies Behind Bars, puts his head in her lap, letting her play with his ears.

Sherrod, a mother of two, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving two tours of duty in Iraq in the Air Force.

The first Air Force casualty in the war came from her unit. During her second tour in 2003 and 2004, her unit was stationed in the Baghdad International Airport, which was targeted by bombings and sniper fire.

Post-traumatic stress disorder was diagnosed in 2004, and Sherrod took a medical discharge from the Air Force in 2005.

Since then, she has struggled to cope with her illness, which has kept her from holding a steady job or staying in school. She hopes that may change since she got Bear in October.

"He is not a robot or a magic fix, but he helps," she said. "And anything that makes it (the post-traumatic stress disorder) less, is good with me. Just like today - he can tell I'm more nervous than usual and he is right on top of me."
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Service dog comforts Bells veteran with PTSD