Stress dogs can be Soldier’s best friend

Spc. Eliezer Pagan poses March 10 with the therapeutic dog with which he has been training. The 85th Combat Stress Control Unit from Fort Hood will deploy at the end of the month and its troops will work with dogs that can help Soldiers cope with combat stress. Pfc. Sean Mcguire, 4th Sust. Bde. Public Affairs

Stress dogs can be Soldier’s best friend
By Pfc. Amy M. Lane, 4th Sust. Bde. Public Affairs
March 18, 2010 News
It can be difficult for some Soldiers to open up after a traumatizing event or if there are problems at home while they are overseas. But the 85th Medical Detachment, 1st Medical Brigade, a combat stress control unit, is learning to work with some unique emotional ice breakers.

The 85th’s Soldiers, who are deploying to Iraq at the end of the month, have been training all week with four therapeutic dogs that were bred, trained and donated to the Army by America’s VetDogs.

Stress control dogs can help Soldiers open up and start conversations flowing, whether troops come to the clinic seeking help or encounter a trained dog while walking around the compound.
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