Dog Bless You Campaign Brings Service Dogs to Injured War Vets

'Dog Bless You' Campaign Brings Service Dogs to Injured War Vets
For every 5,000 'likes' on facebook, a veteran will get a dog.
KTLA News
8:25 a.m. PDT, June 24, 2011

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- A new internet campaign is helping veterans, struggling with debilitating pain and post-traumatic stress disorder, get some much-needed help from our four-legged friends.

Former U.S. Army Captain Carlos Montalvan was 30 years old in 2003 when he was attacked by two men while on foot patrol in Iraq. He sustained a traumatic brain injury and fractured vertebrae.


He says once he returned home, life was a struggle.

"From that attack, I had a hard time sleeping," he told KTLA.

The Purple Heart recipient was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and suffered from severe migraines and panic attacks.

Montalvan says a 4-year-old golden retriever named "Tuesday" saved his life.

The highly-trained service dog listens and looks for any signs of distress and helps Montalvan tackle the stairs and other physical tasks.

Los Angeles-based filmmaker and philanthropist Charlie Annenberg Weingarten founded DogBlessYou.org, an internet campaign aimed at helping veterans get service dogs like "Tuesday."
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Campaign Brings Service Dogs to Injured War Vets