A squad of two: Local group gives vets new mission

A squad of two: Local group gives vets new mission
6 hours ago
BY JOEL HAWKSLEY
The Southern

To help

Training a service dog can cost from $17,000 to $35,000. In addition to acquisition and other costs, such as veterinary care, food, grooming and kenneling, the majority of expenses come from training the dogs six days a week for 12 to 18 months. The service men and women who take part in This Able Veteran pay nothing.

If you would like to help, call 618-964-1162

The six veterans came from many different walks of life, but they all shared the same hope for a turning point.

Over the course of the past two weeks, This Able Veteran, a non-profit based in Carbondale, trained the group in the skills necessary to live a happy, productive life through the assistance of individually chosen and trained service dogs.

Luis Zaragoza of Chicago, who served in the Army until 2004, heard about the program while applying for his GI Bill at SIU.

“I didn’t really know what it entailed,” said Zaragoza, who copes with hyper-vigilance from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“When you go to the doctors, they just pump you with medicine and I knew that wasn’t the answer. I was looking for some alternative to that.”

No shortcuts

Founded in early 2011 by Behesha Doan, This Able Veteran has made its goal to provide the best service dogs possible at no cost to veterans.
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