PTSD service dogs trained since the 70's

Charity provides service dog for injured veteran
4 PAWS 4 PATRIOTS TRAINS SERVICE DOGS THAT CAN HELP INJURED SERVICE MEMBERS BOTH PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY
North County Times
Craig Shultz

Since retired Marine Cpl. Nathan Peck arrived home from a tour of duty in Iraq in 2009 with lower back injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, his life has not been easy, he said.

But thanks to a local charity, things are looking much brighter.

This week, Peck, 27, was given Cali, a 2-year-old golden retriever from 4 Paws 4 Patriots, a Menifee-based charity that matches injured veterans with service dogs.

“These two years, I’ve been in a very dark place,” Peck said. “Working with Cali, she calms me down, helps me out. She’s like my best friend, like my kid. Most importantly, she knows how to calm me down in those dark moments. Without Tim’s organization, I don’t know where I’d be today.”

Tim is Tim LeBlanc of Menifee, who formed the charity two years ago with fellow Menifee resident Greg Fletcher and John Banks of Temecula.

LeBlanc and Banks are military veterans and Fletcher said he has family members who served in the armed forces.

“These guys don’t get as much help as they should,” Fletcher said before Friday’s presentation at Sam’s Club in Murrieta. “We want to take the talents we have so we can give them a better life.”

LeBlanc has been training dogs since the 1970s and said statistics show that having a service animal helps wounded troops, especially those with PTSD.
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Oct. 26, 2012
Iraq War veteran points to benefits of service dogs
By Kyle Martin
Staff Writer
MICHAEL HOLAHAN/STAFF
Veteran Daniel Smith hugs his service dog, Jefferson. Jefferson assists in Smith's recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder and other injuries from his 2005 service in Iraq. The black lab is trained to notice panic attacks and other symptoms.

Latest by JimS 8 min 50 sec ago
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently suspended a study that could have opened the door to funding service dogs for veterans with mental disorders.

Iraq War veteran Daniel Smith understands the reason for their delay but wishes more service members could receive the benefit of a service dog like his.

Before Smith brought his black Labrador, Jefferson, home in early 2011, he could barely make it through the crowds of Walmart without a panic attack.

Four months later, Smith was confidently walking through New York’s Grand Central Station with Jefferson by his side.

“I would have never thought a dog could help me like that,” Smith said.

From the VA’s perspective, Jefferson is a prosthetic because he assists in Smith’s recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder and other injuries he suffered during his deployment to Iraq in 2005. The VA pays for dogs to assist veterans with physical disabilities, including vision and hearing problems. A study was commissioned in 2010 to examine the possibility of funding service dogs for veterans with PTSD, but it was suspended Sept. 5 amid concerns over the consistency of training by private kennels. The VA also says there is a lack of scientific evidence to show the dogs are capable of healing and treating PTSD. It’s unclear whether the study will resume.

Veterans across the country with service dogs are protesting the VA’s decision and providing their own anecdotal evidence.

Smith, of Beech Island, got his dog free from America’s VetDogs in 2011 because of his mobility impairments and seizures. The VA’s only involvement was signing off on the paperwork that verified his medical condition and a chaplain’s recommendation.
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