Service Dog Charity Remembers Vietnam Veterans Have PTSD Too

SLO Vietnam War vet gets service dog from nonprofit
San Luis Obispo News
Nick Wilson
April 1, 2016

Hulin, 67, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has had difficulty doing daily tasks since his right leg was amputated a year and a half ago. Hulin said doctors believe the herbicide Agent Orange, which he was exposed to in Vietnam, contributed to health complications that led to the loss of his leg.

Bruce Hulin’s dog, Nichols, comforts him and helps him pick up dropped items and open doors

The San Luis Obispo-based nonprofit, Paws for a Cause, has raised $40,000 to help train dogs for war veterans

It takes one to two years of intense work to train a service dog

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. Dogs also can save lives, according to a local nonprofit group that connects dogs with veterans.

Cayucos-based Paws for a Cause has raised $40,000 and partnered with the San Luis Obispo-based nonprofit New Life K9s to provide service dogs to veterans — and, as a result, help prevent suicide, improve their relationships with those in the community, offer assistance and emotional support, and reduce homelessness.

The organization says dogs are the perfect buddies for those who have been hurt — physically or emotionally — by war because their loyalty and friendship is unconditional.

San Luis Obispo resident Bruce Hulin, a Vietnam War veteran and amputee, officially was awarded his new service dog, a yellow lab named Nichols, in an emotional ceremony at a Los Osos Rotary Club meeting Friday at La Palapa restaurant in Los Osos. Hulin is the fourth veteran to receive a service dog from Paws for a Cause.
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