Emotional support and trained service animals can provide wellness and healing

Canine Companions Offer Love and Support to Returning Vets

NBC 4 News
By Mario Solis
Published Jul 7, 2019

Emotional support and trained service animals can provide wellness and healing for veterans struggling with mental health or physical disabilities.

"Just seeing them have a sense of belonging with these dogs, and with the people who have helped them get to that point, it just creates a whole new type of community," said Natasha Smith, the executive director of Canine Companions LTD.

Canine Companion Daisy sits ready and waiting.

More than a quarter of men and women who have served in the armed forces find it difficult to return to civilian life, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. In these cases, emotional support and trained service animals can provide wellness and healing for veterans struggling with mental health or physical disabilities.

Canine Companions LTD. is a nonprofit organization that connects specialized dogs with veterans in need. The program operates out of the eighth floor of the Dream Center, a faith-based charitable organization in Silver Lake, to aid returning servicemen and women as they transition back into civilian life.

According to the organization's website, the program's mission is to provide veterans with a marketable skill so that they can train dogs to provide emotional, mental and physical support to future veteran owners.
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