Veterans Day Tribute: How Veterans & Rescue Dogs Are Helping Each Other

 

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, pause and honor all of our brave human and K9 soldiers on this Veterans Day, and every day.

 

W hile we pay our respects and offer our sincere thanks to our United States veterans—our brave military men, women, and canines—on this Veterans Day, I want to discuss an important aspect to being a soldier: mental health.  

Approximately 20 Veterans die by suicide every day, reports K9s for Veterans.  

Let that really sink in. 

 

Twenty. 

 

20.

 

That is about 7,300 of our veterans we lose every year to suicide.

 

That is 7,300 too many.

 

According to K9s for Veterans, the organization is “Determined to end Veteran suicide, K9s For Warriors provides highly-trained Service Dogs to military Veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma. With the majority of dogs being rescues, this innovative program allows the K9/Warrior team to build an unwavering bond that facilitates their collective healing and recovery.”

 

Back in 2015, we proudly participated in the #K9sStop22 initiative because at the time, they estimated that approximately every 22 SECONDS, we lose a veteran to suicide. Mind-boggling. We joined in to show our Huskies howling for 22 seconds to show just how fast those seconds tick by...seconds of a veteran’s life.

 

This is our video from then:

 

In that short period of time you watched the video and heard my FiveSibes howl...just 22 seconds...isn't it heartbreakingly sad to think our country has lost a warrior in that short period of time, multiplied out through a 24-hour period?

Today, thankfully, there is a light being shone brightly on the importance of mental health, especially meeting the mental health needs of our military memebers. Much has been explored in the 9 years since the #K9sStop22 initiative, and it was important to me then, and it is today almost a decade later. 

After all, if we train our people for their military service, we need to also help them readjust back to civilian life. Seems like a given to me.

As the proud daughter of a World War II veteran and Silver Star recipient who fought on the front lines with the Army's Big Red One (First Division), and then a second tour with the Rainbow Division (because he would not let the men he trained go to battle without him), I remember several times through my younger years, especially during a full moon, when my father's thoughts would be far away with the men he served; with the soldiers he carried back from the front lines, to those who helped as a medic, and to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and whose bodies he carried back. 

 

Through my father, I appreciate and respect our military's dedication. It's a job that is not that easy and not everyone can do. With all they see and do in the line of duty, is something the average person cannot (thankfully) even imagine. Some may say "they chose that career." Well, while some did, others (Vietnam War veterans) were drafted. If we didn't have brave men, women, and canines with their handlers stepping up to defend our country and protect our many freedoms, then who would do it? 

 

My dad with two of his K9 friends on base.

 

We place huge expectations on our military, so we need to also assure them that they will be cared for once they return home.

 

While since 2015 and the #K9sStop22 initiative, there has been a lot studies and research into the actual number of suicides and applicable data such as which wars they fought in, their positions, and the age of the soldiers, so there is differing opinions on the actual number of daily veteran suicides. No matter the what or when, it is all about the who—our soldiers, all of them, past and present. 

 

"Determined to end Veteran suicide, K9s For Warriors provides highly-trained Service Dogs to military Veterans suffering from...trauma. With the majority of dogs being rescues, this innovative program allows the K9/Warrior team to build an unwavering bond that facilitates their collective healing and recovery." ~K9s for Warriors

 

In an article for NPR in conjunction with the American Homefront Project, author Jay Price, a military and veterans affairs reporter, writes, "Even one a day is a lot. And younger military vets are committing suicide much more often than civilians. Doctors treating veterans want researchers to identify which groups of vets are most at risk, like troops who saw heavy combat or soldiers who were pushed out of the service early."

The article continues with Dr. Bruce Capehart, who heads the mental health program for Afghanistan and Iraq veterans at the VA Medical Center in Durham, N.C. "That helps us focus what should our efforts be as far as outreach, education, prevention and treatment." He adds, "But we have to know who the people are that need those treatments before we can offer it to them and help them become engaged in care."

So no matter what the number is, or the numbers of seconds, "Helping vets: that's what the number 22 motivated a lot of people to try to do."

Motivation to help is key. And so are dogs.

Enter K9s for Warriors. "Determined to end Veteran suicide, K9s For Warriors provides highly-trained Service Dogs to military Veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma. With the majority of dogs being rescues, this innovative program allows the K9/Warrior team to build an unwavering bond that facilitates their collective healing and recovery."

K9s For Warriors B-roll of Veterans & their Service Dogs

K9s For Warriors exists, "Because of a fierce dedication to saving the lives of both Veterans and rescue dogs. This program is backed by scientific research and empowers Veterans who fought for our freedom to live a life of dignity and independence. Graduates of the program are able to live a life that they previously did not think was possible. Many have reunited with their families, gone back to school, found renewed enjoyment in life, and significantly reduced their medications."

According to Kevin R. Steele, the Chief Program Officer for K9s For Warriors, Inc., "As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and with our generous community of supporters, K9s For Warriors matches our Warriors with a Service Dog and hosts the pair at one of our campuses for a 21-day program at no cost to the Warrior. This program includes on campus and off-site training, bonding time in our welcoming housing, and useful classes, and it prepares the pair to pass a public access test, earning ADI certification that the dog is the handler’s Service Dog. We take great pride in providing our Warriors the best possible service, and your honesty and accuracy in this application is the first step in getting a 'new leash on life!'” 

To review the rest of the criteria for the program, and to fill out an application, please visit HERE.

✔︎K9s For Warriors is the nation’s largest Veteran service organization focused on providing highly trained Service Dogs to Warriors.

✔︎More than 2,000 rescue dogs have been saved from shelters.

✔︎82% of Veterans with Service Dogs report a decrease in suicidal thoughts. 

✔︎You can donate your time to help in a variety of ways, including cooking for warriors to helping inform others of the K9 Service Dogs.

✔︎Donations, private and corporate, are accepted to help this non-profit

✔︎You can Foster a future Service Dog.

✔︎You can Raise a future Service Dog.

✔︎You can Sponsor a Service Dog.

 

 "The dogs are saved from either abandonment or euthanasia. With a veteran being paired up with a rescue dog, it has a double bonus...Two lives (are) saved – the Service Dog and the Warrior." ~K9s for Warriors

"Successfully guiding a Veteran through the K9s For Warriors program and providing them with a Service Dog doesn’t just change the Warrior’s life. It saves it," states K9s for Warriors.

With K9s for Warriors, the dogs are saved from either "abandonment or euthanasia."

With a Veteran being paired up with a rescue dog who becomes a Service Dog, it has a double bonus: for each duo that graduates from the K9s for Warriors program, "Two lives (are) saved – the Service Dog and the Warrior."

 

While many of the dogs rescued from shelters or raised and fostered by folks do go on to become Service Dogs that are matched with a Veteran, there are some dogs who "do not qualify to live the Service Dog life and are career-changed." What does that mean? That means that civilians can adopt them! To meet some of these adoptable dogs, visit HERE.

For more information on K9s for Warriors, please visit their website by clicking on the graphic above.
 

So, on this Veteran's Day, be sure to thank someone you know who has served our country. And, if they have a retired military working dog, or have been partnered with a Service Dog, give that wonderful canine a treat (with their handler's permission, of course).

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Veterans and Rescue Dogs touch my heart and make me go "awww." 

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