A veteran's best friend

Jan. 04--DANVILLE -- Two local veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder will make new friends this year.

Their buddies are being trained now -- a Labrador retriever named Harley and a shepherd mix named Raven.

Raven's training should take about six months, but Harley should be ready in February, said Tony Piatt, trainer with Midwest Professional Canine Services and owner of Paw-a-day Inn K9 Suites in Tilton.

Then, a four-member committee will choose two veterans in the area who could benefit from service dogs, and the new owners will undergo training in how to handle the dogs.

The service dogs are given basic obedience training first, and also are being trained to recognize when a veteran becomes agitated, and to comfort him. One training move, for example, teaches a dog to nudge a veteran to distract him if he's exhibiting signs of having suicidal thoughts.

The dogs also are taught to stand firm in a crowd as a barrier between the vet and people.

Eventually, the dogs will learn to detect signs of agitation in a veteran, such as a shaking leg, and dogs can pick up scents of stress.

A service dog gives a veteran a reason to get up every morning, and provides emotional support.

Piatt said 20 veterans commit suicide each day across the country, according to the Veterans Affairs' statistics.

"The purpose is to relieve that stress and have him (veteran) lead a normal life," said Piatt, an Air Force veteran.

SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN

The idea to raise money to train service dogs for veterans in need came from Andy Schulte last year. Schulte, an Army veteran, is finance officer with the Catlin American Legion.

Last October, Schulte got the idea to challenge people to do 22 pushups for 22 days, donate $1 for each pushup, video it, and post on social media. He involved the American Legion Riders, Patriot Guard and local American Legion posts.

His goal was $7,500 for one dog. However, Schulte was amazed when they raised $15,000. The money covers boarding, care, food and training for two dogs for the rest of their lives.

Many individuals and businesses made donations, he said. Some of the businesses donated more than $1,000 and individuals were chipping in $100.

Dave Hughes, a Coast Guard veteran and a member of the committee, said, "A lot of my service buddies were sending in checks."

Hughes, service officer with the Georgetown American Legion, deals with finding help for veterans, and has started a faith-based support group, Reveille, for veterans at Life Church.

"The support we received was very inspiring," Schulte said.

Mission 22, a nonprofit national group based in Nashville, Ind., donated $3,500. The group works to bring awareness of the number of vets lost to suicide and to raise money to help get veterans treatment for PTSD and other issues. It also has a program, Women of Mission 22, to help women veterans and spouses of vets.

When the group was started four years ago, 22 veterans were taking their lives every day; that number has dropped to 20.

Once the money was raised for the dogs, Piatt was pleased to find two candidates in the area. The Vermilion County Animal Shelter called to say it had a shepherd-mix that might make a good service dog, and a veteran who couldn't keep his dog anymore due to housing restrictions contacted Piatt about taking his Lab.

Carolyn Daniel is working with Raven, 2, who has been in training only three weeks, and McKenzie Henk is working with Harley, 3, who has been in training since October, both under Piatt's supervision.

Animals chosen as service dogs can't be aggressive toward people and other dogs, nor food-aggressive. They have to be environmentally sure, confident and friendly to people and other animals.

Those qualities can't be learned, Piatt said.

Dogs also must be able to handle slick floors, elevators, stairs, escalators, crowds, buildings and other obstacles.

VETS CHECKED

Veterans who are chosen must be able to care for the dog financially and have a safe home environment. Piatt will do a background check on the veteran, and the committee will do periodic checks once the dogs are placed.

After a dog is trained, the veteran will receive training for the life of the dog. If there's a problem, Piatt will respond immediately. It's also important that the vet and the dog click.

Also, he said, "We stress to the veteran -- this is not a pet; this is a working dog. It has a job."

The dogs will meet all of the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The campaign to raise money for service dogs was a one-time event, Schulte said, and there are no plans to continue fundraising at this point.

"We reached our goal," he said. "We're just concerned veterans."

Also on the committee is Tammy Hawkins with the Legion Riders in Cayuga, Ind.

FYI

For more information, call Tony Piatt at Paw-a-Day Inn K9 Suites, 442-7297.

Learn more about Mission 22 at www.mission22.com and its Facebook page.

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