Executive Summary

Countless veterans return from war with wounds deeper than the eye can see. Medication and

counseling is not always enough to help the veterans adjust back to life stateside and many

continue to suffer sometimes leading to drug abuse and even homelessness as a result. Studies

show canine companionship is a leading cure in the healing of PTSD cases and funding is

needed to match veterans with service dogs. Help by writing your local congressmen and

women to demand funding at the VA level to help these people. We owe it to them.

Home Front Battle with No End in Sight: PTSD

For many veterans, what happens at war does not stay at war. Scars go beyond skin

deep, physical injury, and anything visible. Many veterans are fighting an internal battle,

mentally and emotionally. Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome, or PTSD, is a very real and

increasingly occurrent disorder commonly suffered by veterans. What if there is a solution to

help alleviate some of the emotional tolls? Would it not make sense, to investigate, initiate, and

fund projects spearheading help for those veterans? The solution: emotional support service

dogs. The issue: the VA will not fund or offer emotional support dogs to Veterans due to lack of

evidence they actually help.

PTSD is what exactly?

PTSD is a mental disorder or psychological response developed after experiencing or witnessing

any exceptionally traumatic or life-threatening event.1 Those with PTSD face these traumas on

replay so much so that it interferes with everyday life at home, work, and in public. 2

How does PTSD relate to war?

PTSD has been diagnosed in veterans who endured traumatic events such as seeing dead

bodies, being shot at/ambushed, or witnessing someone they know being seriously

and/or fatally wounded.3 The United States military reports the highest percentage of veterans

suffering from PTSD now.4 (than at any other time in recent history?)

 11-20% of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring

Freedom (OEF) veterans

 12% of Gulf War veterans

 15% Vietnam veterans

Without context, the percentages don’t really tell the story. Are there associated numbers?

Most people do not have an understanding of how many military members serve/have

served in these operations so the percentage of veterans being impacted by PTSD doesn’t

give them a clear picture of the magnitude of the problem.

What is the Home Front Battle?

Because PTSD is not a visible war wound, it commonly goes undiagnosed. There is no checklist

of signs that point straight to the disorder. Every case of PTSD is unique to the individual and

the trauma experienced and not every veteran who experienced a trauma suffers from PTSD.
For those who do, the symptoms vary but can include confusion, flashbacks, severe anxiety,

depression, and restlessness.2 If left untreated, these symptoms can lead to substance

abuse5 and suicide6.

 2 out of 10 veterans with PTSD also suffer from substance abuse

 PTSD veterans are 3 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than veterans who do

not suffer from PTSD

How can service dogs help?

PTSD service dogs are proven to help with many different aspects of depression, lower

blood pressure, offer companionship, be their handler’s senses. Service dogs can also calm

their handler in tense situations, wake their partner during night terrors, and protect their

handler in crowded spaces to combat hypervigilance. 7 These dogs help their handlers

reconnect to the world and offer them peace of mind, draw out personality, and develop

the handler’s ability to be assertive without aggression. So many success stories attribute

service dogs to being the reason a Veteran can go in and work/live in the civilian world. 8

Call to Action!

There is more than enough evidence to support the fact service dogs can help Veterans

suffering from PTSD acclimate back to life outside of the warzone. Write your local

congressmen and women today so they can allocate funding to the VA in order to get

service dog initiatives in action to help our Veterans today!

PTSD Basics. (2017). Retrieved March 15, 2018,from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/ptsd-
1

overview/basics

Bagalman, Erin. (2013). Mental Disorders Among OEF/OIF Veterans Using VA Health Care: Facts
2

and Figures. Congressional Research Service.

Retrieve From:http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41921.pdf.

PTSD Basics. (2017). Retrieved March 15, 2018, fromhttps://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/ptsd-

3

overview/basics

4 How Common is PTSD. (2017, July 05). Retrieved March 15, 2018,

from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/ptsd-overview/basics/how-common-is-ptsd.asp

5 PTSD and Substance Abuse in Veterans. (2015, Aug 13). Retrieved March 21, 2018, from

https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/problems/ptsd_substance_abuse_veterans.asp
6 PTSD and Suicide Risks in Veterans. (2017, Mar 28). Retrieved March 21, 2018 from

https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/co-occurring/ptsd-suicide.asp

7 PTSD Service Dogs. (2017) Retrieved March 21,

2018 from https://www.canines4hope.com/mobilehttps://www.canines4hope.com

/mobilehttps://www.canines4hope.com/mobilehttps://www.canines4hope.com/

mobile

8 How Dogs Can Help Veterans Overcome PTSD (2012, July) Retrieved March 21, 2018 from

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-dogs-can-help-veterans-overcome-

ptsd-137582968/