Current:Home > Contact‘I got my life back.’ Veterans with PTSD making progress thanks to service dog program-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
‘I got my life back.’ Veterans with PTSD making progress thanks to service dog program
lotradecoin API View Date:2024-12-25 17:05:32
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — After working at a crowded and dangerous internment camp in Iraq, Air Force Staff Sgt. Heather O’Brien brought home with her anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
A bouncy labradoodle and a Kansas City-area program helped her get back on her feet.
Dogs 4 Valor, operated through the Olathe, Kansas-based organization called The Battle Within, helps retired veterans and first responders work with their service dogs to help manage depression, anxiety and other challenges.
“A lot of times the veteran with severe PTSD is homebound,” said Sandra Sindeldecker, program manager for Dogs 4 Valor. “They’re isolated. They’re very nervous. They won’t make eye contact. Some won’t leave the house at all.”
The program involves both group and one-on-one training. The goal is to get the veteran and the dog comfortable with each other and understanding each other. The group takes outings to help the veterans regain their footing in public places like airports. Program leaders also provide mental health therapy at no cost.
The veterans and dogs graduate in six to nine months, but group gatherings continue.
O’Brien, 40, recalled that the camp where she worked in Iraq sometimes had over 20,000 detainees. Violence and rioting were common and it left her with severe anxiety.
“When I got out of the military, I just assumed that you’re supposed to be on edge all the time as a veteran,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien’s mother spotted the frisky lab-poodle mix on Facebook and convinced her daughter to adopt the dog she named Albus. Months later, O’Brien learned about Dogs 4 Valor, and the pair joined the program in October 2023.
Now, O’Brien said she can get back out in public — she even went on vacation to Branson, Missouri, “things that I never would have thought I would do really, probably ever again.”
Mark Atkinson, 38, served in Afghanistan as a corporal in the Marine Corps. He returned home with PTSD and major depressive disorder, causing sleeplessness and anxiety. He adopted Lexi, now 5, in 2020.
Lexi, a muscular cane corso breed, needed Atkinson as much as he needed her. Her previous owner had kept Lexi on chains before surrendering her. Since joining Dogs 4 Valor, the two can get out together and enjoy life.
“I don’t really like leaving the house because I’m safe there, you know?” Atkinson said. “And having Lexi has just made me get out to be more social.”
Having a group of fellow veterans facing the same challenges has also helped, Atkinson said.
“We come from the same backgrounds, different branches,” Atkinson said. “Same issues. You know, PTSD or traumatic brain injuries. And they’re all very welcoming as well. There’s no judgment.”
O’Brien compared living with Albus to a relationship with a sometimes pushy best friend who often wants to go out.
“The best friend constantly wants to make you do things that make you nervous,” O’Brien laughed, acknowledging that it is ultimately up to her.
“I have to decide to walk out and just deal with life,” O’Brien said. “And so that has been hard. And it still is hard from time to time, but it’s it’s getting manageable.”
Some veterans said their family relationships have improved since they started the program.
“I’m able to talk, not fly off the handle and just get along with people and not be as stressed, not have as much anxiety,” Atkinson said. “Or even if I do, she (Lexi) is right there with me.”
Timothy Siebenmorgen, 61, said his relationships also are better with help from his 1-year-old American bulldog, Rosie, and Dogs 4 Valor, which he joined in July. He served in both the Marines and Army, deploying 18 times.
“You’re in the military, kind of taught not to show weakness,” Siebenmorgen said. “So you figure you can tackle everything yourself and you honestly believe that. And then you realize you can’t do it on your own.”
Veterans said the dogs, and the program, have given them new hope and a renewed ability to move forward.
“I got my life back,” O’Brien said.
veryGood! (62732)
Related
- Ryan Reynolds on his 'complicated' relationship with his dad, how it's changed him
- Yolanda Hadid Shares Sweet Way She’s Spoiling Gigi Hadid's Daughter Khai Malik
- The Latest: Trump to campaign in Michigan, Wisconsin; Harris will have sit-down interview with CNN
- A Hong Kong court convicts 2 journalists in a landmark sedition case
- Infamous LA officer’s gun found in $1 million watch robbery case
- You’ll Flip Over Simone Biles and Gabby Thomas' Meet Up With Caitlin Clark
- The US Appetite for Electricity Grew Massively in the First Half of 2024, and Solar Power Rose to the Occasion
- Why Black students are still disciplined at higher rates: Takeaways from AP’s report
- Don't be fooled by the name and packaging: Fruit snacks are rarely good for you. Here's why.
- Horoscopes Today, August 29, 2024
Ranking
- Lady Gaga’s Brunette Hair Transformation Will Have You Applauding
- Darlington honors the late Cale Yarborough at his hometown track where he won five Southern 500s
- Heather Graham opens up about 30-year rift with parents over Hollywood disapproval
- Leah Remini and Husband Angelo Pagán Break Up After 21 Years of Marriage
- Collin Gosselin claims he was discharged from Marines due to institutionalization by mom Kate
- Former NYPD officer sentenced to 27 years for shooting her ex-girlfriend and the ex’s new partner
- Shania Twain's Husband Frédéric Thiébaud Gives Glimpse Inside Their Love Story on Her Birthday
- Angelina Jolie dazzles Venice Film Festival with ‘Maria,’ a biopic about opera legend Maria Callas
Recommendation
-
The State Fair of Texas is banning firearms, drawing threats of legal action from Republican AG
-
SEC to release player availability reports as a sports-betting safeguard
-
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will teach a course on running for office at Yale
-
Patriots to start quarterback Jacoby Brissett in Week 1 over first-round pick Drake Maye
-
Austin Dillon loses automatic playoff berth for actions in crash-filled NASCAR win
-
'The Acolyte' star Amandla Stenberg slams 'targeted attack' by 'the alt-right' on 'Star Wars' show
-
Heather Graham Reveals Why She Hasn’t Spoken to Her Parents in Nearly 30 Years
-
Want To Achieve Perfect Fall Hair? These Are the Hair Tools You Need