What can a service dog do?

Services dogs help to provide independence and confidence for its handler enabling them to work and travel with greater ease. They reduce the veteran’s dependence on others for help with specific tasks.A service dog can be trained to detect veterans' needs and respond in many unique ways;

• Provide balance support or assist their partner in sitting or standing
• Hearing assistance - alerting their handler to important sounds such as the doorbell, phone, smoke alarms, or even someone calling their name.•    Retrieve items, open or close various types of doors, operate light switches or automatic door openers
• Wake and calm their partner from a nightmare or hallucination.
• Recognize changes in the veterans breathing, perspiration, scent, erratic actions or “energy” that can signify a panic attack.
• Dial 911 in emergencies.
• Alert on high and lows for veterans with diabetes.
• “Patrol” a room or “watch the back” of a veteran when concerns for personal safety or paranoia exist.
• Returning veterans have a variety of special needs that makes a service dog organization dedicated to them necessary. Today's wounded veterans may have multiple physical injuries in addition to traumatic brain injury, hearing loss, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).