Soldier’s Best Friend is an Arizona based non-profit that connects Veterans suffering from combat injuries, such as PTSD and TBI with therapeutic companion dogs. The group will work with any Veteran that has been diagnosed with PTSD or TBI living in Arizona, or who is willing to relocate as training is available for Veterans offered in Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Prescott and Sierra Vista. This training usually takes about six to nine months to complete.
While Soldier’s Best Friend works to help Veterans who are struggling with injuries, it also changes the lives of the therapeutic companion dogs. These dogs are all former shelter dogs that the organization trains as service or companion dogs for Veterans with PTSD. This partnership between the dog and their Veteran helps to heal wounds and manage problems such as panic attacks, depression, flashbacks, irritability, reclusive behavior, anxiety, nightmares, uneasiness in crowds, and suicidal thoughts.
Visit Soldier’s Best Friend to learn more.
Video by Dakota Lum. Lum is an undergraduate senior at Northern Arizona University studying creative media and film and journalism.
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They do not help all Veterans with PTSD,. They only help those with combat PTSD, so MST and other military related PTSD, are out of luck even if their provider recommends a service dog.
My husband is 100% disabled from injuries in Iraq. I to an disabled. We purchased a Brittany last year. We love to work with him so he could be our service dog. Is there any place we could take him to be trained as a service dog?