Monday, March 1, 2010
"I thought it was pretty amazing but I didn't think that I needed the help of a dog," says Adams, a veteran who lost his left leg as the result of a roadside bombing in Iraq in 2004. Adams, who now walks with a titanium prosthetic leg, changed his mind in February of 2008 and was matched with Sharif, a yellow Labrador retriever trained by Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). Today, the two travel all over the United States and have become inseparable.
Snip
In response to the "Get my back" command a service dog positions himself at the side of a veteran facing backwards. If someone approaches, the dog alerts the handler with a certain body movement. This means that the veteran is never caught off guard or surprised from behind, which can be extremely stressful for a PTSD sufferer. >>>>>
A blessing for soldiers blinded by war
But despite a rising need among veterans, the U.S. doesn't pay for guide dog training
Ex-Army Green Beret Pete Perez with his guide dog, Lucy, a yellow Labrador retriever.
March 2, 2010
But thanks to a yellow Labrador retriever named Lucy, Perez is more hopeful today than at any time since the bomb violently jarred his brain and broke his foot.
The demand for highly trained guide dogs to serve blinded veterans is one of the little-known consequences of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where roadside bombs are the enemy's weapon of choice, and extreme head trauma that can cause vision problems in survivors is common.
Lucy was trained at the nonprofit Southeastern Guide Dogs in Palmetto, where about one-third of the 26 graduates between July and December went to veterans such as Perez, who graduated last fall from a month-long class with Lucy.
About 140 veterans have received dogs since the program began five years ago.
Despite the growing need, the federal government does not pay for guide dog training for blinded veterans. Some former service members such as Perez question whether the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs are doing enough to support guide dog programs and promote their benefits to injured soldiers and veterans. >>>>>
The VA and DoD {with it's ever growing huge Defense Budgets for It's Contractors, Friends and Politicians} are part of the Government, the Government of the People, the People that Support Wars of Choice not Need while sending a tiny fraction of the population into these occupations. It isn't the VA nor the DoD that are having a problem of caring, and paying for that care, for those who return, It's The People!!!!
Life. Unleashed.
Canine Companions for Independence provides highly-trained assistance dogs for children and adults with disabilities, free of charge.
The most advanced technology capable of transforming the lives of people with disabilities has a cold nose and a warm heart!
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