Iraq Vets Receive Service Dogs Trained by Prisoners
February 10th, 2010 | Author: xan
Iraq war vet receives service dog from Puppies Behind Bars program
Four Veterans of the war in Iraq recently participated in a two-week Team Training course. The veterans suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) as a result of their military service in Iraq. The group consisted of one woman and three men who are from different states.
The dogs are trained by inmates that reside in medium to maximum security prisons in New York State. Puppies Behind Bars (PBB) oversees this program known as the “Dog Tags” program. Inmates receive puppies as young as eight weeks of age and teach them eighty plus Service Dog commands over their 16-18 month stay. When the dogs have attained a certain level of training, they will move on to Colorado where they are matched with wounded Veterans from across the country as a Service Dog. PBB also trains “Explosive Detection Canines” (EDC’s), some of which end up in Iraq and Afghanistan, saving many lives there as well as in the United States.
The Service Dogs are provided free of charge to the veteran. All expenses, including lodging and transportation are covered by Puppies Behind Bars “Dog Tags” program and its donors.
In addition to the usual Service Dog tasks of retrieving, opening doors, and turning on lights, these special dogs have learned how to look both ways before entering a dark room, how to “watch my back” and dial 911 in an emergency, as well as to stop people approaching too closely and protecting the handler’s personal space.
The Team Training for the veterans consists of learning Service Dog handling skills, learning the dogs “language”, canine health, handling stress, and public access issues to name a few. Citizens in Berthoud, Loveland, Denver and Ft. Collins saw the veterans in the community applying their newly learned skills as a Service Dog team.
To donate to PBB or find out more information about the program, please go to the website at: www.puppiesbehindbars.com
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