Danyelle Clark-Gutierrez and her service dog, Lisa, go grocery shopping. Clark-Gutierrez received a yellow Labrador retriever to help her deal with post-traumatic stress disorder after she experienced sexual trauma in the military while serving in the Air Force.
Stephanie O’Neill for KHN
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Stephanie O’Neill for KHN
Danyelle Clark-Gutierrez and her service dog, Lisa, go grocery shopping. Clark-Gutierrez received a yellow Labrador retriever to help her deal with post-traumatic stress disorder after she experienced sexual trauma in the military while serving in the Air Force.
Stephanie O’Neill for KHN
It’s dinner time in Whittier, California, home of Air Force Veteran Danyelle Clark-Gutierrez. Eagerly awaiting a bowl of canned and small dog food is Lisa, a three-year-old, yellow Labrador Retriever.
Lisa almost danced with excitement, her nails digging into the kitchen floor. In this moment, she looked more like a lustful puppy than an expensive, well-trained service animal. But that’s exactly what Lisa is, and now she helps Clark-Gutierrez manage her symptoms of post-traumatic stress on a daily basis.
Clark-Gutierrez said: “With her now, I can go anywhere. “And yes, if someone comes to me, I’ll warn you first; I can run.”
The growing body of PTSD and service animal research has paved the way for President Joe Biden to sign into law the Injured Puppy Aid Members (PAWS) for the Veterans Treatment Act. The bill, enacted in August, requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to open a service dog referral program for veterans with PTSD and launch a five-year pilot program in which veterans with PTSD helps train service dogs for other veterans.
Clark-Gutierrez, 33, is among 1 in 4 female veterinarians who have reported experiencing military sexual trauma (MST) while serving in the United States Army.
MST, combating violence and brain trauma is one of the experiences that put service workers at risk of developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. Symptoms include flashbacks of the traumatic event, severe anxiety, nightmares, and increased vigilance. Psychologists note that such symptoms are actually a normal response to experiencing or witnessing such violence. A diagnosis of PTSD occurs when symptoms get worse or persist for months or years.
Seeking help leads to Lisa
That’s what happened to Clark-Gutierrez after repeated sexual harassment by an Air Force colleague turned to a physical assault about a decade ago. A lawyer and mother of three says she always needs her husband by her side to feel safe when she leaves home. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) prescribed her a series of medications after diagnosing her with PTSD. Clark-Gutierrez said at one point she was prescribed more than a dozen pills a day.
“I took the pill and then I had to take it with two or three side effects for each drug,” she said. “And every time they gave me a new drug, they had to give me three more. I couldn’t do it anymore, I felt so tired, so we started looking at other therapies.”
And that’s how she got her service dog, Lisa. Her husband, also an Air Force veteran, founded the nonprofit group, K9s for Warriors, which rescues dogs — many from slain shelters — and turns them into service animals for veterans with PTSD. Lisa is one of about 700 dogs the team has paired with veterans to deal with ongoing symptoms caused by traumatic past experiences.
“Now with Lisa, we cycle, we go down to the park; we go to the Home Depot,” says Clark-Gutierrez. “I go grocery shopping – normal people things that I have to do that I couldn’t do before Lisa.”
Research shows service dogs reduce PTSD symptoms
That comes as no surprise to Maggie O’Haire, an associate professor of Human-Animal Interaction at Purdue University. Her ongoing research shows that while service dogs aren’t necessarily a cure for PTSD, they can reduce its symptoms. She published studies consists of a show Veterans who partner with these dogs are less angry and anxious and sleep better than those who don’t. Again one person suggested Service dogs improve cortisol levels in trauma veterans.
“We actually saw stress hormone patterns that were similar to those of healthy adults without post-traumatic stress disorder,” says O’Haire.
A congressional VA study, published earlier this year on the impact of service dogs on veterans with PTSD found that people who partnered with these animals were less likely to attempt suicide. and improved more symptoms than people without them.
So far, the federal canine referral program — which relies on service dog nonprofits to pay for these dogs and provide free supplies to veterans — has asked veterans to meet mobility problems, such as limb loss, paralysis or blindness, to participate. People with PTSD but no physical disabilities, such as Clark-Gutierrez, have qualified and arranged for a service dog on their own.
Training PTSD service dogs costs about $25,000
The new effort created by federal law will be offered at five VA medical centers across the country, in partnership with accredited service dog training organizations – to give PTSD veterans the opportunity Mental health service dog training for fellow veterans. It was modeled on an existing program in Palo Alto, California.
“This bill is really about on-the-job training or ‘trainer training,'” said Adam Webb, a spokesman for Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), who introduced the legislation. “We don’t anticipate the VA will begin prescribing PTSD service dogs, but the data we generate from this pilot program will likely be helpful in making that case in the future.”
The Congressional Budget Office expects the federal pilot program to cost the VA about $19 million. The law no longer requires the VA to pay for the dogs. Instead, the agency will partner with accredited service dog organizations using private funds to cover the costs of adopting, training, and pairing these dogs with veterans.
However, the one-sided tick law is welcome in VA policy, K9s for warriors Rory Diamond CEO.
“For the past ten years, the VA has told us that they do not recognize service dogs helping a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress,” says Diamond.
For veterinarians with PTSD, a service dog is like a lifelong ‘comrade’
Diamond said PTSD service dogs are often confused with emotional support dogs. The latter provides companionship and does not receive training in a specific task to assist people with disabilities. In contrast, PTSD service dogs cost about $25,000 to adopt and train a dog to understand dozens of general commands to assist veterans with PTSD and then train further for the needs of a veteran. specific soldiers, he said.
“Like ‘cover’, for example,” said Diamond, “The dog would sit next to the warrior, looking behind and alerting them if someone approached from behind. Or ‘block’ them to stand perpendicular and give them some space from whatever is in front of them. “
Army Sergeant David Crenshaw, of New Jersey said his service dog, Doc, a German short-haired pointer and Labrador mix, changed his life.
“We teach in the military to have a fight buddy. Your fight buddy is someone you can call on at any time of day or night to get you out of any difficult situation,” Crenshaw said. . “And these service animals act as battle companions.”
It became clear to Crenshaw a few months ago. Since persistent hypervigilance was part of his combat-related PTSD, Crenshaw always avoided large gatherings. But this summer, Doc helped him successfully navigate the large crowds at Disney World – a major first for Crenshaw and his family.
“I’m not excited. I’m not nervous. I’m not upset,” said Crenshaw, 39. “It’s really, really amazing and I don’t even need to stop to think about it right now. It just happens naturally.”
PTSD rates vary among veterans of different wars
Because of Doc, he no longer takes any of his PTSD medications, and he no longer uses alcohol to self-medicate, Crenshaw says. Clark-Gutierrez says Lisa has also helped her quit drinking, which she’s long used to, and stop taking VA-prescribed medications for panic attacks, nightmares, and periods of lethargy.
“Lisa checks on me all the time,” Clark-Gutierrez said. “If she sees that I’m just that kind of thing, she’ll (do) whatever she has to do to get me back. I can’t even put into words how helpful that is. ”
““We actually save VA money over time,” says Diamond, “Our warriors are less likely to use expensive prescription drugs, are less likely to use other VA services, and have more availability. more likely to go to school or work. So it’s a win, win, win on the chessboard.“
Number of veterans with PTSD change According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, up to 20% of people who have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq experience this condition in a given year.
This story was produced as part of NPR’s health reporting partnership with KHN (Kaiser Health News), a national newsroom specializing in the production of in-depth coverage of health issues.
