Photo: Adam Griffith | Unsplash
Service dogs specially trained to help veterans suffering from PTSD are giving them new hope and strength to carry on with their lives. The ailment had left Iraq war veteran Becca Stephens dysfunctional and suicidal, but the reassuring presence of Bobbi has turned her life around. As many as 20 veterans out of 100 who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan have PTSD; more than 90,000 of them have committed suicide between 2005 to 2018. The pandemic has only added to their woes. This scenario has prompted the bipartisan passage of the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers, or PAWS, for Veterans Therapy Act through Congress — to help connect veterans with their own service dogs. These dogs which are specially trained to calm, comfort and relieve anxiety have a life-saving role here. As for Becca, with Bobbi at her side, she has been able to overcome her drug addiction and do things she has not attempted in years – go into public places, malls and restaurants. “When I started to trust myself and respect myself and treat myself right, she could see that,” she says.
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