Pilot program for PTSD dogs from Canine Companions for Independence expanding
Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) has been around for decades, and they started training service dogs for people whose disabilities were obvious — those in wheelchairs, or with serious hearing deficits or other developmental disabilities. In recent years, services dogs have been utilized to help care for a wider variety of humans and to help with disabilities that are not so obvious.
In the early part of 2018 CCI expanded its Veteran’s Initiative to introduce a pilot program devoted to training service dogs for military veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The first class of dogs and their human partners “graduated” this fall after undergoing several weeks of training, and another group is set to graduate in another month. The pilot program will be expanding in 2019 to include CCI facilities in Texas and New York, and the local branch will be breaking ground on a new “sensory friendly” facility at its Santa Rosa campus, made with the needs of veterans with PTSD in mind.
At an event held on Nov. 8, the skill set of these specially-trained dogs was showcased at an event highlighting the successes and expansions of the program.
Trainer Chelsey Darrow, herself an Army vet, and her dog Larson showed off some of the specialized skills the dogs have, including picking up items that have been dropped by vets who may have back and knee issues and fetching medication as needed, even if in another room. Canine companions are also trained to create physical space for their handlers while in public by placing their bodies either in front of or behind them. Finally, they are trained to both interrupt and ground handlers in times of stress, by responding to stress behaviors such as a bouncing leg, putting the head in hands, or even nightmares, by licking the face and hands of their handler until they respond.
Two recent pairs of graduates of the pilot program, Bruce Pittman and his dog Wembley and Steve Piotter and Major were also on hand to share their experiences.
Piotter, from Healdsburg, was a 25-year army vet, who didn’t initially believe he suffered from PTSD after serving in two conflicts. “I did not realize I had PTSD when I got back, because I was just active in life,” he said. “Raising a family, I retired from law enforcement for Marin County, I was active in my church, so I just wasn’t aware of it. I was too busy for it. And then throughout the years there were signs.”
“My family recognized it,” he said. “They actually were the ones who said ‘Steve you need to talk to the doctor because we think something is wrong.’ At first I (said) ‘oh no, I’m fine.’ Well, I wasn’t and things happened throughout the years and my family was putting up with it. Judy, my wife, she was my PTSD dog, but they can’t do it all. They can’t. They can only do so much.”
Piotter and Major have only been together about a month, but it has been life-changing.
“The dog has enhanced my life in regards to dealing with my disabilities,” he said. “He is just my constant companion. I don’t make a move, I can’t even make the bed, without Major right there by my side. He’s helped me with episodes of what I deal with, whereas Judy, she can’t be with me all the time, and she doesn’t detect it.”
“Major is there, he is just full of love and care for me and also has a relationship with Judy. He not only knows my every move but he knows my thoughts and my emotions and he’s already shown that with my emotions particularly,” Piotter finished.
“He is just in tune to Steve’s every move,” Judy added. “He’s very sensitive about his emotions and he’s naturally comforting and Steve has something else to concentrate on besides his disability.”
