With August 26th, 2022 being National Dog Day, we would like to not only touch on a very serious issue, but also shedding some light on it as well. In a very unfortunate statistic, nearly 22 veterans commit suicide every day in America. Coming back from combat is the farthest thing from easy. In fact, some veterans rely on a companion to help them through post-war life through the use of service dogs!
There’s a beautiful organization called K9s for Warriors (check out their mission/website).
We will be touching on some heartwarming veteran/service dog stories and pairs and how these cute and adorable pups mean so much more to those that fought for our country than us non veterans will ever begin to even imagine.
In celebration of National Dog Day 2022, let’s take a look at how some veterans used their service dogs for mental, physical, and general life help!
We're in the business of second chances. Meet our recent @JSOPIO prison program grads! https://t.co/7f6qD0Q8jK
— K9s For Warriors (@k9sforwarriors) August 24, 2022
Before we get to these stories, here’s just a little bit more about that wonderful organization that was previously mentioned: K9s for Warriors.
- K9s for Warriors has paired up 750 dogs to veterans
- Through this said organization, greater than 1,500 dogs have been rescued
Starting off with the very first story here: meet Toye Hickman. She is a US Marine veteran from Ohio who was deployed in Afghanistan. She wants her life not to be defined by her unfortunate experience with military sexual assault and “increasingly intense and debilitating Post Traumatic Stress.
Secondly, we have another story here: meet Jorel Wester. He was a search and rescue coxswain in the US Coast Guard who is from Wisconsin. Being so heavily involved in searching for and rescuing people out/lost at sea, he often contemplated whether or not his life was worth continuing on.
Third, but certainly not least, we’ve got our final story: meet David Crenshaw. He is a retired Master Sargeant in the Army National Guard from New Jersey. He served in Iraq and has suffered from some pretty heavy PTSD as well.
Here’s a little bit more about these three noble veterans and their K9 companions, according to K9s for Warrios themselves:
"“What all three also have in common is that they have been able to get a strong semblance of their lives back, living peacefully with new found freedom, thanks to the inseparable bond and unconditional love from Bake, Betsy and Doc, respectively, the three Service Dogs.”"
If you wanna know more about K9s for Warriors, check out their website to see how you can help and get involved with such a great company/organization as well!
Do you have a cool service dog story to share in celebration of National Dog Day of 2022? Do you know a veteran suffering that could use K9s for Warrios’ help? Let’s chat! Woof-Woof!