An animal rescue in Cedar County, Missouri trains dogs to work with people who also need a second chance.
Dog’s Nation specializes in training service dogs for veterans and other people suffering from depression or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Shawn Abell owns and operates the facility free of charge, paying for her expenses with money she earns doing custodial work for the Stockton, Mo. school district.
“We’ve never been short of money,” Abell reassured. “We’ve always been able to take care of everybody.”
Abell works with a handful of volunteers and 40 dogs, and is waiting for 501(c)3 approval. Many of the people that help her are on parole or probation from crimes they have committed.
“Some of them just don’t know how to go out in public,” Abell said. “Some of them are just afraid. They don’t know how to talk to people anymore.”
One volunteer is Ken Cerny, who is on probation from a violent crime he committed. He said the dog helps him get outdoors and stay active.
“She’s my little buddy,” he said. “She does everything with me and she likes to run a lot.”
Another volunteer, Shannon Horch, used to live at a nearby woman’s shelter. She said Shawn’s dogs were part of her healing process. She added that working at Shawn’s was the first time she had ever been around dogs for an extended period of time.
“People that come here,” she said, “they change when they have their dogs and people that have had a bad past and have made mistakes, they come here and try to change that.”
The Human Society of the United States estimates that there are 6-8 million dogs in shelters in the United States, and that approximately half of them are euthanized every year.
“Same as people, dogs come from situations that weren’t good,” Horch said. “They were just left.”
Abell said that people often go through the same thing. That’s why former criminals like Cerny relate to the animals.
“Dogs are so open,” Abell said. “And it really helps break barriers when you’re out with people.”
Cerny said that times are still hard, but that he stays active by walking or training his dog. Abell said that through his volunteer work, Cerny has become the rescue’s best trainer.
“I’m down and depressed a lot,” Cerny said. “She just comes up to me and lets me know it’s going to be okay…She likes to go run and going out, gets me doing active things.”
Abell said having a dog provides a certain reassurance for people who feel they need to lash out against others.
“Not only does a dog give them the security of ‘someone’s got your back,’” she said. “It helps introduce them to people again, and the world.”
~ Courtesy of OzarksFirst
Tags: dog training, dogs and PTSD, dogs for veterans, service dogs
