A Montgomery County dog trainer is working to give independence and freedom back to injured veterans by training shelter dogs into service dogs to act as loyal companions.
Therese Aguilar, owner and trainer at K9 Heeler in Magnolia, has been working with dogs for seven years. Since March, Aguilar has been involved with Train a Dog, Save a Warrior, an organization that helps unite wounded warriors with rescue shelter dogs that are trained to be service dogs. She is training her seventh dog for a wounded veteran living in the Houston area.
Aguilar said the process of finding and training a service dog for TADSAW involves careful cooperation between the wounded warrior and the animal.
“Some of our warriors have dogs of their own that we can train, as there has to be that special bond between them and the dog,” Aguilar said. “It’s a process where we try to match as close as possible what the warrior is looking for in a dog.”
Working exclusively through the Montgomery County Animal Shelter, Aguilar has volunteers bring a dog out or schedule a meeting at the shelter. The warriors will meet several dogs and spend time with the animal and, if all goes well, the warrior will make his decision and training will begin.
Basic obedience, handling distractions and socializing are all cornerstones of a service dog’s training as part of TADSAW, Aguilar said. Part of that training involves what she calls field trips, in which the warrior and his dog venture out into stores and other public places.
“Some of these people come back with PTSD,” Aguilar said. “Some will have flashbacks, some will get uncomfortable and shut down. The dog is there to take the person’s attention away from all of that.”
“I think people need to know what these veterans have gone through,” Aguilar said. “When people don’t see a visible disability, they may wonder why does this person have a service dog; but the reality is we’re helping them for various psychological issues and trauma.”
Levon Ingram, a veteran living in Tomball, enrolled in TADSAW a little more than a month ago. Ingram served two tours in Iraq and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, a traumatic brain injury, and has had surgery on his ankle twice among other health issues. He’s in the process of working with his own pit bull, Sarge.
“The thing that really surprised me is that Sarge pretty much already did what a service dog does in the first place,” Ingram said. “He helps calm me down and lets me know when I’m getting upset, and he takes my mind off whatever I’m thinking about. I don’t even think words can express how that makes me feel.”
Ingram said people need to educate themselves about disabilities and the need for service dogs, especially for those suffering from trauma or PTSD.
“People need to understand that these animals are used for so many more things than seeing-eye dogs,” Ingram said. “They can do so many things that humans and machines simply cannot do. They can sense the temperament of people, the onset of strokes, seizures and so on. They’re not only companions but also lifelines.”
~ Courtesy of The Courier
Tags: dogs for vets, second chances, service dogs, shelter dogs second chance, veterans, Wounded Warriors
