Giving back the gift of life and compassion for our War Vets

As the war progresses or digresses (depending upon your point of view) in the middle east,  our soldiers returning are having a tougher time coping and returning to a "normal" life. Many suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and or healing from physical injuries. Many suffer from depression, cannot find work, have other mental problems, nightmares, sever marriages, withdraw from the world and many end in suicide. This is a very tragic and very real situation.

Fortunately there are some very aware and forward thinking people and groups  who are working with these returning soldiers and animals. I have written before that animals are intuitive and healing and teach you compassion again. And now they are getting to prove this by helping our soldiers heal emotionally and give them the will to keep moving forward. They also help bring back the will to live and love again.

There is a program pairing dogs with soldiers as service dogs are for people with other handicaps. These dogs are psychiatric service dogs specially trained to help traumatized veterans leave the battlefield behind as they reintegrate into society. The results are very encouraging and positive, in dozens of interviews, veterans and their therapists reported drastic reductions in P.T.S.D. symptoms and in reliance on medication after receiving a service dog. The other good part to this service is that many of these specially trained pooches come from another program called, Puppies Behind Bars , a program based in New York State that uses prisoners to raise and train dogs for lives of service. To me, this is a win win situation for all involved!

   Another wonderful program emerging in Washington is the Dog Tags Program, done by the Washington Humane Association across from the Walter Reed Hospital. This  program brings together wounded soldiers and pups needing training to better their chances at adoption. This program brings them  together to teach, learn, and strengthen the bonds that heal.

In Las Vegas, New Mexico, there is a new emerging program called Horses4 Heros . This program is for returning military personnel, fire fighters, law enforcement, hospice care, corrections officers, critical care people, and their families. This is a riding program and is non-profit.

There is also the Operation Heroes and Hounds program. Operation Heroes & Hounds' presents injured members of the United States military with the unique opportunity of coaching and living with shelter dogs. The focus of the program is on personal transformation through The Loved Dog™ method, a playful and nonaggressive approach to canine coaching. Both service members and shelter dogs learn a new set of skills that will make a positive impact on their future.

Operation Heroes & Hounds participants include "the walking wounded" of the United States military suffering from non-visible ailments such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Shelter dogs selected for the program are in need of behavior modification through the kind, nonaggressive teaching of The Loved Dog method. Together, they can heal their emotional wounds while gaining new life skills.

All of these wonderful programs give each of us a chance to help our soldiers return to love and life. Whether or not you support or agree with the war efforts, you can support the men and women doing their jobs. Animals so much of the time are the best healers of emotional, and physical barriers. They teach us daily how to give back to one another, how to have compassion and how to love without restrictions and unconditionally. We can help these efforts  by just even volunteering our time or work with others to perhaps help start programs like these in your community.

We simply don't do enough for these people who are fathers, brothers, sisters, mothers or even friends, who lay their lives on the line for their jobs. We need to give back to them. You cannot be critical of them, as you have not walked in their shoes, have not seen the horrors, fear and pain they have felt. But you can help them with your compassion.