As we observe Veterans Day, a day which celebrates the service of all US military veterans, and National Veterans and Military Families Month this November, NEADS would especially like to recognize our veteran clients. Since 2006, NEADS has placed Service Dogs with over 145 veterans.

NEADS Service Dogs can have a life-changing impact on their human partners. Service Dogs working with veterans with physical disabilities can help with all kinds of tasks, including picking up dropped items, turning light switches on and off, pushing elevator buttons, and finding a lost phone. Service Dogs for Hearing are specifically trained to help veterans who are deaf or have hearing loss by alerting their partners to sounds around the home and in public, including a knock at the door, a smoke detector, a cell phone ringing, or the sound of their partner’s name being called. Our Trauma Assistance Dog program (TAD) is designed for veterans with diagnosed service-related post-traumatic stress. These dogs help with overcoming fear of public places, coping with anxiety triggers, reintegration into a civilian setting, and providing therapeutic support through tactile exercises.

“I was in chronic pain… and it was hard for me to go out and do any of the things I enjoyed doing,” says Jason, an Army veteran and NEADS client with Service Dog Dougie. With Dougie by his side to pick up dropped items, open doors, push elevator buttons, and generally help him navigate out in public, Jason says, “I now have that part of my life back.”

Watch Jason and Dougie’s story here, and read about many other veterans whose lives have been changed by NEADS Service Dogs.