‘Your Life After Trauma’ Radio: Pets and Trauma Recovery: How They Help Us Heal Tonight @ 7pm EST
Thursday, June 2nd, 2011 • Your Life After Trauma •
Baylee loves the beach!
The first really positive step I took toward my recovery came in the form of deciding to get a puppy. Mired in a deep depression and feeling overwhelmed by symptoms of PTSD didn’t seem like the right time to become a pet owner but I took the plunge and boy, was it the right decision!
Baylee and I met when he was just ten weeks old and we’ve been best buddies for the past 8 years. We’ve been through a lot together, including my complete recovery from PTSD. Having him around to mitigate the darkness (he’s fabulously funny and has a very emotional and interactive personality) brought a new light into my life that helped me begin to reach outside of my illness and find the necessary strength to heal.
Tonight, on ’Your Life After Trauma’ we’ll have three guests talking about pets and their role in post-trauma recovery. Tune in to find out just how influential a pet can be for healing and call in with your questions for our experts!
The show airs 7-8pm EST on Seaview Radio in Florida, 95.9FM/106.9FM/960AM.
If you’re not local you can listen by clicking on the LISTEN LIVE button!
To make a comment or ask a question during the show, call: 877.960.9960.
Or, leave a comment at the bottom of this post, or on the Heal My PTSD Facebook fanpage.
My guests this week:
Laura Westerfield is the founder of Paws and People Assisting Wounded Warriors (ppaWWs). ppaWWs is dedicated to the raising and training of Psychiatric Service Dogs and Mobility Assistance Dogs for Wounded Warriors with PTSD, TBI and other injuries. PTSD and TBI are the “invisible wounds” that many of our Warriors will carry with them for life. ppaWWs’ dogs help to alleviate or at least help them cope with these wounds so they can live out their lives with more independence and confidence.
ppaWWs also provides Therapy Dogs for Veterans, Active Duty Service Members and Military Dependents with psychiatric, emotional and learning disabilities. Social Therapy Dogs are trained to provide the unique K-9/Human therapeutic connection to many in military hospitals and similar venues. Private Therapy Dogs are trained to provide that connection on a temporary basis to individuals waiting for their Assistance or Service Dogs to be trained or on a Permanent basis to those who do not quite meet the criteria for an Assistance or Service Dog.
Nick Kutsukos runs Elite K9 Academy in Jupiter, FL and has trained service dogs for 40 years. Nick experiences seizures and is helped on a daily basis by his own service dog, Jack. Nick and Jeanneane have dedicated countless years to effectively training service dogs and offering obedience classes to the community. Nick asserts that one can tell a true service dog by simply observing the dog’s behavior. Nick’s trained dogs appear calm and quiet, will obey the disabled owner’s commands, perform tasks and lie down passively where instructed.
Janet Austin is the 49 year old wife of 30 year military veteran Bill (pictured left with therapy dog JP), who’s had 7 tours just since 1998 to include Bosnia twice, Kosovo, 2 to Iraq for OIF and 2 to Afghanistan for OEF. Bill’s PTSD symptoms started back after a tour in 2002, but no one wanted to talk about it. So, Janet decided to do something about it. While her husband was deployed in 2009 and even with Janet suffering from breast cancer at the time, she earned a Vet Assistant and Certified Obedience Instructor degree.
Janet’s passion is advocacy and awareness of PTSD issues, “Being given the opportunity to train JP and use my Obedience Trainer skills to actually help a person in need fills my heart.” While some don’t understand how Janet can let go of the dogs she has connected with and put so much work into, Janet explains, “I am not giving him away, he is with me so that in 6-9 months he can fulfill a higher purpose to allow another Veteran to be able to deal with his disease and live as fulfilling a life as possible.”
Janet and Bill have been married 20 years, have one son age 24 and live in Delaware City, DE. Janet enjoys a simple home life outside of working with my her own dogs, one of which has been a Therapy Dog for 6 years now. ”Snigglebutt” is a 90 pound Boxer with nothing but love to give to everyone he meets.
Tags: Combat-Related PTSD, pets, post traumatic stress disorder, ptsd, symptoms, treatment
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My husband is a Vetran who was diagnosed with PTSD in 2008 after being medically released. I found a wonderful trainer in Nova Scotia, Canada and have been working with her and my husbands new sidekick Ben a standard poodle for 8 months now. For 3 years he had only left the house for medical appointments and therapy. This dog has changed my husbands life. He has gained back some independence and has also reduced some of his medications. Animals are amazing and lead an important role in the healing process.
@Krisdeann — Thank you for sharing that wonderful story! I always love hearing when people with PTSD make progress toward gaining back a functional life.
I have a question ….. How do I go about getting my Boxer Certified as a service Dog for my spouse? I got her just for the fact of just liking the breed and then she and my husband just “made a bond and love eachother”. She was my dog but we realized that these dogs treat people with PTSD. He suffers from PTSD and has since a long career in the Firefighting/EMS field. One really horrific incident caused him to not be able to go back into the field. He has been on meds for a few years now. Then “ROXY” our Boxer came into our lives and has helped him greatly. Who can help me get my boxer certified so that he can leave the house and go in public without the need of meds or having panic attacks? She is AKC certified, we have a family MD that would do it if it is legal….can you give me more info on our situation??? PLEASE HELP MY HUSBAND AND THE PTSD! My email is above, I will wait to hear back from you.
Thanks for all you are doing and God Bless You.
Brandi and Matt Donaldson
@Brandi and Matt — I’m so glad to hear that Roxy is having a positive impact! Check out Service Dogs America for resources, and contact them with specific questions: http://www.servicedogsamerica.org/
I am getting off the focus of ptsd and service personnel. I have lifelong ptsd from the physical and sexual abuse that I recieved as a child. The abuse continued for many years. I live in a group homne now as I have not been able to successfully live on the outside. I am a 59 yr. old women. I live in a county where pets are not allowed and provisions are poor for diagnosis’ that are outside of the mainstream. I truly believe that if I had another life to be responsible for, then I would be able to go and find purpose in my life. A reason to go on.
@ Mary –Honestly, my Wheaten Terrier, Baylee, did exactly for me what you write about. Needing to care for something outside of myself — something cute, loving and fun! – did amazing things for me. I’m so sorry you aren’t allowed access to such gift. What about a fish, or some other nonmainstream ‘pet’? In lieu of that, there are many other ways to find purpose in your life. Check out this recent radio interview I did for ideas about how to find your life purpose: http://yourlifeaftertrauma.com/changing-your-post-trauma-approach