American veterans have served their country and returned home with various kinds of concerns. They fought for human rights and need support to cope with the effects of their experiences, which is relevant to their own human rights.
Pets for Vets is a valuable service for veterans who need ways to deal with life after living through the trauma of war. A pet is like a furry, comforting friend who stays with you all the time. It’s often easier to leave the house with a friend than do so alone for many people, and some veterans can function much better with a friend who is always there.
Pets have calming effects on their humans, and most people fare better when calm. Simple tasks become achievable when a person can think clearly and not have to relive the horror of who knows what on a daily basis. Easing loneliness and improving confidence are powerful positives of having a pet that allow individuals to risk going for a walk or making a trip to the store.
Dogs force their owners to go out to the yard, for the most part, and breaking out of the barriers of the house is often the first step in going farther. Physical movement usually improves emotional well being, and dogs often make their owners move around. All of these plusses together add up to overall improvement in the pet owner.
Patriot Paws also provides dogs for veterans and trains them to help with mobility issues and PTSD. Dogs get to have homes and vets get to have aid for specific problems that enable them to function at their highest level. Vets in wheelchairs can live independently with the help of trained dogs and not have to depend on other people in many cases.
Living independently is a real self esteem raiser for some vets, and good self esteem is necessary for coping with daily routines and problems that pop up periodically. A trained dog allows a vet to do this and continue to contribute to society. Surviving and thriving benefits everyone. This is a cost-effective, kind way to help vets do well when they return from indescribable scenes of war. Dogs provide what vets need in so many ways, and they love their “jobs.”