Rescue Dogs Help Heal Soldiers
I want to thank Bella for barking to me about a wonderful program the military and the Humane Society are offering to wounded soldiers to help them heal.
The Humane Society’s Dog Tags program helps soldiers recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. They sign up to help the shelter dogs learn to behave, when the soldiers get out of the hospital they know how to care for and train the dogs. The dogs learn better behavior, making them more adoptable. In my book that’s a win-win.
Here are the details from Army.com.
The program began simply enough more than a year ago. The shelter is located just across the street from the Walter Reed campus. Soldiers out walking would come across shelter staff members walking the dogs. They would stop and pet the dogs and seemed to enjoy getting to know them. Officials at the shelter had the idea to hook the two together through a training program for the troops and the dogs.
“We want the program to be educational so that if there are service members in the program that want to potentially pursue this as a career, … they’re getting as much information as possible and as much hands-on time as possible with the dogs,” Foley said. “We also want it to be recreational, too, for people who … just love animals and like spending time with the dogs.”
The skills the dogs learn in the classes translate to better placement opportunities, Foley said. The program has far expanded the amount of training the shelter’s dogs received previously.
“This is another way our dogs are outside of their kennels being talked to and touched and interacting with people,” she said. “That’s extremely beneficial to reduce the stress levels of the animals in our kennels, and at the same time, it makes the animals far more successful in their new homes if they come into it with some basic obedience training.”
But for all of the good it is for the dogs, it is equally beneficial for the recovering troops, Foley said.
The article shares a wonderful story about Army Captain Lawrence Minnis and Ebony, a pit bull, who he ended up adopting. You can read how they saved each other on Army.com.
* Pic courtesy Army.com
Talk about a win/win! Absolutely wonderful story for both our brave soldiers and our amazing canine companions.
That’s such a good idea. I wonder if such a thing could be done for prison inmates too. Not the inmates convicted of animal cruelty though, of course.
That is totally awesome.
Mike, there was a program here in California that did just that — paired “unadoptable” dogs at county care centers with inmates, both adult and juvenile, with the idea that the “unadoptable” dogs would get the handling and training they need to become adoptable and the inmates would gain life skills that they could use once they were released.
Alas, despite its success, the program died because of the state’s budget mess. Its funding was eliminated.
Nope, can’t have a worthwhile program that benefits society, can we??
Hey Mike, there is a system in Arizona I do believe. They have Inmates work with the dogs from the shelters.. To make them Adoptable etc etc. Look it up on the internet. something like Inmates working with shelter dogs in AZ..or something to that effect..I think it is Brilliant.. they did air a show on it ,on animal planet, it is a really great program for both dogs and inmates
that’s great for both soldiers and dogs. thanks, bella!
I can’t think of a better return on taxpayer’s money than this program and the programs that are still in operation with the prisons. It’s great when everybody wins, the soldiers, the dogs, and the dogs’ new guardians. Great story!
The program in Arizona was started on Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s watch (believe it or not). You can find information on it here:
http://www.mcso.org/index.php?a=GetModule&mn=Mash