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it. Stay. Fetch. Roll over. We teach dogs a multitude of commands, but the puppies at Patriot Service Dogs are taught commands with a greater purpose: to help disabled veterans


and active duty military in every capacity possible. Patriot Service Dogs, a 501(c)(3) organization with offices in Jacksonville and Belleview, Fla., was founded in July 2009 by Susan Bolton and Julie Drexel.


"We wanted to form an organization where all the dogs went to


veterans for free," says Julie, the chief executive officer of Patriot Service Dogs.


Puppy trainers raise the dogs from the time they are 8 weeks old,


and the process can last from a year and a half to two years, depending on the dog. Tey take on the responsibility of training the dogs and taking them to class. Te dogs are taught many commands such as turning on and off light switches; opening doors, drawers and cabinets; picking up dropped items; and helping their owner change clothes. Tey also teach dogs to brace, which allows a person to use the dog for support to get up off the floor.


"We meet weekly and go over training with the puppy raisers.


We also have monthly meetings where we expose the puppies to different things like the zoo and the airport. We went to Disney one time. We go to the movie theater [and] restaurants, it's all part of the training process," says Susan, the president and executive trainer at Patriot Service Dogs. "Basically everything we do with the dogs is incorporated into their training. From day one we need to start training them to be just like a working dog...to behave in all sorts of situations." Te trainers test the dogs to make sure they not only get along with people, but they get along with other dogs as well.


Susan says her favorite part about raising the dogs is getting to


watch them blossom. "When you see that light go on and you know that they realize what you want them to do."


"But, then they [the dogs] end up doing other things. Tey end


up being therapeutic to the people, just knowing they have that support," says Julie. "So it does give them [the veterans] a real sense of independence."


Patriot Service Dogs placed a dog with a Vietnam veteran who


had been having vicious night terrors since the war. During the night he would start thrashing and breaking windows. However, having the service dog there helped the veteran with the night terrors because the dog would start barking whenever the thrashing happened.


Julie says that for those who have post-traumatic stress disorder


(PTSD), having a service dog helps them get out of situations when the person is feeling anxious. For example, the trainers can teach the dogs to bark on command so if a veteran is feeling cornered in a crowded room, he can get the dog to bark repeatedly, and use the opportunity to step outside of the uncomfortable situation.


Julie also mentions that many of the veterans with PTSD have


expressed problems with turning corners at places such as grocery stores. So, the dogs are trained to check around corners to see if anyone is there. Julie says this is important because "once they're startled, it's hard for them [the veterans] to regain their composure. So we try to do things so they can avoid being startled."


Lt. Chet Frith received his dog, Gunner, on Veterans Day 2011


to help him with combat-related PTSD. Chet explains after a year- long deployment in Iraq, every "trigger" (something that reminds him of a situation in Iraq) he is exposed to initiates a survival reaction and is based on combat-related experiences.


"Having a service dog allows me to shift my focus from a trigger,


whether it is a wrapped package or a broken-down car. If I become nervous, he leans against me. If I enter an uncomfortable situation, I tell him 'behind' and he will walk behind me and have my back wherever I go."


By Monica Gutos


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