Shari Duval—founder and president of K9s for Warriors, which pairs veterans who suffer from PTSD and other wounds of war with rescue dogs who’ve been specially trained as service dogs to help these veterans function more effectively in civilian life—recounts how concern over profound changes in her son, Brett Simon, after he returned from two tours of duty in Iraq spurred her to launch the organization. 
She recalls how at the culmination of her research, she felt the best way to help her son, and other veterans plagued by PTSD—in no small measure because of Simon’s background as a K9 police handler—was for them to train rescue dogs to help these warriors. Duval 
describes how K9s for Warriors functions, both in terms of the training of the dogs and the veterans (chiefly during a three-week stint at the organization’s Ponte Vedra, FL facility), and that in only three years of 
existence, they’ve forged 147 dog/veteran teams. She shares some specific warrior success stories, enthuses about the new 17,000 square-feet facility under construction in Nocatee, FL, and notes that the operation is funded strictly by private donations. (www.k9sforwarriors.org)
COMEDY CORNER: Matt Braunger’s “Panda Butler” (www.mattbraunger.com)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” They Might Be Giants’ “Mammal,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Josh Turner’s “Alligator Stroll”
AUDIO ARCHIVE:
Listen Online Now:
Tags: Brett Simon, Iraq, K9 police handler, post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, rescue dogs, service dogs, veterans, wounds of war
