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. Read more…
All posts tagged post traumatic stress disorder
Dr. Edie Dopking, Founder, Quantum Leap Farm
Dr. Edie Dopking–Founder of Quantum Leap Farm, a therapeutic equestrian program based in Odessa, FL–discusses her lifelong love of horses, first getting on a horse at age two and riding throughout her childhood in Kentucky. Read more…
Dr. Walter Burghardt, Jr., veterinarian & expert on canine PTSD
Dr. Walter Burghardt, Jr.–veterinarian, chief of behavioral medicine since 1995 at the Daniel E. Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base, and considered the leading authority on canine post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)–describes the Hospital and the scope of its staff and services, and what it means to be responsible for the behavioral care of over 1500 military working dogs around the world. Read more…
Heide Illgen, a veteran trainer with Southeastern Guide Dogs
Heide Illgen–a dog trainer at Southeastern Guide Dogs, where she’s worked for nearly 20 years–discusses some of the biggest misconceptions surrounding guide dogs. She also explains the process and attendant timetable of a dog potentially becoming a guide dog, a tightly-scripted saga that begins with puppies that Southeastern breeds at their facility, volunteer puppy raisers and more, long before Heide or a fellow trainer would begin their work. Read more…