Kasandra Velasco

Dr. Lynda Haas

Writing 37
7 March 2015
Using Psychiatric Service Dogs
When society thinks of animals especially dogs they always get the image of
them being a pet and being completely dependent. While serving in the National Guard
since 1996 Charles Hernandez was one of the first responders at ground zero on
September 11, 2001 and he was also deployed to Iraq. While serving in Iraq he suffered
a traumatic brain injury and a spinal cord injury. When he came home he had started to
become violent and had nightmares, uncomfortable thoughts and dreams. In 2010 he
received his dog Valor through Project Heal, an organization that trains and breeds
assistance dogs. Valor nibbles on Hernandez's leg to indicate a seizure, pulls him away
from conflict and even jumps on him during an anxiety attack to calm him down. In
some cases there are people who need a dog around to help them start living their life
again. This is where service dogs, mainly psychiatric service dogs, come in to help any
individuals with a disability so they can start living their life again. Joan Froling, a trainer
consultant for the Sterling Service Dogs Organization has written about the certain tasks
that service dogs must perform for their owners who suffer from panic disorder, post
traumatic stress disorder or depression. Dr. Joan Esnayra, a geneticist and also a
woman suffering from bipolar disorder, and Dr. Craig Love, a cognitive psychologist,
discuss how psychiatric service dogs are being used by mental health patients and
reflect on who may benefit from being partnered with a service dog in the future. Rick

Yount has a MS degree in Assistance Dog Education and he is also the executive
director of the Warrior Canine Connection which helps recovering veterans reconnect
with their life by the use of these service dogs. Experts in the area of canine training for
psychiatric purposes are finding new ways that dogs can help their human companions,
both psychologically and physically.
A service animal, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), must be
trained to do work or perform tasks of benefit to a disabled individual in order to be
legally elevated from the status of pet to service animal. Since they no longer have the
status of a pet they are legally allowed to accompany their handler in public places that
dont allow pets (Froling 1). The concept of a psychiatric service dog was first
introduced in 1997 when a group of mental health consumers had a meeting to discuss
the role that dogs play in managing mental illness. They reported that a dog could
sense an upcoming episode of mental illness before the person themselves even
realized a shift in themselves (Esnayra and Love 1). All the authors can agree that to be
a psychiatric service dog that it doesnt matter the gender as long as they have the
temperament to tolerate loud noises, other animals and strangers. These dogs must
perform certain tasks depending on the disorder that the handler is suffering from.
Esnayra and Love made a table listing some of the disorders, symptoms and tasks that
the dogs could learn. For example if a person suffering from PTSD has trouble
recognizing if their surroundings are real or distorted the dog is able to act a certain way
if there is anything unusual. Also, if the person is fearful of a lurking intruder then
immediately after they arrive home the dog will enter the house and turn on the lights to
assure their partner that nobody else is home (2). Froling also states that besides the

task training, dogs have to be housebroken, have basic obedience training and they
cant have any aggressive behavior. (1). Froling then expands on the list that Esnayra
and Love provide, stating that service dogs need to be able to bring medication, call
911, get help from others, wake up partner for work, provide an excuse to leave, to
prevent emotional overload, crowd control, provide a reality check and to keep a safe
distance between the handler and strangers (1).
In 2009, 40% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who were treated at American
health centers were diagnosed with depression, PTSD or any other mental health
issues; 60% of PTSD patients still had symptoms even after being treated by traditional
methods (Yount 64). However, according to Esnayra and Love the patients who were
given psychiatric service dogs reported a reduction in symptoms and medication usage
after being partnered with these service dogs. 84.4% of the respondents reported that
their symptoms had decreased, and 40% of respondents responded that their
medication usage had decreased. According to Yount these members who have service
dogs have an increase of patience, decrease of emotional numbness, improved sleep,
decreased depression and lower stress levels (65). Yount best sums up everything
when he says that most traumatic injuries are caused by humans, therefore humans
can be a trigger of PTSD while dogs are perceived as trustworthy and create a sense of
security (66).
Veterans are dealing with these mental illnesses yet they are still meeting the
criteria for PTSD even after all the medication. As Yount says, Therefore, it is
imperative to explore adjunctive treatments for PTSD that may improve outcomes (64).

As mentioned by the four experts dogs are capable of helping their human companions
physically and psychologically.

Works Cited
Esnayra, Joan, and Craig Love. "A Survey of Mental Health Patients Utilizing
Psychiatric Service Dogs." PSD Lifestyle (2012): 1-9. PsychDog. Psychiatric Service
Dog Society, 2012. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.
Froling, Joan. "Service Dog Tasks for Psychiatric Disabilities." International
Association of Assistance Dog Partners. N.p., 30 July 2009. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.
Landau, Elizabeth. "Dogs: A Medicine for Mental Health Problems?" CNN. Cable
News Network, 1 Aug. 2012. Web. 07 Mar. 2015.
Yount, Rick A., Meg D. Olmert, and Mary R. Lee. "Service Dog Training Program
for Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress in Service Members." U.S. Army Medical
Department Journal (2012): 63-69. U.S. Army Academy of Health Sciences, Stimson
Library. U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School, Apr. 2012. Web. 30 Jan.
2015.