Soldier and Dog Save One Another

FORT CARSON, Colo. (AP) — Army Specialist Cameron Briggs washes down a cocktail of prescription drugs every day for post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury he suffered when four roadside bombs rocked his Humvee in Iraq.

Tramadol for pain. Midrin for debilitating headaches. Minipress to suppress nightmares. Klonopin to control anger and anxiety.

His next dose of treatment will come from an unlikely source: a purebred Golden Retriever.

A new Veterans Administration program adopts dogs from animal shelters, trains them and matches them with wounded warriors home from Iraq and Afghanistan to help with their recovery.

For Briggs, his dog will be trained to help him find his wallet, cell phone and keys, which he habitually loses because of cognitive memory loss. The dog also will brace Briggs, who has an ankle injury, so he doesn’t have to use a cane or walker in public.

“I call him my little battle buddy,” the 24-year-old Briggs said as he strapped his old camouflage assault vest onto Harper. It’s modified to store biscuits and toys instead of ammunition. “I most definitely think he’ll help me transfer back to civilian life.”

This is such a benefit for all involved.  Not only does the soldier gain some support and love when they need it most from having a dog that can ‘help’ them live a normal life; the dog gets saved from what most likely would have been a certain death at the local animal shelter.

Kudos to the Veterans Administration and the Freedom Service Dogs in Denver!

I’m curious however, is this one of those social service programs that a Republican would demand be cut from the budget?