Honoring veterans Organization helps pair service dogs with vets
SLIPPERY ROCK — Battles don't always end with a soldier's homecoming.
Recognizing some veterans on campus need extra help in returning to their civilian lives, Slippery Rock University's Student Veterans of America chapter has made its mission to pair service dogs with veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental health condition whose symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety.
“We've matched up three veterans with dogs so far,” said Matthew Lobaugh, SRU's assistant director of recreational sports who is the adviser to the three-year-old campus organization.
“The service dogs can be used in a wide range of situations,” said Lobaugh.
“The most extreme cases, they can open doors,” he said. “They can also counter nightmares. One trainer said one dog within three days started waking his veteran up during nightmares.”
The dogs also are good at countering the anxiety and depression a returning veteran may feel, said Lobaugh.
The dogs are acquired through the Dogs4Warriors group based in Bowerston, Ohio, about an hour and 15 minutes west of Pittsburgh.
“There's no specific breed. They can be labradoodles, whatever,” he said.
“We use any dogs that are available at the shelters,” said Andrew Slezak, a volunteer at the nonprofit group started by his wife, longtime dog trainer Shelia Slezak five years ago.
“When we started, we used German shepherds because that was what the shelters had,” he said. “But we've used mutts, golden retrievers, labradoodles.”
It's not the pedigree but the size and temperament that decides whether an animal is fit to be a service dog.
“There's a shelter in northern Ohio that knows what we need. If they get a dog that meets what we need in size, we'll give it a go,” Slezak said.
“An animal that is under 40, 45 pounds probably isn't going to work because so many vets have mobility issues. A small dog isn't going to be a help,” he said.
Also certain breeds lack the focus or the personality to make a good companion animal.“We won't use pit bulls or Rottweilers,” Slezak said. “We tried five Doberman pinschers. That was a major fail.“Those dogs are basically genetically disposed to be hyper alert. Those tendencies don't mesh well with someone suffering from PTSD,” he said.Lobaugh said once a veteran has been picked to be matched with a dog and a $4,000 fee has been paid, the human goes to Bowerston for two weeks of training with his new canine companion.Slezak said the dog has already undergone extensive training of at least six months to a year before it meets the veteran it will be assisting.The two weeks of training the two undergo is to get them working as a team, Slezak said.“It involves teaching the vet the proper way to use the dog, the proper way of holding a leash and its obedience,” said Slezak.“It's about how to go out in public, how to maneuver in stores, how to maneuver in a restaurant,” he said.And the veteran learns the training doesn't end there.The veteran is expected to keep up on a dog's obedience training even after the vet brings his dog home.“He can't get sloppy. When you tell a dog to sit, he should sit, not sit and then lay down,” said Slezak.Dogs can help veterans in more than just physical ways, Slezak said.“Sure a dog can help a veteran in a wheelchair with opening doors,” he said. “But a dog helps them redirect their anxieties.”“We've had veterans that have come here and they've been hermits. They stay in their apartments and maybe talk to two people all day: the girl at the gas station who sells them cigarettes and the guy that mows the lawn at the apartment complex,” Slezak said.“But with a dog, the dog helps mitigate the anxiety of going out in public, ”he added.The demand for dogs has been steady with Dogs4Warriors matching up 20 to 25 dogs with veterans every year.Lobaugh said SRU's Student Veterans of America chapter hopes to continue matching veterans in need with canine companions as long as needed.
“The service dog project has already amassed about $32,000,” said Lobaugh. “Our goal is to raise $250,000 so we can create an endowment so we can pay for a dog every single year for the future.”But in the immediate future, the name of the latest student veteran to receive a service dog will be part of Monday's annual Alumni Association-sponsored Veterans Day ceremony on the Slippery Rock campus.The ceremony, sponsored by the Office of Alumni Engagement, will include members of the SRU Army ROTC raising the colors, laying a wreath, firing a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps. Lt. Col. Joseph Richey, professor of military science, will recognize enlisted cadets and the SRU Chamber Singers will perform the national anthem, Alma Mater and “God Bless America.”As part of the ceremony, a service dog will be presented to SRU student veteran Charles Muehlbronner, a senior business major from Harrisville.This is the second year that the SVA has raised funds to match a service dog with an SRU student veteran. Christopher Piatt, a senior safety management major from New Castle, was one of two student veterans who received a service dog last year. Piatt will attend the ceremony to present the dog to Muehlbronner.There also are several scholarships that benefit SRU student veterans and ROTC cadets, including two named for fallen alumni of SRU's Army ROTC program, 2nd Lt. Christopher Loudon and Capt. Jason West. To support those scholarships, contact the SRU Foundation at 724-738-2004.
