Cynthia McFarland did a great write up about Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs work with both the private sector and most recently with their work with Veterans. She explains how Guardian Angels breeds some of it’s future service dogs and brings in rescues as well. These explains Carol Borden, Founder of Guardian Angels, saves two lives, the recipient and the rescues.
“He finds it unsurprising that service dogs “evolve into being better partners as the person and dog spend more time and experiment together.” What needs study: the “specific mechanisms” of animals’ ability to help.
The Department of Veterans Affairs launched a study last year of the influence dogs have on post-traumatic stress disorder. Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs of Williston, Fla., is pairing more than 200 trained-for-the-individual dogs (many veterans also have injuries and missing limbs) that will be tracked to identify benefits.
“It’s so powerful to see these people, who had regarded themselves as a shell of what they used to be, get their dogs and take on life again,” says Guardian Angels founder Carol Borden.
Vietnam veteran Raymond Galmiche of Navarre, Fla., has battled PTSD for decades. His service dog, Dazzle, has done what years of therapy could not, he says. When Galmiche descends into flashbacks of carnage, the German shepherd licks and nudges to bring him back to the present. When nightmares hit, Dazzle wakes him, cutting off the descent before it goes too deep. Galmiche now isolates himself less; his war guilt is diminishing. “Dazzle has my back. He keeps me focused.”
It’s not overstatement to say these animals not only improve lives, they save lives.”
Story and Photos
By Jeff M. Hardison
© Feb. 10, 2012
WILLISTON – Michael Gaither, a 67-year-old Vietnam veteran, did not leave his house for four years, except to go to the Veterans Affairs facilities for doctor appointments.
He suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other health issues. These mental and physical disabilities had previously reduced his ability to live in a normal social setting.
According to the National Institute for Mental Health, PTSD is an anxiety disorder that some people get after seeing or living through a dangerous event.
“When in danger, it’s natural to feel afraid,” the NIMH notes. “This fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to prepare to defend against the danger or to avoid it. This ‘fight-or-flight’ response is a healthy reaction meant to protect a person from harm. But in PTSD, this reaction is changed or damaged. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they’re no longer in danger.”
By Peter S. Gaytan
Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc. have partnered with medical personnel from the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital of Tampa, Florida for a multi-year study to examine the impact that a service dogs can have on veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Service dogs, such as seeing-eye dogs, have long been paired with physically-disabled individuals to restore independence. Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs is a nonprofit organization that trains highly-skilled medical service dogs to assist mentally- and physically-disabled individuals with everyday tasks.
The study is to examine whether those suffering from PTSD can also benefit from having a service dog. It will determine at what level service dogs mitigate issues that PTSD vets face on a daily basis. Up to 200 qualified vets, currently in treatment for PTSD, will be paired with a dog custom-trained to assist with each vet’s individual challenges. The veteran assumes responsibility for the dog’s daily care.
Guardian Angel Medical Service Dogs, Inc. is joining Family of a Vet to talk about how service dogs can be beneficial not only for service members with motility disabilities but also with PTSD and TBI. Call in with your questions for Carol Borden about service dogs and how they may be helpful for your veteran!
click here to read and then listen to the full article
George Solis and GTN came out to visit Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc., training facility in Williston, Florida. He shares what he learned on his visit to our facility and his new appreciation for our service dogs.
So you’ve heard the saying: “A dog is man’s best friend.” To some – they’re even more – more like “Guardian Angels”. GTN’s George Solis takes us to Williston and shows us a breed of dog you won’t find in the pet store.The founder of Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs explains some of the things a service dog will/can do for their person once they are paired. It takes approximately 1500 hours to fully prepare and train a service dog prior to being paired. They pick up dropped items, sense a diabetic episode, open & close drawers and many other wonderful and almost magical things they will do for their person.
