An opportunity to support those who have given so much for their country
Dwayne Sawyer and his service dog Nala. supplied
For veterans and first responders with PTSD, a service dog helps them integrate back into society
Retired Sergeant Dwayne Sawyer enjoyed virtually every minute of his 22-year career as a cook with the Canadian forces. But tours as a United Nations peacekeeper in Kuwait and Bosnia and two deployments with his unit to Afghanistan took their toll.
In 2008, Mr. Sawyer was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and given a medical release from the military three years later.
His story is similar to thousands of other military personnel and first responders whose work has put them in harm’s way and exposed them to horrors that most civilians never have to experience. While counselling and support from family and friends helps some people cope with PTSD, for others the companionship of a service dog has helped them integrate back into society.
And so it was with Mr. Sawyer, current president of the Canadian Veteran Service Dog Unit (CVSDU), a veteran-run charity founded in 2014 by a group of dog trainers who wanted to help injured veterans by providing them, free of charge, with a trained service dog. The service has since been expanded to include first responders such as firefighters, paramedics and police officers who suffer from PTSD.
While CVSDU currently provides service dog training and support only in parts of Ontario and Quebec, its long-term goal is to expand its operations across Canada, says Mr. Sawyer, who has had two service dogs since joining the organization in 2015.
“We thought GivingTuesday would be a wonderful opportunity to reach out to the larger community, providing the public a way to give back with their support to those who have given so much for their country and communities,” he says.
“A service dog will have an impact on every part of a veteran’s or first responder’s life, including their mental, physical and spiritual health and well-being,” says Mr. Sawyer.
“In my case, having a service dog has given me a purpose in life,” he says. “I have to wake up each morning and take care of my dog, and it’s a daily ritual that gets me out of the house, which is important because many of us hide in our basements and don’t want to be out in public.”
This year, CVSDU is partnering with GivingTuesday to help families learn about the benefits of having a service dog in the family and understand the months of training needed to become a certified service dog team.
Mr. Sawyer notes that over the last 25 years, society’s understanding of the effects of trauma has changed dramatically and so has the way people struggling with the effects of trauma are helped.
“Whether on the battlefield, during military operations, or at a crime or accident scene, a building fire or a disaster, military members and first responders are more prone to experience extreme trauma than an average person,” he says. “That’s why, when the effects of trauma manifest itself in conditions like PTSD, these heroes who have served our community, province and country deserve our support.”
CVSDU does not get government funding, and while the organization has received significant donations from its corporate partners, it relies on generous donations from the public, says Mr. Sawyer.
He notes that it takes $12,000 to $15,000 to purchase, raise and train each service dog. CVSDU currently has 38 active members with dogs, has so far trained more than 50 service dog teams and has a waiting list of 24 applicants who need service dogs.
An important element of CVSDU’s work is its foster puppy raising program. Puppies typically live with a foster family until they are 14 to 15 months old, during which time they are socialized and exposed to different environments they will experience during training.
Information: cvsdu.ca
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