Over the past several years, a massive spotlight has been shown on the mental health of Veterans in the US, namely those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, more commonly known as PTSD.
More and more services are becoming available for those with PTSD, including a Sheboygan Falls organization known as Dogs 2 Dog Tags.
Torre Willadsen, the founder of the organization, explained to Seehafer News that, “In essence what we do is we get rescue animals, or humane society and donated animals, and we train them for suicide prevention for military combat veterans.”
Willadsen served in the Marines as “the bomb dog guy”. The dog handlers under his watch saw lots of combat, which resulted in many of them coming back home with PTSD.
Willadsen recalled a time when one of his men, Chris Van Etten was wounded and saw what the dog did for Chris as he was recovering. That is when he realized that the animals can be used as a recovery tool, which led to his current venture into helping his fellow brothers in arms.
As of right now, they offer what is known as “emotional support animals”, which differ from full-service animals. The latter animal can be taken in any building, while emotional support animals are typically not.
But Willadsen said that, “We found that a lot of the veterans that wanted the support, needed it when they were at home, or on a daily basis, but didn’t need it to go to Walmart.”
To apply for a dog, or to get involved with Dogs 2 Dog Tags, visit their website, which is www.Dog2DogTags.com.
