Service dogs give Wisconsin veterans the nudge they need

If you see an extraordinarily well-behaved dog on a short leash out in public, there’s a good chance it’s wearing a vest emblazoned with the words “Service Dog: Do Not Pet.” It’s a serious request to not distract the dog from the job it was trained for years to do: help the dog’s handler move about in the world. That can include everything from safely crossing a street, staying calm in a doctor’s office, to coping with symptoms of anxiety and depression that the dog can sense and disrupt. “I’ve seen people go from being homebound to being able to attend their children’s school events and travel, which is something they never would have been able to do” without a service dog, said Sarah Kasper, program manager of Wausau-based Patriot K9s of Wisconsin . Understanding Wisconsin, Together. WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” newsletter keeps you connected to the state you love without feeling overwhelmed. No paywall. No agenda. No corporate filter. Name This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Email Subscribe “They don’t need to rely on another person as long as they have their dog with them. I’m so happy that we’re able to give them that kind of freedom,” she said during a recent interview on WPR’s “The Lee Rayburn Show.” Since 2017, the Wausau-based nonprofit has trained 130 service dogs and paired them with military veterans. In addition to providing veterans with faithful companions, the dogs guard their owners’ emotional wellbeing. “Our dogs are trained to help veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress syndrome, traumatic brain injury, or military sexual trauma,” Kasper said “We teach our dogs to recognize a change in the behavior of their handler,” she added. “We all have a tell when we get nervous or angry or upset. Your eye twitches, you start breathing heavier, start shaking your leg or chewing your fingernails. We work with veterans individually to identify what that thing is for them, and teach the dog to recognize it. “Once the dog picks up on the behavior, it will “nudge them with their nose to say, ‘Hey, I think maybe we need to take a little break.’” Kasper said. Patriot K9s of Wisconsin also trains dogs to provide “deep pressure therapy” by laying across their owners’ chests or laps. The pressure this places on large muscle groups lowers cortisol, a stress hormone, Kasper said. “Twenty minutes of deep pressure therapy has two hours of benefit. It can be used like a preventative medication before a stressful situation,” she said. Training service dogs takes a lot of time and money. Starting with eight-week-old puppies — bred from long lineages of service dogs — training is a two-year process at Patriot K9s. Then the dogs and their veteran handlers train together for another seven months or more. While each dog costs as much as $30,000 to train, they are provided free of charge to eligible veterans. Funding from the federal Wounded Warrior Service Dog Program and private donations covers Patriot K9s of Wisconsin’s costs. Kasper said 26 veterans are currently on the waiting list for service dogs. And the organization has plans to serve more veterans by expanding its training facilities in Wausau. Related Stories Wisconsin welcomes second ‘home away from home’ for veteran caregivers Assistance-dogs-in-training live alongside students at UW-River Falls