Pets for Vets

Pets for Vets is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to providing a second chance to shelter dogs by rescuing, training, and matching them with American veterans who need a companion pet.[3] It was founded in 2009 to help veterans who were suffering from combat stress and other emotional issues. Each companion dog is rescued in connection with local animal rescue groups.

Pets for Vets
FounderClarissa Black
Type501(c)3
27-1250302
PurposeTo help heal the emotional wounds of military Veterans by using the power of the human-animal bond to provide a second chance for shelter animals by rescuing, training and pairing them with America’s servicemen and women who could benefit from having a companion animal. [1]
Revenue
$1,284,387 [2]
Expenses (2015)$426,401
Websitewww.petsforvets.com


History

Pets for Vets was founded on October 21, 2009, by animal behaviorist and trainer Clarissa Black, who was looking for a way to help American veterans who were suffering from combat stress and other emotional issues related to their service.[4] Many Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans suffer physical and emotional injuries making it difficult to transition back to civilian life.[5][6][7] Pets for Vets helps military veterans reclaim normalcy in their lives through companion dogs.

Each companion dog is rescued in connection with local animal rescue groups. They are then given basic obedience training and any additional training that will help them assimilate into their new lives and then finally placed in their "forever" home.

Issues addressed

Estimates that anywhere from one in eight[8] to one in five of all Iraq war veterans have some degree of PTSD and two thirds of those who screened positive for PTSD are not receiving treatment.[9] People who suffer from PTSD experience anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, flashbacks, and extreme wariness. It may manifest right away or show up months or even years later. Some of those who suffer from PTSD commit suicide.[10][11][12]

According to the ASPCA, every year between 6 and 8 million dogs and cats are abandoned at shelters in the United States. Nationally five out of ten shelter dogs and seven out of ten shelter cats are euthanized because there is no one to adopt them from the shelter[13] These dogs and cats can make excellent companion animals but never have that chance.

Companion animals as therapy

Animal-assisted therapy has typically been used to treat physical disabilities; it is becoming increasingly useful in treating patients with psychological complications including PTSD and combat stress and even reducing symptoms of PTSD in as many as 82% of patients studied.[14]

More and more veterans are being written prescriptions for companion animals to help combat PTSD. Pets can help alleviate stress, loneliness and anxiety.[15][16][17][18][19][20] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says pets can decrease a person's blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and feelings of loneliness. Pets can increase opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities and opportunities for socialization. Caring for a pet encourages responsibility and adherence to a daily schedule.

Pets for Vets developed a program focusing on addressing these issues by bringing together animals needing to be rescued and veterans needing a companion for a better quality of life. Not every veteran qualifies for a psychiatric service dog, however everyone who wants one can benefit from a companion or pet animal.

Pets for Vets Super Bond

Super Bond® is an innovative program designed by Pets for Vets. It is a tested, step-by-step approach for Pets for Vets trainers to match an animal to a veteran based on their personality, temperament, needs, wants and expectations. The Super Bond philosophy is individually tailored and aims to create the best possible match between an animal and a veteran. The method involves an evaluation to match the right pet to the right person and training the pet to immediately offer companionship and comfort.

There are four steps in the Super Bond program:

Step One: Getting to Know the Veteran

Information related to the veteran’s personality, needs, wants, expectations and lifestyle are gathered. The input helps with guiding them to the right animal for their situation.

Step Two: Getting to Know the Animal

Following the interview with the veteran, the animals are next. The Pets for Vets Skilled Social Companion Evaluation is used to determine the pet’s needs. The findings are used to build a temperament composite that we compare to the veterans.

Step Three: Training

If the matched animal is a dog, they are trained for the specific veteran using a positive reinforcement training philosophy. An approach developed by Clarissa Black, the founder of Pets for Vets, which encourages the human and animal to work together in a mutually beneficial way, based on trust and respect instead of force.

Step Four: The Match

The last step brings the veteran and pet finally together. Due to the earlier steps of the Super Bond® program, they should already seem to “know” one another and the animal is able to fit seamlessly into the veteran’s life.

Studies linking pet ownership to healthier living
  • Serpell, J (December 1991). "Beneficial effects of pet ownership on some aspects of human health and behaviour". Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 84 (12): 717–20. doi:10.1177/014107689108401208. PMC 1295517. PMID 1774745.
  • National Institute of Health
  • Delta Society The Human-Animal Health Connection
  • The healing bond between people and pets, podcast
  • MedicineNet 5 ways pets can improve your health

See also

References
  1. "What We Do". Pets for Vets. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  2. "Pets for Vets, Inc. Form 990 2015". ProPublica. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  3. Pets for Vets website About Us Archived 2010-05-13 at the Wayback Machine and How You Can Help. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  4. Pets for Vets, Retrieved 10.08.09
  5. "Marine Corps Offers Yoga, Massages to Marriages Strained by War". Fox News. Associated Press. 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
  6. Dixon, Laura (February 28, 2009). "Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry accuses Government of neglecting soldiers". London: Times Online. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
  7. "UK | Full interview: L/Cpl Johnson Beharry". BBC News. 2009-02-28. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
  8. NBC News - Mental Health, Retrieved 10.08.09
  9. Atlanta Metro News-Research: War feeds depression and PTSD, Retrieved 10.08.09
  10. American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-IV. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association. ISBN 978-0-89042-061-4.; on-line Archived 2009-08-30 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Brunet A, Akerib V, Birmes P (2007). "Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater (PTSD is not overdiagnosed)". Can J Psychiatry. 52 (8): 501–2, discussion 503. doi:10.1177/070674370705200805. PMID 17955912.
  12. David Satcher; et al. (1999). "Chapter 4.2". Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General.
  13. ASPCA Facts, Retrieved 10.08.09
  14. Military News: Army Studies Use of Dogs for PTSD, Retrieved 10.08.09
  15. Asp, Karen (2005). "Volunteer Pets". Prevention. 57 (4): 176–78. Retrieved 2006-11-05. Academic Search Elite. EBSCOhost. Polk Library, UW Oshkosh
  16. Allen, K; Shykoff, Be; Izzo, Jl, Jr (1 October 2001). "Pet ownership, but not ace inhibitor therapy, blunts home blood pressure responses to mental stress". Hypertension. 38 (4): 815–20. doi:10.1161/hyp.38.4.815. ISSN 0194-911X. PMID 11641292.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. Kingwell, Ba; Lomdahl, A; Anderson, Wp (October 2001). "Presence of a pet dog and human cardiovascular responses to mild mental stress". Clinical Autonomic Research. 11 (5): 313–7. doi:10.1007/BF02332977. ISSN 0959-9851. PMID 11758798. S2CID 40206732.
  18. Wilson, Cc (October 1987). "Physiological responses of college students to a pet". The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 175 (10): 606–12. doi:10.1097/00005053-198710000-00005. ISSN 0022-3018. PMID 3655768. S2CID 2188860.
  19. Koivusilta, Leena K. (2006). "To Have or Not To Have a Pet for Better Health?". PLOS ONE. 1 (1): e109. Bibcode:2006PLoSO...1..109K. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000109. PMC 1762431. PMID 17205113.
  20. Vormbrock, Jk; Grossberg, Jm (October 1988). "Cardiovascular effects of human-pet dog interactions". Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 11 (5): 509–17. doi:10.1007/BF00844843. ISSN 0160-7715. PMID 3236382. S2CID 25544682.
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