Further Than Yesterday - The Inspirational Story of a Canadian Air Force Captain

Canadian Air Force Captain (Ret’d) Medric Cousineau won an Urban Animal Summit Award for Innovator of the Year in 2014 for his efforts with PTSD service dogs and Paws Fur Thought. Cpt. Cousineau works to educate all levels of government, landlords and business owners, pet industry staff and the general public; he has improved the working and living conditions for both dogs and their handlers. Cpt. Cousineau has also won an Inspiring Lives Award from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia.

Cpt. Cousineau received the Star of Courage after one particularly harrowing search and rescue mission. The Star of Courage recognizes acots of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril. Unfortunately this mission precipitated his downward spiral with PTSD. In 2014, InfoStream interviewed Cpt. Cousineau and he told the Urban Animal community about his story. 

Cpt. Cousineau is now ready to share his story with a wider audience. Further Than Yesterday: That's All That Counts is now available on Amazon! The book has been billed as “Intense and Inspirational" and allows readers to, “Follow Capt. Cousineau’s descent into hell, his rescue by a Yellow Lab named Thai, and then The Long Walk to Sanity to fund the service dog program called “Paws Fur Thought”... Read how Thai and other service dogs are changing the landscape of the battlefield of PTSD from the front lines.”

FURTHER THAN YESTERDAY: THAT’S ALL THAT COUNTS

Partnership promises national registry for Canada’s service dogs

PRESS RELEASE

Partnership promises national registry for Canada’s service dogs

Calgary, AB - PetLynx Corporation and Medric Cousineau (Paws Fur Thought) are pleased to announce a new partnership that will benefit Canada’s service dogs and their owners.

Today, there are no national standards for training of PTSD service dogs in Canada forcing some provincial branches of the Royal Canadian Legion to put funding for these dogs on hold. Alberta/Northwest Territories Command is continuing to approve funding for PTSD service dogs provided certain guidelines are in evidence.

“Currently in Canada, there are no National Standards or National Registry for Service Dogs,” said Medric Cousineau, founder of Paws Fur Thought, an organization in Nova Scotia pairing service dogs with PTSD veterans. “The Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) has secured funding to write standards. Once in place, these standards will be used to produce an ID card and be recorded in the PetLynx National Registry.”

PetLynx operates as a national database of pet records that now holds 10% of the cats and dogs in Canada. Everything from a physical description and digital image, to all forms of identification and medical information can be stored as part of an animal’s record. By utilizing the system, breeders, trainers, educators, service dog owners and those who provide standards will have one place to manage the information that is important to them. Cousineau has agreed to assist PetLynx to develop other services that will ensure service dogs are protected for life while their owners have peace of mind.

“By providing the HomeSafe™ national registry and lifetime record, all authorized stakeholders have an opportunity to manage episodes during the life of each service dog,” said Larry Evans, the founder and Managing Director of PetLynx. “Moreover, the PetLynx system offers Return-to-Owner (RTO) services and ‘peace of mind’ for owners who wish to eliminate the chance of a dog becoming lost or stolen.”

It is estimated that there will eventually be more than 30,000 service dogs in the homes of veterans and first responders in Canada.  

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Shannon Woodward, Communications

(p) 403.208.1972 (e) Shannon.woodward@petlynxmail.com

ABOUT PETLYNX:  PetLynx Corporation owns the HomeSafe™ and Urban Animal™ brands:

The HomeSafe™ brand supplies a central Registry and Return to Owner Service for companion and service animals. The HomeSafe™ registry and lifetime animal record is managed by the animal owner to provide return to owner services, medical records, care profiles and connectivity to other registered and authorized entities. The mission of the HomeSafe™ brand is lifetime protection for animals and peace of mind for people.

PetLynx also owns the Urban Animal™ brand which supports those who deliver the products and services animal owners need. The mission of the Urban Animal™ brand is to increase the positive experiences for people and animals in each community.

PetLynx brands deliver value across the Internet to pet owners and communities. PetLynx is a proven game changer that has registered 10% of the total cats and dogs as well as the active consumers who own them and is now the largest, fastest growing and most recognizable pet brand in Canada.

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Alliance for Urban Animals pairs service dogs with veterans

Today, Canadians pay tribute to the hundreds of thousands of men and women who serve(d) our country.
We honour the countless deaths in the name of freedom and consider the individuals who narrowly escaped death and walk among us, veterans with harrowing memories haunting their everyday lives. 

During the Innovation Showcase at the 2014 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies, Cpt. Medric Cousineau presented delegates with his compelling story of hope which elicited tears and a standing ovation for the retired air force hero. That evening, during the Urban Animal Foundation Dinner, OSPCA Executive Director Kate McDonald and City of Edmonton's James Wilke challenged delegates to create a movement to help more veterans find peace. 

Photo Credit: Peterborough Examiner

Members of the Alliance for Urban Animals and delegates stepped up to the challenge, pledging $14,000 in donations to purchase and train Service Dogs for veterans.

Nearly $4,000 in cash was collected and presented to Cousineau when the Summit wrapped on Saturday, October 25. Another $5,000 pledged by Pets Plus Us, $3,500 pledged by Petsecure, $500 from the Ontario SPCA and $500 from PIJAC Canada will provide FOUR service dogs to soldiers and veterans suffering from mental health issues. 

"Over the years, we've seen a number of good news stories emerge from Summits.The monetary pledges to support Service Dogs was unexpected and created a true camaraderie between delegates," said Larry Evans, Executive Producer of the Summits for Urban Animal Strategies. "It is this kind of collaboration and transparency that will drive the Alliance for Urban Animals forward."

It takes an estimated $3,500 to train and care for a single canine until it is ready for service.

To make a donation, please visit www.pawsfurthought1.com. 

Paws Fur Thought: A year in review

At the 2014 Urban Animal Regional Conference in Halifax, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder sufferer Medric Cousineau shared his experience with his service dog and companion, Thai. 

RELATED NEWS: Atlantic Innovation Showcase Spotlight Paws Fur Thought: Service Dogs for Veterans Battling PTSD

Since entering Cousineau's life in 2012, Thai has helped the retired Canadian Air Forces captain live a stronger and healthier life. Last year, Cousineau refactored his passion and became a champion for PTSD service dogs. His plight to create awareness, raise funds and share his experience has spread across the nation and is garnering the attention of Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino. 

RELATED NEWS: Veterans Affairs Canada announces service dog pilot project to support Veterans with PTSD

August 1st will mark the one year anniversary of the day Cousineau and Thai set out on a Long Walk to Sanity from Eastern Passage to Ottawa to raise awareness and funds. To date, his movement, Paws Fur Thought, has raised more than $130,000. 

RELATED NEWS: Pet Connection: Service Dogs Saving Lives

Cousineau, along with Thai, will present to a global audience at the 2014 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies in October. His efforts to support and develop programs for PTSD Service Dogs was selected by Conference delegates as a leading Innovation in the Atlantic Region. 

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Veterans Affairs Canada announces service dog pilot project to support Veterans with PTSD

The Canadian Minister of Veterans Affairs announced yesterday Veterans Affairs Canada's plans to support a pilot project to assess the benefits and risks of using psychiatric service dogs to assist in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Veterans. 

Retired Canadian Airforce captain Medric Cousineau, who presented his story to Urban Animal Regional Conference delegates in April as part of the 2014 Innovation Showcase program, is pleased to see the government making this commitment.
  
"The pilot project announced by Minister Fantino and VAC is the next logical step in proving the efficacy of service dogs for veterans with PTSD," said Cousineau. "This study will provide validation to the veterans, the medical and scientific communities that should open the doors to expanded use of this wonderful adjunct therapy. Given Thai's and my commitment to the service dog world, we could not be happier."

The two-and-a-half year pilot project has a goal of having up to 50 veterans who are in receipt of a disability benefit for PTSD and have approval from their treating mental health professional, participating in the project. Veterans Affairs Canada will provide up to $500,000 to cover expenses and new research for the project. 

"Some Veterans will tell you that service dogs are more than man's best friend, they are companions who are an integral part of their day-to-day life," said the Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of Veterans Affairs. "This project will help us study and learn how service dogs can help Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder." 

Cousineau's innovation was nominated by Regional Conference delegates to present to a national audience at the 2014 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies in Lake Louise, AB, October 23. 

READ THE NEWS RELEASE

Atlantic Innovation Showcase Spotlight Paws Fur Thought: Service Dogs for Veterans Battling PTSD

Medric and Thai

Terri Perrin
InfoStream Staff Writer

The 2014 Urban Animal Regional Conferences presented the second annual Innovation Showcases. Across the continent, 20 local Innovators were given the opportunity to share their stories and successes with Urban Animal subscribers. From those, eight were selected to present at the 2014 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies, October 22–25 in beautiful Lake Louise, Alberta.

Infostream staff writer Terri Perrin spoke with the winning presenters to get feedback on their Regional Conference experience, their respective ‘Pet Experiences’ and what we can expect from them at the Summit this fall. Terri tracked down retired Canadian Air Force Captain Medric Cousineau – known to friends and family as ‘Cous’ – at his home in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, to talk about his important work matching service dogs with retired military personnel. 

Infostream (IS): Before we get started with your ‘Summit Experience’, we’d love to know how your personal life and ‘Pet Experiences’ lead you to be an a champion for service dogs and soldiers. Tell us a little about your journey, including how (and when) you were partnered with your service dog ‘Thai’.

Medric Cousineau (MC): My life was punctuated by having dogs in our home while I was growing up. As an adult, I consider myself a ‘dog person’ and my wife Jocelyn a ‘cat person’. Due to an illness in the family, from 2001 to 2012 we didn’t have a dog but had four cats. The move towards getting a dog again stems from the fact that I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) … a result of search and rescue work done in the military. I received the ‘Star of Courage’ for one particular incident and ironically, it was this incident that precipitated my downward spiral with PTSD.

In 2012, a friend learned how badly I was struggling. Her son had a hearing assist dog and the school he got the dog from also trained PTSD dogs. I was desperate. Something had to give. We decided to give it a whirl. It’s the best thing decision I ever made!

I got my service dog ‘Thai’ – a yellow Labrador – from Kansas-based Canine Assistance and Rehabilitation Education Services (CARES) on August 6^th, 2012.

IS: Tell us about your first experience meeting Thai at CARES.

It was ‘love at first sight’... according to Thai! While all of the other dogs were wandering around the room kind of nonchalant, the second that Thai laid eyes on me she broke from her handler and rushed across the room. She was at my side, licking my face and on me like white on rice!  This is what she had been trained to do. She was aware of my physiological issues literally from the instant that  she was brought into the room … and she’s been doing her ‘job’ ever since.

IS: Can you give an example of how she helps you?

MC: One of her jobs is night terror intervention. It only took a few days for her to get into the swing of things and start waking me up during these episodes. A few weeks after I first got her, I woke up one morning and realized I hadn’t had a night terror … and I had a panic attack about that! (Laughs.) Thai helped me through that episode, too!

IS: How did you come up with the idea for the Paws Fur Thought Program?

MC: I knew within a couple of months that Thai was making dramatic changes in my life. Just after Christmas 2012,  Jocelyn and I  were out waking Thai. We decided that we had to do something to help others. To ensure accountability with funds raised, we approached the Nova Scotia Nunavut Command of the Royal Canadian Legion. They established the foundation and they administer all funds and provide tax receipts, as well as allocate the money to veterans so they can acquire dogs from accredited facilities. The name – Paws Fur Thought – is a play on words … basically meaning ‘dogs helping with mental issues’.

IS: How is it funded?

MC: We put together a ‘Walk to Sanity’ that started on August 1^st, 2013. Thai and I averaged a ½ marathon every single day for 50 days. We walked across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec ... raising money and awareness along the way. We covered 1,065 kilometres and raised about $90,000 from that. Other community partners have come on board. Global Pet Foods HRM’s, Lucie Larochelle, for example, heard one of our interviews on CBC. She named us the company’s ‘Show Us Your Heart’ chosen charity. Petcurean came on board as a result of Lucie’s participation and, from that, it is just starting to snowball!  We have a half dozen fundraising events coming up in the next few months.

IS: How is it that you came to be a presenter at the Atlantic Regional Summit?

MC:  I was shocked ... and pleasantly surprised … when PetLynx actually contacted me! Somebody had heard my story and said ‘Here’s a guy you need to listen to.’ I didn’t even realize the implications of what I had agreed to, in terms of the potential opportunities that would arise from it. When I learned that I would be going to Lake Louise, as an Innovation Showcase winner, it was like a dream come true! I get to tell people exactly what it is that we are trying to do. God smiled and said, “Go there and tell ‘em your story.” It could be being held anywhere in the world and I would be happy to go.

IS: Was this your first Summit for Urban Animal Strategies. What did you think about it?

MC:  For me, the networking was very important. Talking about animal sourcing and hearing some of the challenges within the industry was very interesting because it was something I’d never thought about before. A lot of what happens in the urban animal industry is about animal rescue. We were a little bit different in that we were using animals to rescue humans. I would rate the experience totally PAWsome!

IS: What do you hope to achieve by being an Innovation Showcase presenter at the national Summit in October?

MC:   While Paws Fur Thought is primarily focused on the military but the need for psychological service dogs covers what a group of communities. There are all kinds of places where PTSD can rear its ugly head. I like to refer to what I call ‘Red, White and Blue, A and A’. This represents fire fighters, emergency responders and RCMP (police), as well as assault and abuse survivors. I’m just one guy … a smashed up guy with serious mental health issues at that … and I know that I can’t do this all on my own. At the National Summit I am going to make an effort to find people who want to do what I have done. I will give the blueprint to repeat what we have done, so that they can go home and champion their own cause in their own communities.

During the interview, InfoStream learned that Cous and his service dog 

Thai had just received an Inspiring Lives Award from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia.