Canadian National Standards for Service Dogs

Erin O’Toole from the Ministry of Veterans Affairs announced that national standards will be created for service dogs that assist Veterans with mental health conditions. The Honourable O’Toole said, “We expect this work will confirm what Veterans have been telling us about the benefits of psychiatric service dogs—how these dogs have improved their quality of life. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting research to achieve better outcomes for Veterans with PTSD and other mental health conditions.” O’Toole also wants people to be aware of the network of mental health clinics and service points at which Veterans may seek help. A 24-hour hotline is also available that provides support to Veterans and their families.

National standards will help ensure consistency for psychiatric service dogs serving Veterans. The Canadian General Standards Board, Veterans’ groups, and psychiatric service dog training providers will work together to create the national standards.

The Canadian Government provides the following facts about psychiatric service dogs:

• Psychiatric service dogs are trained to help a person with a mental health condition by performing tasks in response to a cue.
• A constant companion, these dogs can help their owner manage many common symptoms of PTSD, and guide them away from stressful situations. They can also provide physical support if their owner loses his or her balance.
• Up to $340,000 in funding has been approved to set national standards for service dogs.
• The pilot research, which will include up to 50 Canadian Veterans with service dogs, is being funded with $500,000 and is expected to be first class and ground-breaking. The research could help set standards of Veteran service dogs and their certification in allied countries.

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Bayer’s K9 Advantix II has Joined Forces with K9s For Warriors

Bayer’s K9 Advantix II is supporting K9s For Warriors with a three month campaign that allows dog owners to provide assistance to K9s For Warriors when people purchase Bayer’s K9 Advantix II. This is the second year for the partnership. When pet owners buy a package of K9 Advantix II, Bayer will donate $1 to K9s For Warriors to a maximum of $150,000. Bayer’s K9 Advantix II will also support the adoption and training of 10 service dogs in 2015.

According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs approximately 20% of post 9/11 veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Symptoms of PTSD include flashbacks, memory problems, self-destructive behaviour, and suicide. Symptoms of TBI are concentration difficulties, difficulty speaking, and emotional and behavioural changes.

K9s For Warriors is a nonprofit organization that pairs trained shelter dogs with veterans afflicted by post-traumatic stress disorder and/or traumatic brain injury. K9s For Warriors selects dogs from shelters and trains the dogs at their facility to become service dogs. Once the dogs are trained, they are matched with veterans in need of help. Once gaining a service dog, 92% of veterans are able to decrease or stop their medications. The program has a 96% success rate which the program attributes to their requirement for new service dog owners to live and train with their dogs at the K9s For Warriors facility before taking the dog home.

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