From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Pets for Vets
Pets for Vets
Pets for Vets 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.
Founder(s) Clarissa Black
Tax ID No. 501(c)(3) Companion animals as therapy
Founded 2008 Animal-assisted therapy has typically been used to treat
Mission "The Pets for Vets program is dedicated to
physical disabilities; it is becoming increasingly useful
providing a second chance for shelter pets by in treating patients with psychological complications in-
rescuing, training and pairing them with cluding PTSD and combat stress and even reducing symp-
America’s veterans who could benefit from a toms of PTSD in as many as 82% of patients studied.[14]
companion animal."[1] More and more veterans are being written prescrip-
Website http://www.pets-for-vets.com/ tions for companion animals to help combat PTSD. Pets
can help alleviate stress, loneliness and anxi-
Pets for Vets is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the ety.[15][16][17][18][19][20] The Centers for Disease Control
United States dedicated to providing a second chance to and Prevention says pets can decrease your blood pres-
shelter dogs by rescuing, training and matching them sure, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and feelings of
with American veterans who need a companion pet.[2] loneliness. Pets can increase your opportunities for exer-
cise and outdoor activities and opportunities for social-
ization. Caring for a pet encourages responsibility and
History adherence to a daily schedule.
Pets for Vets was founded in 2008 by animal behaviorist Pets for Vets developed a program focusing on ad-
and trainer, Clarissa Black, who was looking for a way to dressing these issues by bringing together animals need-
help American veterans who were suffering from com- ing to be rescued and veterans needing a companion for
bat stress and other emotional issues related to their ser- a better quality of life. Not every veteran qualifies for
vice.[3] Many Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation En- a psychiatric service dog, however everyone who wants
during Freedom veterans suffer physical and emotional one can benefit from a companion or pet animal.
injuries making it difficult to transition back to civilian
life.[4][5][6][7] Pets for Vets helps military veterans re- Studies linking pet ownership to health-
claim normalcy in their lives through companion dogs. ier living
Each companion dog is rescued in connection with
• James Serpell PhD: Beneficial effects of pet
local animal rescue groups. They are then given basic
ownership on some aspects of human health &
obedience training and any additional training that will
behaviour, Journal of Royal Science of Medicine,
help them assimilate into their new lives and then finally
Volume 84, December 1991
placed in their "forever" home.
• National Institute of Health
• Delta Society The Human-Animal Health Connection
Issues addressed • The healing bond between people and pets, podcast
Estimates that anywhere from one in eight[8] to one in • MedicineNet 5 ways pets can improve your health
five of all Iraq war veterans have some degree of PTSD
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Pets for Vets
See also http://publications.cpa-apc.org/
media.php?mid=490. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
• Pet [12] David Satcher et al. (1999). "Chapter 4.2". Mental
• Pet adoption Health: A Report of the Surgeon General.
• Human-animal bonding http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/
• P.A.W.S. mentalhealth/chapter4/sec2.html.
[13] ASPCA Facts, Retrieved 10.08.09
External links [14] Military News: Army Studies Use of Dogs for PTSD,
Retrieved 10.08.09
• Pets for Vets official website [15] Asp, Karen (2005). "Volunteer Pets". Prevention 57
• National CBS news story on Pets for Vets (4): 176–78. http://search.ebscohost.com/
• CNN news story on Pets for Vets login.aspx?direct=true&db=afh&AN=16471647&site=ehost-
• Treatment of PTSD live. Retrieved 2006-11-05. Academic Search Elite.
• Department of Veterans Affairs EBSCOhost. Polk Library, UW Oshkosh
• Iraq War Veterans Organization, Inc. [16] Allen, K; Shykoff, Be; Izzo, Jl, Jr (1 October 2001).
• Post - traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms, "Pet ownership, but not ace inhibitor therapy,
Treatment, and Self-Help blunts home blood pressure responses to mental
stress." (Free full text). Hypertension 38 (4): 815–20.
Reference ISSN 0194-911X. PMID 11641292.
http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/
[1] "What We Do". Pets for Vets. http://www.pets-for- pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=11641292.
vets.com/whatwedo.html. Retrieved 15 November [17] Kingwell, Ba; Lomdahl, A; Anderson, Wp (October
2011. 2001). "Presence of a pet dog and human
[2] Pets for Vets website About Us and How You Can cardiovascular responses to mild mental stress.".
Help. Retrieved May 21, 2010. Clinical autonomic research 11 (5): 313–7. doi:10.1007/
[3] Pets for Vets, Retrieved 10.08.09 BF02332977. ISSN 0959-9851. PMID 11758798.
[4] "Marine Corps Offers Yoga, Massages to Marriages [18] Wilson, Cc (October 1987). "Physiological responses
Strained by War". Fox News. Associated Press. of college students to a pet.". The Journal of nervous
2008-04-02. http://www.foxnews.com/story/ and mental disease 175 (10): 606–12. doi:10.1097/
0,2933,344991,00.html. Retrieved 2008-04-03. 00005053-198710000-00005. ISSN 0022-3018.
[5] Dixon, Laura (February 28, 2009). "Lance Corporal PMID 3655768.
Johnson Beharry accuses Government of [19] Koivusilta, Leena K. (2006). "To Have or Not To
neglecting soldiers". London: Times Online. Have a Pet for Better Health?". PLoS ONE 1: e109.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/ doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000109. PMC 1762431.
article5819059.ece. Retrieved 2009-08-29. PMID 17205113.
[6] "British troops in Afghanistan face mental health http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/
timebomb ’on the scale of Vietnam’ | Mail Online". articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1762431.
Dailymail.co.uk. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ [20] Vormbrock, Jk; Grossberg, Jm (October 1988).
news/article-1158350/Troops-face-mental-trauma- "Cardiovascular effects of human-pet dog
scale-Vietnam.html. Retrieved 2009-08-29. interactions.". Journal of behavioral medicine 11 (5):
[7] "UK | Full interview: L/Cpl Johnson Beharry". BBC 509–17. doi:10.1007/BF00844843. ISSN 0160-7715.
News. 2009-02-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/ PMID 3236382.
7916852.stm. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
[8] MSNBC - 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 0890420610. ; on-line
[11] Brunet A, Akerib V, Birmes P (2007). "Don’t throw
out the baby with the bathwater (PTSD is not
overdiagnosed)" (PDF). Can J Psychiatry 52 (8):
501–2; discussion 503. PMID 17955912.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pets_for_Vets&oldid=463183285"
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Pets for Vets
Categories:
• Dogs
• Assistance dogs
• Military veterans' affairs in the United States
• Military personnel
• Animal training
• Dogs as pets
• Dog organizations
• Non-profit organizations based in the United States
• 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations
• Animal welfare organizations in the United States
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