Operation K9, an initiative of the Royal Society for the Blind (RSB), provides veterans with combat related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), access to an RSB assistance dog.
The RSB holds accreditation from both the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dog International. These highly trained and accredited assistance dogs provide social interaction, independence and companionship.
PTSD is an anxiety disorder that is caused by a traumatic experience or experiences. The symptoms can be social isolation, poor emotional regulation, impaired cognitive functioning, emotional numbing and avoidance, hypervigilance, problems with sleep, flashbacks and physical aches and pains.
Operation K9 Dogs are accredited assistance dogs that provide companionship, comfort, support, independence and social interaction.
They also perform a range of tasks tailored to each veteran’s specific needs, such as interruption and distraction from increased anxiety, providing physical grounding during a flashback, searching for misplaced or required items such as medication, and more.
It costs in excess of $30,000 to breed and train each Operation K9 Dog.
Operation K9 Dogs are provided to eligible clients free of charge. All initial equipment and accessories are provided, and Operation K9 covers all veterinary and routine health costs for the dog.
As an example, ADF veteran Matt has found help through Operation K9 Assistance Dog, Laney. Following deployments that included Timor, Bougainville, the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan, his story follows a similar pattern to many of our veterans who return experiencing PTSD.
“I talk to Laney as if she’s a person,” Matt said. “We’ve been together constantly since we met. If I’m showing signs of a flashback or the night terrors, she reads the situation and places her nose on me. She’s grounding me and calming me down. She’s saying, ‘it’s alright, I’m here, you’re safe’.”
Matt can’t remember anything from his toughest times or the triggers behind his PTSD. “We haven’t started working on the trauma yet,” he said. “But with Laney by my side, I know that when the time comes, we’ll get through it together.”