Groups donate $60,000 to PTSD service dog program
Four Quebec veterans to be matched with specially trained companion dogs
Much-welcomed funding to train four service dogs to support veterans or first responders in Quebec was announced at Ste-Anne’s Hospital on Monday.
A total of $60,000 is being donated to the Wounded Warriors Canada’s post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) service dog program —$15,000 from the Ste-Anne’s Hospital Foundation and $45,000 from the Mingo-McEwen Fund and Anne Myles, the former mayor of Baie d’Urfé.
Wounded Warriors Canada, a non-profit organization founded in 2006, supports Canada’s ill and injured Armed Forces members, veterans, first responders and their families, with a focus on mental health.
“Partnerships make programs possible,” Wounded Warriors Canada director Phil Ralph said during the funding commitment made in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue.
These service dogs fill a huge gap regarding comfort items for those being treated for operational stress injuries, including PTSD, he said.
“These (PTSD) injuries not only affect (the veterans), but their families as well,” he added. “This is something that changes, and in many cases saves, lives.”
Since 2013, Wounded Warriors has invested about $1.5 million in animal-assisted therapy, Ralph said, noting it’s about a two-year process to prepare a service dog before finding a human match who needs help to overcome daily challenges.
During the funding announcement, a testimonial was given by Ottawa resident Julie Jolicoeur, a mother of two, who came with her service dog, Dylan, who has accompanied her since last fall to help her cope with stress disorder stemming from her former duties as a first responder.
“We were matched (last September),” Jolicoeur said of the ongoing therapeutic relationship with her specially trained canine companion. “I’ve noticed a huge difference with him. He helps me to get outside. I’m outside every day to walk him.
“It’s a huge thing for me to get out. It allows me to run my errands, to get the kids to doctor’s appointments and to school events. I was really struggling (to get out of the house) for a long time.”
Bob McEwen heads the MingoMcEwen Fund, which has donated almost $1 million since it was founded 20 years ago. He said the gift to the service dog program continues the fund’s evolving efforts to help the community.
“We are going to make a commitment to the Wounded Warriors. The dogs that we have bought have already gone into training,” he said.
Andrée-Anne Desforges, who heads the Ste. Anne’s Hospital Foundation, said the service dog initiative complements other therapeutic programs being supported by the hospital foundation. With this new funding, the lives of four veterans in Quebec will change for the better once they are teamed up with a furry companion, she said.