Angels for Veterans Donates Service Dogs to Veterans in Need
Angels for Veterans may be a non-profit that you haven’t heard of, but they’re working hard to help veterans. Based out of Celina, the organization was founded in 2009 by Sandra Bohle and has been providing advocacy, emergency relief, gas cards and donated items to the Dayton VA Hospital amongst other activities. Something they’ve been doing since 2012 is donating service dogs to veterans in need.
“My family is a family of military people. My father, grandfather, uncles, brothers, and nephew have all served on active duty. I learned firsthand what it means when you have a family member gone and deployed,” said Bohle of what inspired her to create Angels for Veterans.
Bohle said in her former career she helped people with disabilities in a nine-county area where she helped them find gainful employment, and supported them.
“I didn’t know back then I’d be working with veterans, but I did know at one point I would form a non-profit and continue in the social work life,” said Bohle. She said that forming a non-profit that helps veterans, became a clear choice.
“I felt since I’d go into a non-profit to serve people, I couldn’t think of a more worthy cause than to serve a veteran,” said Bohle.
With the service dogs, Bohle said that people often confuse them with protection dogs and emotional support dogs and that they use those terms interchangeably.
“The difference is service dogs provide specific tasks. We train each dog for each intended veteran with his or her disability needs,” explained Bohle. So far they’ve donated just shy of 40 dogs, and the current cost to train a dog is $9,000.
In order to receive one of their service dogs, Bohle said that the veterans must be vetted first which involves verifying their service record, medical records, and make sure that the veteran will be able to properly care for the dog.
“We meet with them and follow up with them. Many of them, after receiving their dogs, stay in contact with us and have stayed friends with us which is rewarding,” said Bohle.
The dogs that Angels for Veterans provide for Veterans can be trained in a variety of tasks, some of them physical others involve alerting the Veteran to issues they may themselves be unaware of.
“Dogs will retrieve items or hand them to them, they can open refrigerator doors, they can go get a bucket with their medication in them,” said Bohle before continuing. “Some dogs are trained for sugar so they can alert when their sugar is going too high.”
She said the dogs can also be trained to turn on lights, interrupt anxious behaviors, or alert the veteran that they need to change what they’re doing. “When the dog interrupts that anxious activity, the veterans knowns to get up and go do something rather than sit there and obsess,” said Bohle. The dogs can also be trained to wake veterans from nightmares, lead them to an exit if they get overwhelmed in a public space, or even dial 911.
“We also have some dogs that will train on a 911 emergency button in the house. What it’ll do is dial your first two to three people you choose, and if they don’t answer, then it’s directed to 911,” explained Bohle.
“We have noticed that as this bond depends between the veteran and their dog, the dog becomes an emotional game changer,” said Bohle. She said that the dog becomes that trusted companion, which is very akin to the relationships developed while in service.
“They often tell me it creates that ‘I got your back’ feeling and are probably the most trusted friend they have,” said Bohle. She said that oftentimes, veterans feel as if their dogs have given them a renewed purpose in life in that the dog needs them, and they need the dog.
For veterans on the brink of suicide, Bohle said that she’s heard from veterans that having the dog has saved their lives.
“When a veteran has a private thought of ending their life in a given day, oftentimes they said they looked at the dog and said they changed their mind,” said Bohle.
“At this time we are taking new applications for veterans. We are ready to start a new cycle. We placed four dogs recently so we have puppies remaining. Right now is a good time for veterans to reach out to me,” said Bohle. Bohle said that her hope is to change and make improvements to the lives of veterans.
“If I help one, or one thousand, I’m pleased with what I’m doing. It’s very fulfilling to me,” said Bohle.
For more information about Angles for Veterans, you can find them on Facebook, or by emailing them at sandralbohle@anglesforveterans.org. If you are interested in donating funds to support their mission you may send a check to: Angels for Veterans, PO BOX 611, Celina OH, 45822.