Puppies Do Push-Ups for PTSD Awareness Month (June 25th)
So-Cal Service Dogs Raise Awareness for Veterans With Puppy Push-Up Challenge
Saturday, June 25th, volunteer puppy raisers from Guide Dogs of America (GDA) and Tender Loving Canines (TLC) will support the Department of Veterans Affairs by doing a puppy push-up challenge for PTSD Awareness month. GDA | TLC is a service dog school that partners dogs with veterans with PTSD. This fun and unique challenge will showcase how the community can help veterans by supporting service dogs for veterans. Veteran service dog teams, the San Diego Veterans Coalition, and a US veteran council member will attend the event.
The United States loses 17 veterans to suicide every day. GDA | TLC hopes to raise awareness by spreading the word about effective PTSD treatments available for veterans. Their service dogs help veterans gain greater independence and allow them to reintegrate into society. The dogs are task-trained with over 40 commands to respond to PTSD triggers and assist veterans with mobility limitations.
“Because of my service dog, I am participating in life at a higher level than I ever have been able to since becoming this ill. Because of her, I am starting to feel joy again, which I struggled with before.”
– Veteran Service Dog Recipient
The puppies participating in the event are future service dogs in training. Their handler, a puppy raiser, is a volunteer who fosters the puppy from 8-weeks old to about a year and a half old. They teach the puppy proper house manners and basic obedience. They also provide them with experience in the real world. GDA | TLC provides plenty of support to our puppy raising volunteers, including group cohorts of fellow puppy raisers, structured training with our professional staff, behavioral support, and on-site veterinary care, the entire GDA team is rooting for each puppy’s success. Puppy Raisers are urgently needed.
The event will take place near the West Plaza Statue at Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92101.All programs and services at Guide Dogs of America and Tender Loving Canines are provided at no cost to the recipient and are available to individuals throughout the United States and Canada. You can Become a part of their community by visiting their website at www.guidedogsofamerica.org
What is a Guide Dog versus a Service Dog?
A Guide Dog is a type of service dog that is specifically trained to assist someone who is disabled by a visual impairment/blindness. A guide dog can help their visually impaired partner confidently navigate the world by avoiding obstacles, remembering common routes, stopping at changes in elevation and avoiding traffic.
See how Guide Dog ‘Goliath’ has impacted the life of Tom Olzak here:
A Service Dog is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other mental disability. Other service dogs can assist veterans, individuals with learning disabilities and other disabled populations. Service dogs that are not in the guide dog category may perform behaviors that interrupt physiological responses to stress. They can also assist with mobility limitations, retrieving objects, opening doors, etc.
See how Service Dog ‘Orbit’ has enriched the life of Army Veteran Lorelei here:
Raise a puppy. Change a life.
Guide dog and service dog puppies are placed with carefully screened foster families and individuals, known as “puppy raisers,” when they are 8 weeks old, learning proper house manners, basic obedience, and providing experiences that will give them confidence in the world during the first year of their life. At any given time, we have 150-200 puppies in homes.
Puppy Raising volunteers are an essential part of our training program at Guide Dogs of America. Every successful guide dog and service dog team had a Puppy Raiser who gave them plenty of love, taught them basic skills and provided experiences to allow them to feel safe in the world. To learn more visit: https://www.guidedogsofamerica.org/gda-programs/puppy-raising/
To make a donation, please visit: https://www.guidedogsofamerica.org/donate-online-now
For information on applying for a guide or service dog, call: 818-833-6428
For general inquiries, call: 818-833-6429
Guide Dogs of America
13479 Glenoaks Boulevard, Sylmar, CA 91342
www.guidedogsofamerica.org
mail@guidedogsofamerica.org
