Army veteran Chris Hodder was living with anxiety and PTSD, but says a pairing with service dog Bella has 'changed my life for the better'.
They didn't make it as guide dog s, but these Labrador s have been retrained to support veterans and first responders They didn't make it as guide dog s, but these Labrador s have been retrained to support veterans and first responders It can be an isolating world to inhabit — but that changed when he was paired with service dog Bella.
The dogs may not be suitable as guide dogs, but their personalities and temperament are perfect for being service dogs.They're retrained and matched with veterans and first responders dealing with suicidal ideation, PTSD and other mental or physical health challenges."Every journey that we succeed in supporting a veteran or first responder in is so, so powerful and life changing.
"It's that deep pressure therapy, being able to put her head on our lap, hug, head up on our shoulder," Tiffany explained. All the dogs live with foster families until they complete their training, which typically takes four to five months."Matching their different temperaments to the right handler is really important as well," Tiffany said.
Integra now has 15 volunteers and professional staff working across Australia to train and develop these dogs, and has partnerships in place with Guide Dogs Australia and Vision Australia."We've had individuals who would have been made redundant through some of our operational first responder organisations, who have stayed and worked for three, four, five, further years, working with their dogs in really complex work conditions," Mr Johnson says.
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