Military service dogs save lives - Or Not

[ZenDog]

 

Military suicides occur with disturbing regularity (http://nation.time.com/2012/08/16/grim-record-soldier-suicides-rea..., and the military seems all but powerless to stop it. Yet there is one program that does seem to offer some slender thread of hope.

Service dogs have been trained to respond to fear or panic, and CBS news reports at least one instance of successful intervention, by a canine:

"I was just basically sitting on the couch playing Russian Roulette with it," said Bandrowsky, "and right before I pulled the trigger to take my life, he jumped up on me and knocked the gun out of my hand. And I believe 100 percent that he saved my life." (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57497716/mans-best-friend-is-...)


Dogs have been provided free of charge by trainers, and some of those involved in the program report positive results in only two weeks after dog placement.

At last you say - a program that may hold promise.

Not so fast.

As of January, the military instituted new rules. Now it seems dog placement has come to a halt at four military bases, and even some current placements may be at risk.

CBS reports:

 Fort Bliss's commander concluded that service dogs should now be a "treatment of last resort." (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57497716/mans-best-friend-is-...)

The television spot interviewed one soldier who was on significant amounts of medication for symptomology that continued unabated - until he received one of these service animals.

So now I wanna know -

what are the odds that this change in policy is the result of pressure from the pharmaceutical industry?

the bastards ought to be shot.

.

and you can tweet that shit

.

z

I notified Senator Sanders on this issue. This is his email form page:

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm

You could also look up your own legislators contact info and notify them. You could help save lives.