When it comes to PTSD service dogs for veterans, the mission is far from over for Dog Chow

By Joe Toscano, Vice President, Trade & Industry Development at Purina

S uppor ting U. S . troops has alw ay s been part of Purina Dog Chow’s his tory since it s fo unding nearly a century a go. B u t in 2018, when Dog Chow saw a cri ti c al, lifechanging need that was not being f ully address ed for veter ans, it s newes t mission bec ame clear.

Approximately 3. 5 million milit ary veter ans su ffer from Pos t-Tr aumati c Stress Dis order (PTSD), and it c an have dev as t ating effect s on their f amilies, wor k , and interper s onal lives. Thank f ully, s ervice dog s c an redu ce the s everity of PTSD s ymptoms and suicidal behavior s for thes e veter ans. Yet, even with evidence-b as ed result s, du e to the cos t and time it t akes to tr ain a s ervice dog, only 1% of thos e in need who s eek a s ervice dog receive one ea ch year.

Dog Chow s et o u t on a mission to help change that, and Service Dog S alu te was born.

Since 2018, Dog Chow has donated more than $1 million to s ervice dog org aniz ati ons, suppor ting the c are and tr aining of more s ervice dog s for veter ans with PTSD and other pos t-comb at challenges. B u t the mission has only jus t begun.

It is import ant to note that thes e s ervice dog s are not the same as emo ti onal support, ther apy or companion dog s. Rather, they are especially tr ained for veter ans, helping their handler perform t asks they c annot otherwis e perform on their own. Thes e specialized sk ill s are, in p art, what make the s e dog s remar kable, b u t al s o r are It t akes abo u t two year s and approximately $25,000 to f ully tr ain a s ervice dog and ensure the perfect pla cement for ea ch dog and veter an

The inve s tment i s l a rge, b u t the imp a ct i s pricele ss. Some of the demon s tr a ted benefit s of PTSD s ervice dog s for veter a n s incl u de red u ced a nxiety a nd s tre ss , improved s leep, improved confidence to ret u rn to wor k or s chool – or even to be in p u blic, a re s tored s en s e of p u rpo s e, a nd more.

Many of thes e changes aren’t s een with the naked eye, which is why, las t year, Dog Chow launched it s fir s t-ever Visible Imp a ct Aw ard, in p artner ship with the A ss ociati on of Service Dog Provider s for Milit ary Veter ans (ASDPMV).

The aw ard celebr ated the remar kable imp a ct s ervice dog s have on the daily lives of veter ans experiencing PTSD and recognize thes e o u t s t anding s ervice dog s and the org aniz ati ons that tr ained them.

Want to join Purina Dog Chow and Purina ass ociates in bringing more aw areness and support to veter an s ervice dog s? A s a ret ailer, yo u c an play a cri ti c al role in adv ancing aw areness for o ur mission, which is now highlighted on every b a g of Dog Chow

Complete that arrives to ret ail s tores. Yo u c an al s o cont a ct yo ur Purina sales rep to learn more abo u t special Service Dog S alu te in- s tore signa ge, s ocial and digit al ass et s, addi ti on al merchandis e and more to drive attenti on for the progr am.

O ur mission isn’t over. Will yo u join us?