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MISSION PAWSIBLE4 Paws Veterans Service Dog Program
To honor the many service men and women who are still suffering from the conflicts of war, 4 Paws for Ability will be making service/assistance dogs available to help them lead a more independent life. While other organizations are assisting veterans with brain injuries and loss of sight, 4 Paws has selected to assist Veterans with mobility problems or hearing loss resulting from combat injuries. The disability may be a loss of a limb, balance issues, spinal injury, deafness, or other.
The service dogs will be trained to meet each individual veteran's specific needs which could include:
Veterans with a physical disability other than traumatic brain injury from combat who have served our country in the War on Terror resulting from the events of 9-11 are eligible for the program. 4 Paws will be working with Veteran's organizations, the Veteran's Administration and other organizations to ensure proper placement and will use a selection process to evaluate veterans in need.
Air Compassion for Veterans will provide round trip airfare free of charge for any financially stressed, wounded veteran. For more information on this program go to: www.aircompassionforveterans.org Veterans who are interested in this new program through 4 Paws that meet the qualifications stated above can contact us at our website or email Karen at karen4paws@aol.com. Attached is a pdf file of the 4 Paws Veterans Service Dog Program Application. Wounded Vet with PTSD, TBI, & loss of an arm, and son with Epilepsy & cognitive delay seek service dogBy Tina Longoria
Izzy's father, Jesse, who was a Sniper Team Leader in the United States Marine Corps, is also disabled with the loss of the use of his right hand and arm caused by a Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Jesse also suffers Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) from the blast. Jesse has been medically retired with 100% disability. We are seeking a service dog for Jesse (31) and Izzy. Izzy developed well up until five months old when I started to notice developmental delay and excessive "hiccups." The "hiccups" he had 40 to 50 times a day turned out to be infantile spasm/seizures which was later categorized as Epilepsy. Izzy has many autistic characteristics such as wandering, lack of safety awareness, and delayed fine motor skills. He mouths all objects and is uncomfortable in new environments or change in routine. Izzy is non-verbal and needs hand-over-hand help at all times, which triggers behavioral issues from frustration due to lack of communication and space. Izzy gets lots of help from Special Education and his Life Skills teachers at his school. His teacher, Mrs. Johnson, her aides, Jennifer and Monica, and his one-on-one aide, Mr. Goode, works with Izzy every day on behavior intervention and potty training as well as academics. Izzy also has wonderful Speech and Occupational therapists who work with him weekly.
Most times, when we are out, Jesse or I have to be empty-handed in order to direct Izzy. This is pretty difficult for Jesse with only the use of one hand. We try to plan according to Izzy's needs when we leave home and try to avoid crowded or loud places such as birthday parties and restaurants. For this reason, our family has not much of a social life outside of our home as a family. Putting aside the challenges, Izzy is a happy and very active boy who loves Thomas the Train. He also likes The Little Einsteins, Handy Manny, Dora the Explorer, and Go Diego Go. The only movie that has been able to keep his attention throughout is Shark Tale. Izzy loves songs like Old McDonald, Barney's I Love You song and many others, especially when there are hand signals and dances that go along with it. He loves the water. In the summer, he plays in the pool in the backyard with his siblings every day. In the winter he enjoys long baths. Last summer, we were able to take him to the coast. He absolutely loved the beach and made no attempt to wander or run off: he enjoyed it so much that he did not want to be anywhere else. Izzy has a loud but funny laugh and loves to give hugs. One evening, after one of his bad days, I got online to see if I can find anything that may be of help to us. I found a video of a child with special needs and his service dog and how much his life has changed since. I immediately forwarded the video to Jesse's work. Jesse then contacted Pets for Patriots, who then referred us to Paws 4 Ability, and here we are.
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Once a service dog has been fully trained, the veteran will spend 10 days in Xenia, Ohio. Over the 10 day period at the training facility individuals will work with and become accustomed to their service dog and the service dog will become certified at the final day of training.
January 2011. My name is Tina and I am a mother of three active children. Isreal 9, Jayden 6, and Lia, 23 months. Isreal, nicknamed "Izzy" is my special buddy who has been diagnosed with Epilepsy and cognitive delays.
Although we are working very hard in helping Izzy achieve his goals, we still have many challenges. Izzy is very active and will wander or run off any chance he gets. Due to his lack of safety awareness, he can never be left unattended. In order to not lose him is to constantly hold on to him. He is a big boy weighing 83 lbs, 4'3" tall and will pull himself down to the ground when refusing to be redirected. This is also very hard for us having two other children especially when the youngest is just 23 months old.