Save both Veterans and Rescued Dogs today!

The holidays are approaching! While most people are excitedly making plans to gather with friends and loved ones, this time of year can be difficult for disabled veterans dealing with injury and loss. A primary goal of OFP's program is to teach our clients how their service dogs can make it easier to communicate with other people. Many applicants want to re-connect with families and friends, but don't know if, or how, they can talk about their medical issues---especially the debilitating effects of Post-Traumatic Stress and Military Sexual Trauma.

By focusing on their dogs and recognizing alerts, handlers can explain the dogs' behavior when they begin talking about difficult subjects, or find themselves in triggering situations. The opportunity to educate people about their bond with their dogs can make it easier to talk about the "new normal" they are creating for themselves as a service dog team.

If you know someone with a service dog, make the holidays easy for them by welcoming their dog to your home. Remember this is a working animal with a job, so please discourage interaction with pets and other guests unless the handler initiates it. This allows the dog to remain focused on the handler, and gives him/her control. Ask questions about the dog itself, not the reasons the person needs one---because we don't like to talk about our medical issues, but we LOVE to talk about our service dogs!