Chapter 5 - The use of service dogs for military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder

Abstract

This chapter describes and evaluates the increasingly popular use of service dogs to help military veterans who are dealing with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from their time in the service. In contrast to standard office-based interventions for military-related PTSD, veterans are actively pursuing and completing these service dog programs. Veterans and their family members report that having a service dog helps them manage their PTSD symptoms and that they can lower their levels of anger, depression, suicidal ideations, and social isolation. After providing a thorough description of this intervention and the programs that offer service dogs for veterans, the chapter then summarizes the available research regarding what is known about their efficacy to include a review of some of the challenges involved in investigating these programs. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the theoretical underpinnings underlying service dog programs for this population.