If You Want More Service Dogs for Veterans, First You Have to Get More Veterans Who Want Service Dogs

Posted on | April 27, 2009 | No Comments

“I didn’t think I needed an assistance dog. Then I saw them in action, helping other people with disabilities… Having a CCI assistance dog has really changed my life.” - Jeffrey Adams

Jeffrey Adams, first OEF/OIF vet to get a CCI service dog, pictured with his dog Sharif.

Jeffrey Adams, first OEF/OIF vet to get a CCI service dog, with Sharif.

Most of the discussion I see about getting service dogs for disabled veterans is completely backwards – people keep talking about getting more service dogs when what we need to be talking about is getting more disabled veterans who want service dogs.

The simple fact is not enough disabled veterans, especially OEF/OIF vets, are asking for service dogs – period. Same is true for the professional medical staff who work with those veterans and could apply for facility dogs.

Until that changes, all these other efforts, while noble and important, are secondary. The “if you build it, they will come” mentality won’t work – supply is not gonna drive demand.

Why that’s true is pretty simple. First, nobody’s gonna just give somebody a dog (well, at least no responsible organization will), nor should they. Second, you can’t make somebody take a service dog.

Once you grasp those two concepts, it follows that if someone wants a service dog, they have to ask for one – that’s the way it is now, and there’s no reason for that to change. People need to apply for a dog from a reputable organization, go through a thorough screening process, find out if an assistance dog is the right thing for them, and be selected to receive one. And before someone can apply, they have to know what an assistance dog is and what it can do for them.

There’s much more to say on this subject and it will continue to be a major theme here, but here’s the one point I want to make right now:

The biggest hurdle we face in getting service dogs to veterans with disabilities at this point isn’t money, or the VA, or how many dogs are available – it’s education.

Sure, those other things will become important, but only to the extent that we get the education piece done first, and if you really wanna have an impact, that’s where you can help. Educate yourself, and then educate everybody else – those veterans, their families, friends, medical staff – even just people you meet on the street. I’ve already told you what to look for in reputable service dog places ( “How to Find the Best Service Dogs for Disabled Veterans” and “Tough Questions You Need To Ask About Every Service Dog Organization” ) – aim people at those organizations and this website.

Much more to follow…