The first National Institutes of Health-funded clinical trial of its kind links the pairing of service dogs with military veterans to lowered PTSD severity, odds of PTSD diagnosis and other negative mental health symptoms. The study was also the largest national study to date comparing veterans and service dog teams to usual care alone for PTSD-afflicted veterans.
Led by Dr. Maggie O’Haire from the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine in partnership with K9s For Warriors, the nation’s largest provider of trained service dogs to military veterans suffering from invisible wounds of war, the study examined more than 150 military veterans over three months through self-reported symptoms and expert clinician assessment. The study analyzed measurable PTSD symptoms, as well as psychosocial functioning (quality of life and social health).
The results revealed:
“This research reinforces what we have been studying for almost a decade — that service dogs are linked to significant benefits for many veterans suffering from PTSD and other invisible wounds of war,” said O’Haire, associate dean for research and professor at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine, where she runs the OHAIRE Lab. “Service dogs are more than pets — they can be essential partners in helping veterans readjust and thrive after they return from service.”
“Having paired more than 1,000 service dogs with veterans, our work has clearly demonstrated that these dogs are lifesaving and life-transforming,” said Kevin Steele, Chief Program Officer at K9s For Warriors. “These dogs have enabled our warriors to better connect with family, friends and their community and to begin living the life they previously didn’t think was possible. The results of this study further prove what we do here at K9s works and we continue to have the research to back up the success of our program. We hope this study and others led by the OHAIRE Lab will lead to greater funding and full integration of highly trained service dogs into health protocols for all veterans in need.”
Most of the dogs at K9s For Warriors are rescues. K9s For Warriors trains them on average for six months, then pairs them at no cost with veterans afflicted with the invisible wounds of war and who are at a great and immediate risk of suicide. It is estimated that nearly 20 veterans die by suicide daily, and that more than one million veterans suffer from PTSD, traumatic brain injury or military sexual trauma. K9s For Warriors has rescued more than 2,000 dogs and paired more than 1,000 veterans with highly trained service dogs, saving lives at both ends of the leash.
