Help Fund PTSD Service Dog for Army Vet
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My name is Adam Stasiak and I am a former sergeant in the US Army. I joined the Army in 1998, and served two tours in Iraq before sustaining injuries and being discharged in 2009. After multiple hospital stays, I was diagnosed with severe anxiety, depression and hypervigilance due to my experiences serving overseas. In addition to daily medications and therapy, it was recommended that I get a PTSD service dog.
I have been accepted into the Dog T.A.G.S. program located in Mechanicsburg, PA. Dog T.A.G.S. is a service dog owner training program for veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and/or Traumatic Brain Injury. The veterans train their own personal dog with the help of experienced dog trainers. The founders of the organization are all veterans suffering from combat related PTSD who knew the need for a program like this to help them heal. The veterans have the opportunity to share their thoughts in a group setting with a social worker and then train their dogs to become service dogs with qualified trainers who instruct and review training tasks. The Dog T.A.G.S. program is entirely staffed by unpaid volunteers. Along with qualified trainers, each training program has at least one certified Social Worker present to discuss any of the veterans needs.
Having a PTSD service dog come into my life will be one more tool to help me heal. She will be able to help keep me calm, remind me of medication times, wake me if I am having a nightmare or flashbacks, warn me when someone is coming up behind me, create a buffer between myself and someone approaching me, calm and distract me when anxiety or hypervigilance sets in, give me more confidence when out in public, and overall help me feel safe and secure. She will not be my pet, but my Battle Buddy. Her job is keep me safe and to always have my back.
The funds raised here through GoFundMe will go toward the purchase of a dog, travel expenses to and from the training site every week, initial veterinary visits and a service dog training vest. Any overage raised will be donated to the Dog T.A.G.S. program to help other veterans in need of a service dog. No amount donated is too small. Please help in any way you can, including sharing my page with others so we can get the word out. Thank you in advance for your support!
I have been accepted into the Dog T.A.G.S. program located in Mechanicsburg, PA. Dog T.A.G.S. is a service dog owner training program for veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and/or Traumatic Brain Injury. The veterans train their own personal dog with the help of experienced dog trainers. The founders of the organization are all veterans suffering from combat related PTSD who knew the need for a program like this to help them heal. The veterans have the opportunity to share their thoughts in a group setting with a social worker and then train their dogs to become service dogs with qualified trainers who instruct and review training tasks. The Dog T.A.G.S. program is entirely staffed by unpaid volunteers. Along with qualified trainers, each training program has at least one certified Social Worker present to discuss any of the veterans needs.
Having a PTSD service dog come into my life will be one more tool to help me heal. She will be able to help keep me calm, remind me of medication times, wake me if I am having a nightmare or flashbacks, warn me when someone is coming up behind me, create a buffer between myself and someone approaching me, calm and distract me when anxiety or hypervigilance sets in, give me more confidence when out in public, and overall help me feel safe and secure. She will not be my pet, but my Battle Buddy. Her job is keep me safe and to always have my back.
The funds raised here through GoFundMe will go toward the purchase of a dog, travel expenses to and from the training site every week, initial veterinary visits and a service dog training vest. Any overage raised will be donated to the Dog T.A.G.S. program to help other veterans in need of a service dog. No amount donated is too small. Please help in any way you can, including sharing my page with others so we can get the word out. Thank you in advance for your support!
Organizer
Adam Stasiak
Organizer
