PTSD in War Dogs Finally Getting the Attention It Deserves

JUST A REMARK - VETERANS HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER THEIR LIVES AND

CHOOSE GOING TO WAR AS A JOB......DOGS DON'T!!!!!

USING ANIMALS IN WAR IS ONE OF THE MOST DISGUSTING THINGS ONE CAN

IMAGINE ...... IT'S ABUSE ..... CALLING A DOG A COMBAT DOG IS A

NONSENSIC MILITARY LABEL...... TO CELEBRATE THE POSSIBILITY OF

THEIR GOING BACK TO WAR.....? I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND.....

THE LEAST THEY DESERVE IS TO BE HEALED ...IF IT IS POSSIBLE AI

ALL TO WIPE OUT THE MEMORIES OF FEAR NOT LIVED OUT BEING

DISCIPLINED IN A WAY THAT FITS WAR CONDITIONS BUT NOT THE

PHYSICAL MENTAL OR EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF A LIVING CREATURE HUMAN OR

NON-HUMAN......

GREAT THEY CARE ! BUT LET'S NOT FORGET IT1S THE CARE OF THE

ABUSER .!!

RESCUE DOGS SUFFER EMOTIONALLY A LOT TOO BUT AT LEAST THEIR

COMPANION HUMANS ARE THEIR CLOSE FRIENDS.....AND IN THIS CASE IT

IS ABOUT GOING TO SAVE LIVES.... FOR A DOG IT COUNTS A LOT....

yES ITS AN IMMENSE THING WHEN SOMETHING AT LAST HAPPENS TO SERVE

THE INTEREST OF THE ANIMALS......

IT'S SO GOOD TO BELIEVE - OH YES THINGS ARE STARTING TO GO THE

RIGHT WAY....BUT THESE DOGS SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN TORZURED IN THE

FIRST PLACE.....

APPRECIATING ALL THE BEST INTENTIONS EXPRESSED IN THE ARTICLE IT

SEEMS THIS CASE SHOULD NOT BLIND US.....

Thank you Marc for an answer that sounds very Marc Bekoff !!

Yes, it is good PTSD is getting more press and it’s good PTSD is being recognized in war-dogs. But the solution is not drugs and desensitization. The solution is to change the social norm of abusive behavior and stop blaming victims (ALL animals incl humans) for having NORMAL traumatic responses to abusive situations, (ie, war, genocide, oppression, incest, domestic violence, child abuse, captivity, slavery, etc.) and/or becoming addicted to numerous substances/activities for trying to self-medicate their trauma away in a society that is in severe denial. Look at Slutkin’s epidemiological work on how abuse is transmitted like a disease http://tiny.cc/slutkin . Anon spoke the absolute truth, “GREAT THEY CARE ! BUT LET'S NOT FORGET IT1S THE CARE OF THE ABUSER .!!” PTSD is a symptom of the “culture of abuse” that society silently and unconsciously supports. Examples? It happened in Nazi Germany, it happened in the Antebellum South, it happens in animal-circuses, it happened/happens on Wall Street, and it happened at Penn State, just to name a very few. http://tiny.cc/tcoa . It’s denying individuals and groups agency. We need to wake up and see these group/societal connections like Slutkin beautifully illustrates. Goswami, Felitti & Anda are a few of the many whose work should be looked at to greater understand these connections. Thanks for highlighting this subject.

I'd love to know what work is being done with horses with PTSD as well.

I have taken in and rehabbed a bunch of unwanted and abused dogs. It takes a long while but they can become amazingly normal with only a quirk or two and fabulous companions. Haven't done it for awhile but am most interested in adopting a "war" dog who needs a good home but can't get it because of his/her ptsd. Can you let me know how I can find out how this is done? PS my service dog came from an abusive situation and she is amazing.