What We Do
Mission and Protocol for Application
The Mission of Semper Fido’s program is to unite wounded warriors suffering with PTSD with homeless, rescue shelter dogs, who are evaluated and deemed viable, to nurture a healing and rejuvenating bond between the two. The result is a positive, non-judgmental, unconditional relationship desperately needed by both.
Semper Fido will provide dogs for approved applicants, personal pets are not allowed.
Recently, a much-needed boost to this modality was given when the Justice Department redefined regulations clarifying parts of 1990’s Americans with Disabilities Act.
To qualify as a service dog…
…the dog must be trained to do work or perform tasks for persons with PTSD. Dogs do not have to be formally trained by an ADI-approved school.
Time Magazine quotes, “Walter Reed Medical Center and other military medical centers have started stationing dogs on hospital floors to help calm patients.” There are multiple organizations training dog to perform multiple tasks for wounded warriors. According to Jim Stanek, Paws and Stripes in Albuquerque, NM, “Your average service dog coming out of these agencies can do 82 different tasks. But if you’ve got a veteran whose main problem is PTSD, what does turning on a light switch do for him?”
This is where we step in.
According to Minnesota Senator Al Franken, “I really believe the dogs can provide tremendous benefits. The whole point of this is to measure in a scientifically valid way what the benefits are of service dogs to vets with psychological injuries and make a better life for these guys and women who have put everything on the line for us.”
As many as 400,000 troops are possibly returning with the symptoms of PTSD. Dog partners have a tremendous stress reduction effect on their human partners as measured through cortisol levels, heart rate and blood pressure. These dogs can quite literally become a serviceman’s or servicewoman’s best friend.
Here is how to apply.
- Recognize that you have PTSD and want something to help you restore and improve your quality of life from what it is at present.
- Make certain immediate family members and/or support system at home, if any, will assist and support you in the program.
- Talk to your doctors, case manager, advocate, etc. to inform them of your desire to get a Support/Service dog.
- Print the application from our website (https://semperfido.org/home/application/) and return via mail or email back. If you need a hard copy mailed to you, call SEMPER FIDO, INC. at 856-810-3923.
- Complete the personal information pages (your part of the application) and return immediately to SEMPER FIDO, INC. to start the process.
- Take the appropriate pages to your doctor to have filled out and returned to SEMPER FIDO, INC.
- Reference pages should be filled out and returned.
- Make certain that you are committed to the training schedule, including traveling to Marlton, NJ for training 3 days a week for several months, and are able follow the lessons. If you are unable to attend, you must notify SEMPER FIDO, INC immediately of not being able to show up due to health issues.
- You will have to fill out a request and assure safety and well-being of the dog. You are also required to sign adoption papers and agree to all terms of the agreement.
- Please ask questions at anytime, when/if something is not clear. Do not hesitate to contact SEMPER FIDO, INC. at anytime with questions or concerns – 856-810-3923.
How It Works
For warriors with PTSD, it has been documented that a dog helps with emotional regulation. Patients who are very anxious and have anger issues find they can’t work with a dog if they yell. They must have a calm voice. Working with a dog helps build confidence and bridge the gap with strangers. More often than not the response and the bond is immediate.
A female warrior with PTSD has sleep disorders and often awakens to find herself barricaded in her closet, behind duffle bags, with a knife. With her working support dog she is able to sleep. Simply having a dog around allows the warriors to trust the dog to assess the safety of their surroundings, as the dogs have a much keener sensory capacity than people.
Semper Fido has found that a great majority of the warriors with PTSD choose a shelter dog because they want ‘to save something’. They are both healing. They fit together. They are a team.
Veterans often suffering alone, seem to silence themselves because of the stigma still attached to psychological injuries like PTSD. The dog can calm them down and get their minds off of everything going on in their lives by focusing on the dog and not themselves.
There is life after injuries. This new quality of life just might be, in part, based on a PTSD working support dog.
HERE’S HOW SEMPER FIDO’S PTSD SERVICE DOGS CAN HELP
Semper Fido is a non-profit organization that evaluates, tests, trains, qualifies and assists working therapy dogs to provide loving, nurturing, and empathic, trained working dogs for returning wounded warriors faced with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The latest program implemented is PAIRING WARRIORS FOR LIFE. A rescue dog from a shelter, if deemed appropriate in temperament, demeanor and size, will be evaluated, enter BOOT CAMP, and be trained specific commands for specific needs of a wounded warrior with PTSD.
Once trained, these Semper Fido PTSD Service Dogs have the ability to decrease isolation of the veteran, decrease the need for many medications, decrease anxiety and panic attacks when in crowded public places, awaken them from nightmares and flashbacks, and simply “have their backs”.
This extensive and costly training is at no charge to the warrior and his dog, with training lasting 6-9 months at the least. Once training is completed and the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizenship classification is awarded to the team, and after intensive training to meet the specific needs of the specific warrior, the dog will be eligible for service dog designation, according to the American Disabilities Act.
The team will carry the necessary health certificates and documentation and the companion will be able to accompany the warrior to stores, restaurants and living accommodations, permitting full access to any and all places the warrior wishes to visit.
Currently, veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the DC VA Hospital are adopting pets from the Washington Animal Rescue League. It IS working!
For hundreds of wounded veterans, the long walk to recovery is often a lonely one. A long walk is something most dogs love.