Service dogs, best friends of veterans everywhere
Brad Hibbard, chief strategy officer for Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs, talks about assistance dogs, eligibility criteria and more as this week’s guest on The American Legion Tango Alpha Lima podcast.
During his time in the Air Force, Hibbard was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio and attached to the Military Working Dog Training Section. The unit's mission is to deliver trained military working dogs to all service branches as well as some federal law enforcement agencies.
Hibbard, who has worked in the industry for 39 years, defines what encompasses service dogs, saying that assistance dogs are the umbrella term.
“Guide dogs help blind people and low-vision people to navigate their environment,” he explains. “And then you have the service dog industry. Service dogs offer mobility, help people with physical disabilities and that includes users with prosthetic limbs, wheelchair users and other adaptive equipment.”
Additionally, he says, service dogs are used for therapy. In fact, 60% of their clients use service dogs for PTSD and related ailments. The dogs help calm the veteran, extend their personal space and even wake them from a nightmare.
“Our primary focus for that program is re-engaging with family and community with different objectives and goals around that,” he says. “We also provide seizure-response dogs. They are trained to stay near the handler and can retrieve medication.”
His organization also runs a small pilot program for survivors of Military Sexual Trauma. “We’re hoping to branch that out and grow that program as we learn more about it.”
Hibbard’s group provides dogs for those who are hard of hearing, and those who are incarcerated. He also explains the key distinctions between service dogs and emotional support animals (ESA), which are used by some people suffering with mental health disorders. The key difference is that guide dogs and service animals are trained whereas ESAs are not.
“From the day that they are born to the day they are matched with their user, there has been planned development to prepare them for that job in a multitude of environments,” he says, referring to service and guide dogs.
Also in this episode co-hosts Stacy Pearsall and Joe Worley discuss:
• Why female veterans get asked whether they are training a service dog, who happens to be theirs.
• Eligibility criteria for joining The American Legion. Did you serve since Dec. 7, 1941? Yes, you can join.
• A special tribute a Legionnaire and other veterans received.
• VA burial policies for Arlington National Cemetery.
• A GI Bill success story for a well-known artist.
Check out this week’s episode, which is among more than 230 Tango Alpha Lima podcasts available in both audio and video formats here. You can also download episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available at the Legion’s YouTube channel.