'Sit! Stay! Snuggle!': An Iraq Vet Finds His Dog Tuesday

WSJ ^

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Trained for 2 Years, Retriever Helps Mr. Montalvan Get Back on His Feet

NEW YORK -- Like any other golden retriever seeking a treat, Tuesday nudged his owner's hand with his snout one recent morning and waited expectantly.

Luis Carlos Montalvan got up from a chair in his small Brooklyn apartment and walked to the kitchen. Tuesday followed close behind, eyes fixed on a white cabinet. The retriever sat alertly as Mr. Montalvan, an Iraq war veteran with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, reached for a vial of pills, lined a half-dozen on the table and took them one by one.

The dog had gotten what he wanted: When the last pill was swallowed, he got up and followed his master out of the kitchen, tail wagging.

Tuesday is a so-called psychiatric-service dog, a new generation of animals trained to help people whose suffering is not physical, but emotional. They are, effectively, Seeing Eye dogs for the mind.

Tuesday is with Mr. Montalvan at all hours. Taught to recognize changes in a person's breathing, perspiration or scent that can indicate an imminent panic attack, Tuesday can keep Mr. Montalvan buffered from crowds or deliver a calming nuzzle. Other dogs, typically golden retrievers, Labradors or Labrador retriever blends, are trained to wake masters from debilitating nightmares and to help patients differentiate between hallucinations and reality by barking if a real person is nearby.

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Video...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124727385749826169.html#video%3DBD84423E-9AD6-419E-9583-00D805F861BC%26articleTabs%3Dvideo

[EmilyGeiger]

Wow, dogs are just amazing. Thanks for sharing.

[doberville]

I am forever in awe of the many talents which dogs use for man’s welfare. Truly, our best friend.

[ElayneJ]

Wonderful! Thanks for posting this.

[Shimmer1]

I would love to be a service puppy raiser, I’ve raised a guide dog pup, but I’m not in prison. darn!

j/k

[chicagolady]

Remember! Dog is just GOD spelled backwards!! :-)

[Arthur McGowan]

This is great news for Obamacare. I’m sure it’s cheaper to train one of these dogs than to train an actual doctor! Soon, we’ll have dogs as cardiologists, oncologists, etc.

[Desdemona]

Soon, we’ll have dogs as cardiologists, oncologists, etc.

Actually, labs have been known to sniff out cancer. There are countless stories about labs "attacking" a specific spot on a human, and in that spot is a tumor. Our lab knew when my grandmother had cancer. Training labs to sniff out cancer and giving docs a preliminary idea of where to look isn't such a bad idea, IMO.

[freekitty]

Thanks for sharing. I hope they are together many years.

[ExTexasRedhead]

PING - watch the video link posted

[Arthur McGowan]

And dogs can tell when someone is about to have a seizure, or a heart attack.

[dtrpscout]

We got a big (90 #) German Wirehair Pointer from some people who train service dogs. Sundance flunked out of the rigorous training course because he was deemed just too timid around new people. He is the best dog you could ever imagine, well-trained, and I respectfully recommend that anyone looking for a truly great dog consider adopting such a service dog.

[dtrpscout]

Anyone looking for a great dog should consider adopting wash-outs from training programs for helper dogs. We adopted Sundance, our beloved big 90 pound German Wirehair Pointer from such a program. He had almost completed the training but washed out because he was deemed just too timid around new people, a characteristic that makes for a great watchdog. Otherwise, he is trained and I can't imagine having a better loyal dog and friend.