[Snickering Hound]

However, like you, I have no idea at all what a "PTSD" dog is - or what it's supposed to do.

A genuine 'PTSD' dog can pick up on the subtle queues that their owner is about to have an incident.

A properly trained animal is wildly expensive and typically provided by 3rd party organanizations. You can guarantee that for every genuine one there are several people that just claim their mutt is one to bring it into the restaurant.

[Chainmail]

On one hand, I really want to see a genuinely affected individual get better and a dog helps, fine.

As you heard from my blathering about my early history, we ALL got the shakes after a while - can't help it. Too much goes on and an overload of daily fear creeps up on a young man. I guess that's what they're calling PTSD.

I'm just unacquainted with what the therapeutic value of a dog would be while one was still in the startle reaction/nightmares stage.

Back then, I treated it with single-malt Scotch, every evening until I could sleep.