Stiggy’s Dogs is a great charity dedicated
to helping get veterans – and dogs – back on their feet. Stiggy’s rescues and
trains shelter dogs to be psychiatric service dogs for military veterans living
with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
or a Traumatic
Brain Injury (TBI). The service is at no cost to the veterans.
The
veteran-dog match making charity scored some nice publicity on Channel 4 recently (you can check out
the report online at: http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/live-in-the-d/Live-in-the-D-Stiggy-s-Dogs/26726778).
While
the charity has experienced growth in recent years, their mission has always
been the same: to reintegrate veterans back into society. Veterans are matched
with the dogs, and they train together for six months to one year, with each
dog individually trained to meet its veteran’s unique needs.
With
recent studies showing that one in eight soldiers returning home from Iraq and
Afghanistan will experience some form of PTSD symptoms, the work of Stiggy’s
Dogs is becoming even more important and pressing.
Stiggy’s
Dogs was founded by Jennifer Petre in memory of her nephew, Benjamin (“Doc
Stiggy”) Castiglione. Doc Stiggy dedicated his life to preserving and improving
the physical and emotional health of those serving in his unit, and all who
serve. He gave his life working as a Hospital Corpsman Third Class (HM3) in
Southern Afghanistan, taking care of “his Marines” until September of 2009.
Since
its founding, the charity has rescued countless dogs in addition to helping
veterans. There are an estimated five million dogs sitting in shelters across
America, many of whom will be euthanized. Many of these dogs could make an
excellent service dog for a veteran living with PTSD or a TBI.
By
uniting these dogs with those who have served our country, Stiggy’s Dogs is “Rescuing
One to Rescue Another.”
Brigadier General Carol Ann Fausone
(ret.) and the team at Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC has had the pleasure of
working with Stiggy’s Dogs and helping them grow over the years. General
Fausone currently serves on their board of directors. Please visit www.stiggysdogs.org
to learn more about how you can help!
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