Canine companions give hope to veterans with PTSD #worldsuicidepreventionday

It was a hot day in Portland, Oregon, when I spoke with Scott, a veteran who had served two tours in Saudi Arabia in the Air Force in the 1990s. His service dog, Nikki, a 22-month-old English black Labrador retriever, sat with him. “He thinks he’s a lap dog,” said Scott of his 80-lb “closest friend,” who has been an important part of his life for four months now.

On June 25, 1996, there was a terrorist attack on his base at Khobar Towers that killed 19 people. “I survived that and felt like I was fine initially. Naturally, I would react to slamming doors or crowds, and I was hypervigilant in my daily life,” he said. He thinks it’s odd, but other people told him that all the memories of that day were buried in him.

It wasn’t till 2020, when Covid took over the world, that terms like “lockdown” started to trigger him as it was often used at his base during the bombing. “There were a lot of fires in the Northwest during that time, and the smell of smoke and the riots became triggers of the time in 1996.”

Scott was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 2021. He started medication to help with his emotions of depression and anxiety when he saw a mental health professional on his brother’s advice. “I am a Christian, a believer, and a licensed minister…