DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. — A local nonprofit group trains rescue dogs to provide emotional support to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Local veterans were presented with their service dogs on Sunday.
Those veterans told Channel 9 that service dogs provide the love and support they need.
“They’re there to either lower our blood pressure, calm us down or even help us wake up from bad dreams if we have them,” Marine veteran Travis Yelton said.
The Patriot Military Family Foundation hosted Sunday’s event as service dogs were presented to their veterans.
Each veteran has bonded with their rescue dog for months while being trained by the nonprofit "Saving Grace K-9s," based in Davidson County.
“It is definitely a wonderful thing, and we appreciate it very much,” Yelton said.
For Army veteran Bryan Davis, his German shepherd has already been helping when he has flashbacks from deployments.
“I was deployed in Iraq for eight months,” Davis said. “It was rough, to say the least. She picks up on my cues before I do most of the time. She’s been a real lifesaver, pretty much.”
Davis said he doesn't use the word "lifesaver" lightly.
The Department of Veterans Affairs says 20 veterans in the U.S. take their own lives every day.
“This is to help us prevent that,” Yelton said.
Saving Grace K-9's relies solely on donations and grants to keep service dog training free for veterans.
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