Disabled Veterans National Foundation and Patriot PAWS are teaming up to raise money to provide veterans with service dogs.

1. Disabled Veterans National
Foundation & Patriot PAWS
A partnership to give man’s best friend to disabled veterans and
provide a better quality of life.

2. DVNF & Patriot PAWS
Disabled Veterans National Foundation (DVNF) and
Patriot PAWS are teaming up to give veterans with mental
and/or physical disabilities a chance at a much better
quality of life.
DVNF will raise $50,000 for Patriot PAWS so that they can
continue the outstanding work they do to train service
dogs and provide them to veterans in need at no cost.

3. Service Dogs
“…for the first time, I forgot to be angry.”
“…he’s the best medicine of all.”
“…I feel safe and more free than I have in years.”
“…he has given me a reason for being.”
“…now I have better dreams.”

4. Service Dogs
When the battle is over, for some, it has only just begun.
Some studies indicate that roughly 20% of OIF/OEF
veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) and/or depression.
http://www.veteransandptsd.com/PTSD-statistics.html
Approximately 260,000 veterans of OIF/OEF have also
been diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

5. The Science of Service
Dogs
One scientific study showed that service dogs assist in the
brain’s production of oxytocin, also known as the “bonding
hormone.”1
Oxytocin is a naturally occurring chemical produced by the
hypothalamus that has proven to be a major component in
improving symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress.
There have also been findings from brain scans that service
dogs increased peripheral oxytocin levels in the body. Just the
very presence of the dog can ease the symptoms of an
unsettled mind.
1. The United States Army Medical Department Journal. Canine-Assisted Therapy in
Military Medicine. 2012. Available at: www.cs.amedd.army.mil/FileDownload-
public.aspxdocid=73e8d2aa-1a2a-467d-b6e3-e73652da8622.

6. The Science of Service
Dogs
In another study that focused more on the first-hand
experiences of individuals with PTSD, they found that 82
percent of patients who were assigned a service dog had a
decrease in their symptoms.2
In addition, 40 percent of patients actually had a decrease in
the amount of medication they were taking.
As for patients with severe physical disabilities who have been
reliant upon family and friends for assistance, it was found that
on average, individuals with service dogs required an
average of 4.3 hours less each week from outside help.
2. Borchard, T. (2011). A Dog Named Slugger: How Service Dogs Improve the Lives
of Many. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 10, 2015, from
http://psychcentral.com/lib/a-dog-named-slugger-how-service-dogs-improve-the-
lives-of-many/0007602

7. How Service Dogs Help
For veterans with PTSD, service
dogs have a tremendous positive
impact. These dogs offer a
comforting presence and allow
veterans to feel more at ease in
surroundings they find
uncomfortable.
For veterans suffering from
mobility limitations, pain, or any
other type of disability, service
dogs can truly be life saving.

8. What Do Service Dogs Do?
Mobility service dogs are trained to perform
many services including:
Get help in emergencies
Pick up and retrieve items
Open and close doors and cabinets
Pull wheelchairs
Provide bracing to stand, walk, and sit
down
Help with chores, such as laundry
Take shoes and socks off

9. What Do Service Dogs Do?
Post-traumatic stress service dogs are trained to mitigate
symptoms such as:
Nightmares
Flashbacks
Anxiety
Depression
Sleep disturbances
Substance abuse
Difficulty with relationships

10. Keith Campbell & “Star”
Army Staff Sergeant Keith Campbell served two tours in
Iraq and one in Afghanistan, and was wounded by an IED
on his second tour in Iraq. He suffers from post-
concussive syndrome, migraines, a herniated disc in his
back, and PTS.
In March 2012, Campbell received Star, a female yellow
Lab donated as a puppy to Patriot PAWS by the Order of
the Eastern Star.

11. Keith Campbell & “Star”

12. Charles Trask & “Summit”

13. Charles Trask & “Summit”
Charles Trask, a U.S. Navy veteran who volunteered to serve in-
country in Vietnam in 1968, left the service physically unharmed
and went on to become a Salvation Army minister.
Thirty-seven years later, he’s retired, diagnosed with delayed-
onset PTS and 100 percent disabled. Charles had become a
recluse, unable to deal with anyone or anything, including his
wife Toni, until receiving Summit in May 2011.
“Summit has given me a reason for being,” Trask says. When
Trask suffers from a flashback, Summit senses it and nuzzles
him to redirect his attention to her, and when he has a
nightmare, she licks his face to wake him up. Trask uses a cane
to walk, so Summit gets the phone for him, picks up dropped
items, carries notes to Toni, and performs many other tasks to
make his life easier.

14. Jason North & “Parole”
Army Staff Sergeant Jason North
of Killeen, TX, suffers from
epileptic seizures brought on by a
traumatic brain injury he received
on October 22, 2008, during his
second tour in Iraq.
When the Humvee he was riding
in fell into a pit trap after being
lured to it by several Iraqis on
horseback, Jason was slammed
into both a 50-caliber machine
gun in front of him and a 50-
caliber ammo can behind him
leaving him with a fractured face
and broken vertebra and his first
seizure.

15. Jason North & “Parole”
He must now take seizure medication daily and is 100%
disabled. Jason depended upon his wife and even his
young daughter at times to help him, so when he found
Patriot PAWS on the internet, he decided to apply.
In March, 2012, Jason received Parole, a male yellow
Lab. Now when Jason has a seizure, Parole alerts
Jason’s wife and keeps Jason calm, something Jason no
longer has to burden his daughter with.
Parole also helps out with many everyday chores and
makes Jason’s life easier. According to Jason, “Parole
has done so much for us,” and when asked to sum up
Parole in one word, Jason responded, “Incredible!”

16. Connie Rendon and “Blaze”
Connie, an Army
Reservist, suffered major
injuries in Iraq in 2004,
when her Humvee drove
over an IED. She had one
hand severed and the
other broken, shrapnel
lodged in her shoulder,
and sever facial wounds.
She’s had a long and
agonizing road to
recovery, having over 40
surgeries.
Connie now has nerve
damage in her legs, sleep
disorder, PTSD, TBI, back
pain and severe
headaches.

17. Connie Rendon and “Blaze”
Before Connie received Blaze, she never left the house
alone except to go to work.
Her right hand is now immobile, and she remains weak,
so opening doors is difficult. In addition, the severity of her
PTSD makes it hard to be around other people.
In addition to simple tasks like opening doors, Blaze has
helped Connie recover. They walk together, helping
Connie regain strength, as well as the courage to face
people.

18. Why Your Support Matters
Service dogs are the only means to a seemingly normal
life for so many veterans.
Sadly, there is a long waiting list for these loyal
companions, and the VA does not offer a program to
provide veterans with service dogs.
Patriot PAWS depends upon organizations like DVNF to
accomplish their mission of placing disabled veterans with
a service dog to make their lives better.

19. They Gave So Much For Our
Freedoms...
Now, it is time for us to give back, and help them make the
most of life.
With your gift of $25, $50, $100, or even $500, you can
empower a veteran, and help to give them a chance to
feel whole again!
Your support will also give DVNF a chance to continue to
provide future opportunities for great organizations like
Patriot PAWS.
Visit this page, and give these heroes the
support they need!

20. Now, We Can Give Back to
Them
Visit this page, and give these
heroes the support they need!

21. You Can’t Put A Price On A
Best Friend…