Dog owners know that the bond between pet and person is comforting, loving, and even healing. This is the underlying principle behind paws4people, a nonprofit that provides assistance dogs to veterans, inmates, and those with limited mobility to help these people lead richer lives with the help of their trained canine companion.

Kyria Henry, CEO of paws4people, explains that the true power of a service dog, at the heart, comes from this meaningful bond. "It's the relationship," she says. "We're training these dogs to be highly skilled, and that is really important, but at the crux of it is just like any person with any dog, it's the relationship."

Henry, who has her masters in Human Services, Marriage, and Family Counseling, points out that, unlike human relationships, the connection creates a safe space for healing because it's uncomplicated. She says, "Even a good human relationship, there's a complicated give and take, but with the dogs, they need so much less take and have so much more give that it's such a safe place to re-establish these relationships and emotions that have been broken."

However, what allows these dogs to heal their owners goes beyond this emotional connection—it's the training. "Any dog can do this emotional aspect, but then add on the level of training we give them to be an assistive medical technology, and that is what takes them to the next level to being a true assistance dog," says Henry.

These dogs are trained to be alert to the physical and chemical changes that precede a panic attack or flashback so that they're able to interrupt the cycle. "They nose nudge, they lick, they physically interrupt it and then we teach our clients how to recognize those signals from their dog and what to do to change the scenario."

Plus, these dogs can also be trained to help those with mobility limitations, such as turning on lights, retrieving items, paying for goods, and carrying bags.

"The emotional support is not what makes them an assistance dog, but I think it's the foundation of the relationship that makes this whole idea so successful," says Henry.

And this program is definitely successful. "Without exception, 100 percent of our military clients have self-reported suicidal ideations at the time of application—they were desperate and trying to find a solution," she says. "And then 100 percent self report that after placement it's not an avenue for them. People say, 'If I hadn't done this and gotten this dog, I don't think I'd be here right now.' That's why we keep going."
Read about the amazing transformation stories of paws4people in A Dog's Gift. Half of all proceeds from this book are going to this inspiring organization.

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