A Veteran’s Dog Can Be Hope and Life

VA of Southern Nevada Healthcare System

November 13, 2013

I want to salute R.W.B. Dog T.A.G.S. on their commitment to our Veterans and their dogs. With my personal experience as a Veteran in recovery and as Peer Support Specialist in the VA Social Work Service, I know firsthand the importance a Veteran's dog can be. While working at VA Social Work Services, one of our tasks is to get homeless Veterans off the street. At one of the neighborhood “sweep” we me a homeless Veteran that was ready for change and wanted to have a place to call home. He qualifies for assistance in partnership with US Vets but the downside was that he currently owns two dogs of his own and he needed a pet deposit. To add to the problem, his dogs have occasional seizures that came from the stress of living on the streets. As we worked with this Veteran, I realized how much he would sacrifice what he had left in life for these dogs before himself. He owes his life to them as they protected him from being harmed. I have researched tirelessly to fine a specific kind of assistance / resources with no luck until one day a local animal rescue knew of a person that has been working on building an organization to do exactly what we (the Veterans) needed and then some. R.W.B. Dog T.A.G.S.! They kept the Veteran's family together just prior to the cold season and helped with the pets' medication cost.

As for me and MANY Veterans who are living with a service connected disability, our pets are considered to be our hope, our life and in some cases, have save our Veterans from committing suicide. To put it in perspective, Veteran suicide rate in America is 22 a day, nearly one every hour. There is one place that medicine and psychiatric therapy cannot help in the thinking process while going through recovery, which is thinking with our heart. My American Bulldog asks nothing from me than to show affection and in his own ways unconditionally gives back.

R.W.B. Dog T.A.G.S. mission is also to rescue dogs in our local community. After the housing bubble and Las Vegas being the hardest hit, our local animal shelters are beyond capacity only giving abandoned dogs a few days to live. R.W.B. Dog T.A.G.S. have a plan to meet with both Veterans and rescue shelters to find a best match companion. R.W.B. Dog T.A.G.S. also have the certification to train dogs to assist Veterans with PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorder. It is rare that we can find an organization that has a dual purpose mission!

I STRONGLY believe that R.W.B. Dog T.A.G.S. commitment will help our community. I firmly stand behind their mission so will other Veterans, dog lovers, and patriots.

Sincerely,

Franklin Thomas Coloma Jr., Veteran & Peer Support Specialist
Las Vegas, NV