'Dog Bless USA' Facebook Campaign Lets You Help Veterans With A Click

For veterans struggling to overcome PTSD, trained canine companions can help them manage stress and better adjust to civilian life. Now, there's an easy way for supporters to help veterans get service dogs.

The "Dog Bless USA" campaign is rallying Americans to help provide much-needed service dogs -- all by just clicking "like" on the Facebook page.

For veterans with PTSD, social interactions and returning to civilian jobs can be difficult. Recovering from the trauma of war, being approached by strangers, especially unexpectedly, can be scary.

Service dogs are trained to watch their owners' backs, warn them of people coming up to them and physically help them maintain distance from strangers. These tactics help the veterans feel safer and more calm.

For Gernert, a postal worker in Colorado Springs, Colo., a service dog named Bertha helps him as he goes about his daily route.

Gernert says, "these dogs are life-changing."

The campaign is organized by Explore.org and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

For every 5,000 people who click "like" on the page between May 27 and July 4, one dog will be given to a veteran with PTSD. They hope to reach 500,000 new "likes" on Facebook to meet their goal of providing 100 service dogs to returning veterans.

Supporters can get involved by going to Facebook.com/exploredogs.

Comments

[Welshish]

09:19 PM on 06/07/2011

My dog is therapeutic for me. I want anyone who needs a service dog to have one.
I read the article twice and I still don't get how, or why, this helps vets get dogs.

[DanoX]

01:58 AM on 06/01/2011

Goggies are all right sometimes I suppose.

http://www.facebook.com/explorecats

[TggerJen]

04:52 PM on 05/30/2011

If anyone has half a minute or so, you can click for free to help feed Veterans at: http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com . The Veterans tab is in the middle at the top and then you just click the big blue button to help feed Veterans. 100% of the sponsors' donations go to the charity. At that same site, you can click to help rescue animals and save the rainforest (other tabs at the top). It would be great if people would help pass the word along and share the link far and wide!

[Melinda Brunner]

04:31 PM on 05/30/2011

Very cool. Dogs are great companions, teach patience, compassion, calming nerves. Service dogs are remarkable.

[wandering girl]

04:25 PM on 05/30/2011

excellent!

[Gardoglee]

04:05 PM on 05/30/2011

We have a service dog. I cannot fully explain just how much these animals can do for their "handlers", as the person they help is called. This is a much needed program. Their goal of 500,000 likes would be great. I hope they get 500,000,000.

[JustV]

03:00 PM on 05/30/2011

Great idea. Glad to help !

[janie@atthelake]

09:57 AM on 05/30/2011

Well...that was easy! Cool!