Bill to fund service dogs for veterans gets backing on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON - A service dog named Liberty has liberated retired Marine Corps Sgt. Michael Garvey of Maryland from some of the post traumatic stress disorder symptoms he experienced upon returning home from Afghanistan.

"He is my grounding rod, he calms me down so quickly," said Garvey. "If I ever get disoriented, he is like my little rock."

Garvey and the founder of the New York-based Puppies Behind Bars program, which trained Liberty, visited Capitol Hill on Wednesday to plug a bill backed by Niles-area Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan that would establish a K-9 Companion Corps program for veterans.

The Wounded Warrior Service Dog Act introduced by Massachusetts Democrat Jim McGovern would give $5 million in federal grants each year to nonprofit organizations that train service dogs for members of the Armed Forces and disabled veterans. Other Ohioans cosponsoring the bill include Toledo's Rep. Marcy Kaptur and Joyce Beatty of the Columbus area, both Democrats.

"These dogs are miracles," McGovern said. "These dogs are cures in many respects."

Gloria Gilbert Stoga founded the New York-based Puppies Behind Bars program, where prison inmates train Labrador retrievers for veterans, as well as dogs for blind people and law enforcment agencies. She said the dogs know more than 90 commands.

"If someone lost their arms in Iraq or Afghanistan and need the dog to turn the lights on or off, or to open doors, the dogs can do that," she said. "We teach them to dial 911 on a special phone."

Of the more than 1,000 service dogs Puppies Behind Bars has trained since it started 20 years ago, 92 animals went to veterans. Inmates who train the dogs are not paid, she said, but they enjoy bonding with the animals and the sense of accomplishment that comes from training them.

Veterans who get dogs from the program don't have to pay for the dog or training, but they must pay the approximately $2,000 it costs per year for the dog's food, veterinary and other expenses.

"A lot of times, health care professionals recommend us," said Stoga. "They see big changes in their patients."

Garvey said he became interested in getting a service dog after meeting another veteran who had one.

"It is like having a mute child with you all the time, but one I don't have to worry about raising into an angry serial killer," said Garvey, who performs a stand-up comedy act with his dog. "If I am starting to get real angry, he will calm me down. It is a circle of helping each other."


This article first appeared on Cleveland.com's website on September 21, 2016.