STUDY STILL SEEKING MORE VETERANS
InQUEST Consulting Helping Get the Word Out
Columbia, MO. – A unique program at the Missouri University College of Veterinary Medicine that is studying how veterans who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) might benefit from working with shelter dogs is still seeking veterans to take part in the study.
The Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction’s Veterans and Shelter Dogs Initiative is designed to help increase the number of shelter dogs who are adopted while helping veterans fight the symptoms of PTSD and to re-integrate into civilian life.
Greg Jenkins, a former U.S. Army sergeant major and head of inQuest Consulting’s newly formed Veteran Services Division, recently sat down with Dr. Rebecca Johnson, the lead investigator for the Veterans and Shelter Dogs Program, to learn more. Here’s what she had to say:
About Dr. Rebecca Johnson:
Dr. Rebecca Johnson, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a Millsap Professor of Gerontological Nursing at the University of Missouri (MU), Sinclair School of Nursing. She is the Director of the Research Center for Human Animal Interaction at the MU College of Veterinary Medicine and primary investigator for the Veterans and Shelter Dogs Program. The following is an interview of Dr. Johnson and her work with the Veterans and Shelter Dogs Program.
Greg Jenkins: What was your motivation to help both veterans and shelter dogs?
Dr. Rebecca Johnson: We have so many veterans returning from the wars; the war on terror and the gulf wars, and veterans in our communities face vast needs on so many levels. One key need is for meaningful and beneficial activities that are both rewarding and fulfilling and can help veterans mitigate some of the PTSD that some experience after having been deployed. So that was the major impetus for this study. Also, there has long been an overabundance of shelter dogs that need homes. I thought this project would be a good way to combine the many talents that these veterans have to help save some animals that otherwise would likely be euthanized.
Greg Jenkins: What trends are you discovering through this study?
Dr. Rebecca Johnson: In this study, veterans are working together as a team to help animals learn basic skills so the animals are more likely to be adopted. But there’s an added benefit: the veterans support each other and we’ve seen many veterans who have shared needs and concerns about challenges they’re facing with each other. One veteran, at one point, told another veteran, “The other day, I had a panic attack and I couldn’t drive anymore and I had to stop my car.” He said he had to call his father, and the second veteran replied, “Hey, man, you can call me. I’ve had that happen too and I know how it feels.”
So were gaining a very nice sense of camaraderie in the groups. They’re supporting each other while they’re doing something that helps these deserving animals.
Greg Jenkins: What has been your greatest challenge in doing this work?
Dr. Rebecca Johnson: The greatest challenge is recruitment. It’s very difficult to find the veterans. We’ve gone to speaking events in many areas and met with various reserve groups and auxiliaries to find veterans, but as you know, these veterans are often widely dispersed throughout their communities. Once veterans leave the military, it’s often very difficult to find them. To some extent, we have been recruiting through the Veterans Administration (VA). But, as you know, many people who have PTSD are unfortunately not receiving treatment and are instead just out there in the community, struggling. VA estimates that about 15 percent of the Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans they’re treating have PTSD. That’s a relatively small number, but veterans are dispersed far and wide and with the VA’s large catchment areas, it becomes a challenge to find veterans to recruit for the program.
Greg Jenkins: What has been your great success during this work?
Dr. Rebecca Johnson: The greatest success is actually seeing clinically, meaningful improvements in Post-Traumatic Stress levels of our participants, particularly since that is the whole point of this study. We don’t yet have statistically-significant data because we’re still building up our numbers and need more veterans for the study since it takes bigger numbers to reach such data outcomes. However, we already have some clinically-meaningful and beneficial results, and to know that we’re helping these veterans not to be as afraid and not to be as hyper-vigilant is incredibly meaningful. We have had times when cars have backfired near our dog training facility while our veterans were working with their dogs, and some of them are ready to hit the deck.
Greg Jenkins: What partnering or growth opportunities do you envision for the program?
Dr. Rebecca Johnson: I’d like to see this program in every city, because many cities have animal shelters. I’d also like to see if we could create a cadre of veterans who are dog trainers who could work with other veterans to train these dogs. That would be such a wonderful thing! We have one veteran in our study who is trying to start his own business –a dog training facility that veterans could work in – and that is a very exciting thing. I’d love to see veterans training other veterans.
Greg Jenkins: How can individuals, businesses or other entities get involved with your program?
Dr. Rebecca Johnson: There are many ways to help. They can help us by recruiting and helping to get the word out, just like you’re doing. We’d love to have people do interviews and write articles about this program and to put it on their blogs, websites, or Facebook page. People and businesses can take up this program as something that they want to support, or provide funds to help us to continue and expand the project.
Greg Jenkins: What kind of future do you envision for the program?
Dr. Rebecca Johnson: As I said, I’d like to see the Veterans and Shelter Dogs Program spread across the U.S. One of our sponsors is interested in helping us to do that, but right now, we need more veterans and solid research data. I believe that through this program, veterans will see meaningful improvements in their lives, so I think the program has wide applicability.
Greg Jenkins: How far are you from having statistical significant data?
Dr. Rebecca Johnson: We have a group that finished during the first week of February 2013. After we analyze those results, we hope to have statistically significant findings.
Greg Jenkins: How much longer can you sustain the program with your current level of resources?
Dr. Rebecca Johnson: We can sustain our progress through Jan. 2014 with our current funding, partnerships and recruiting.
Greg Jenkins: Any final thoughts you’d like to share with your readers?
Dr. Rebecca Johnson: Just that I think that this is one of the more meaningful projects that veterans can be involved in. The unconditional love of these animals is a powerful force for good, and if you’re feeling afraid and anxious, there’s nothing like unconditional love. In fact it’s something that nobody has enough of. The rewards of this program are many. You really see it in these guys when they’re training, petting and kissing these dogs. It’s a powerful thing. And while this is something that you can’t measure, it’s one of the things that probably speaks loudest for this project and the benefits and rewards it offers.
inQUEST Consulting LLC (inQUEST) is a consulting and training firm bringing the next generation of diversity and inclusion solutions to organizations who wish to:
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