Multi-site, Longitudinal Trial Evaluating the Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Moderators of Service Dogs for Military Veterans With PTSD

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service dog is a dog that is trained to perform specific tasks to mitigate a disability. For PTSD service dogs, examples include detecting and alerting to physical signs of distress to interrupt anxiety and panic attacks, waking up Veterans from nightmares, and retrieving medication. In addition to trained tasks, service dogs live with the Veterans to provide emotional value as a source of comfort and companionship. Under the ADA guidance, PTSD service dogs have pubic access and are legally allowed to accompany their person in public places such as grocery stores, workplaces, and schools. In the proposed study, service dogs will be sourced from three national service dog providers, including K9s For Warriors, Canine Companions, and America's VetDogs. All three providers have an established track record of training and providing service dogs for PTSD, as well as collaborating with the investigative team in research.