This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The positive impact of service dogs on the mental health of U.S. military veterans has been widely recognized.
Now, the first clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) looked into exactly how pairing service dogs with PTSD-diagnosed veterans improves symptoms.
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As June marks PTSD Awareness Month, the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine partnered with K9s For Warriors – the nation’s largest provider of trained service dogs, based in Florida – to study over 156 military veterans over three months, based on their self-reported symptoms and doctors' assessments.
The largest nationwide survey of its kind analyzed service dog partnerships in 81 vets compared to those who received traditional care without a dog.
The study looked at each participant's PTSD symptoms, including psychosocial functioning, quality of life and social health.
Veterans with service dogs were found to have a 66% lower chance of a PTSD diagnosis compared to a control group without dogs.
These respondents also experienced lower levels of anxiety and depression, as well as improvements in most areas of emotional and social well-being, the study found.
K9s for Warriors chief program officer Kevin Steele noted in a press release that service dogs are "life-saving and life-transforming" for veterans.
"These dogs have enabled our warriors to better connect with family, friends and their community and to begin living the life they previously didn’t think was possible," he said. "The results of this study further prove that what we do here at K9s works."
Lead study author Dr. Maggie O’Haire of the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine told Fox News Digital, "I think that service dogs have become increasingly popular for veterans, specifically for PTSD, and I think that for a while, we could support this based on anecdotes or emotional intuition."
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She added, "But now that this practice is growing, we see the need for evidence on a scientific basis."
O’Haire suggested that some clinicians feel "ill-equipped" to support this mode of therapy, which is why the evidence is so important.
"We can increase effectiveness, reduce side effects, and make it better for both the person and the animal," she said.
"And we do that through systematic collection of data on how it's working."
The co-author mentioned that each veteran involved in the study had an "incredible story" of survival.
"It’s not uncommon for me to hear from a veteran, ‘I would not be alive if it were not for my service dog,’" she said.
"We know that veterans are struggling. They're facing high rates of anxiety, depression and even suicide. And what we see is that, in addition to evidence-based care, they're also seeking out service dogs."
An estimated 23% of military members and veterans with post-9/11 service have PTSD, according to NIH research. Veterans are also more likely to die by suicide than non-veterans.
Marine Corps veteran Bill Lins, a sergeant from 2004 to 2016, battled with mental health issues, suffering from PTSD and a traumatic brain injury after leaving the service.
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Lins, who is now a mental health therapist, sat on the advisory panel for the NIH service dog study. He told Fox News Digital he was once in the same dark place as many other veterans.
"I was a very absent parent," he said. "I could force myself through the motions, but I was very detached."
"I knew I loved my kids, but I couldn't feel it – and that felt really wrong," he went on.
"It felt really shameful. And that’s [what] highlighted that maybe something bigger was going on."
Lins considered that having "no identity" after leaving the Marine Corps fed into some other bad habits, like drinking and taking unnecessary risks.
"I was dumped back out into the world to get a job and be a dad," he said. "It was tough."
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Lins' wife ultimately filed for divorce. "I was kind of just floating and had no idea where to go," he said.
When he saw another veteran friend with a service dog who had a "lightness" to him, Lins decided to apply for a companion of his own.
The veteran eventually heard from K9s for Warriors, who placed him with his service dog, Link, in Aug. 2022.
"I don't know how they picked such a remarkably perfect animal to pair with me," he said.
"I took him to the pool, and I remember laughing, watching him run. And I thought, ‘I can't remember the last time I really laughed.’"
Lins described Link, a 72-pound lab mix, as a "wonderfully mannered, remarkable animal."
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"He wants nothing more than to make everyone around him happy," Lins said. "That is his life's mission."
"He has done a 180 in my world, and my kids are all so thankful that he's here," he added. "My entire family loves him. He just hands out happiness and expects nothing in return."
Having a service dog is a distraction from "the things that you worry about," Lins said.
"The bond is so strong that I worry about him so much more than myself," he said. "I get to stay present as opposed to [getting] lost in my own thoughts."
For other veterans seeking help, Lins recommended having a service dog as a source of comfort when things get difficult.
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"He's always there. He's never judgmental," he said. "I can have any emotion that I want. I can have nightmares and be upset. And there's no shame around him. I don't have to hide things."
He added, "He intuitively wants to be there and take care of me the same way that I want to be there and take care of him."
