After News Reporters Showed Up, Restaurant Owner Checked Law on Service Dogs?

Restaurant owner refuses entry for PTSD vet’s service dog
Panama City News Herald
Wendy Victora
August 12, 2017

“I don’t know how to verify that they are in fact a service dog, or how that plays out in a restaurant that serves food. What are my rights?” Papa Joe’s Hideaway owner pat Dougherty 

FORT WALTON BEACH — A disabled veteran who took her service dog to an Okaloosa County restaurant last week left after the owner confronted her about bringing the dog inside.

Brittney Healy and her service dog Grunt, visit the grave of a friend who was killed in Iraq. Healy worked in a morgue in Iraq for a year when she was in her late teens. She has been medically retired with PTSD

Brittney Healy received her dog, Grunt, in 2012, shortly before she was medically discharged from the Army with post-traumatic stress disorder. Over the past five years, she has become very familiar with federal laws governing her service dog.

“For a service dog, they can only ask you two questions legally: Is your dog a service dog? What is he trained to do?” she said. “That’s how it should be. You don’t know what that person is going through.”

But Pat Dougherty, the owner of Papa Joe’s Hideaway, isn’t as familiar with that portion of the Americans with Disabilities Act. What the longtime business owner does know is that in the past two weeks, one service dog bit a customer in the face and another threw up in the restaurant.

After talking to the Daily News, Dougherty planned to call an 800 number to learn more about the laws governing service dogs. She said she isn’t “anti-military” and that her son-in-law is active duty. But she remained frustrated with the encounter and with the laws.read more here

Woman with PTSD Kicked Out of Walmart Because of Service Dog?

Walmart needs to stop making own rules on service dogs.
A woman with a PTSD service dog was told to leave the store. She is a civilian but that shouldn't matter to any of us because if they are still disregarding the law on service dogs, they disregard all the disabled with with these dogs. 

The goal of a service dog is to get people out of their houses and into the community. All the training these dogs go through cannot prevent the extra stress of being treated like a criminal because of them.

Despite following rules, asked to leave

Vindy.com

Billy Ludt

July 29, 2017

“No Pets Allowed” is common signage found outside businesses, but not all domesticated animals are pets. Some are service animals.

Ann Gott, 67, Austintown, was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder after her husband died. Not long after, she received Barney, a Maltese service dog that helps detect and calm her symptoms.

"An employee from Walmart customer service told The Vindicator service animals 12 pounds or less are allowed in the shopping cart, as along as the dog is atop a cover in the cart."

"The U.S. Department of Justice requires any private business that serves the public to permit service animals anywhere customers are allowed. A physical or mental impairment that may limit a person’s ability to function is considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. That includes PTSD."

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“Today I will make a difference.”

How can I make a difference in the world today?

Seacoast Online
By Jeff Chidester
Posted at 2:01 AM

"I know of Barker casually because of the same circles in which we travel. I have never met Leddy. However, it feels as though I know them both very well through their selfless acts. I know them through their compassion. I know them because their deeds deserve our attention."

Imagine if you woke up every day and asked yourself one simple question: “How can I make a difference in the world today?”

As lofty as the goal may sound before you have even had your first cup coffee, I want you to think about it for a moment. How would you answer that question? If you are not sure, let me assure you I know people who not only ask that question of themselves, but answer it.

Finding the answer in your heart to this simple question is 99 percent of making a positive difference in the world. You must hear yourself say, “Today, I will provide one meal for a person in need.” “Today I will help someone struggling with drug addiction.” “Today I will provide aid to a veteran thinking about suicide.”

The six most powerful words you can gift to yourself are “Today I will make a difference.” Far from a challenge, you will find these six words liberating. If you don’t believe me, then you need to get to know Lexi Leddy and Laura Barker.

Recently a Facebook post by local real estate agent Lexi Leddy caught my eye. It was unlike the common posts that now pollute social media. Leddy wanted to thank her clients “for trusting in her,” which I thought was a nice gesture. Leddy then announced part of her commission for that quarter would be donated to a local charity called Hero Pups (www.heropups.com). Researching her Facebook page, this was routine for Leddy. One person deciding to make a difference.
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Mom Missed Wedding Because Church Banned PTSD Service Dog

Mother misses son's wedding when church bans service dog
WTOL News
July 19th 2017

QUINCY, MI (WWMT/CNN) – An upset mother blames a Michigan church for missing her son’s wedding because she says the church would not allow her service dog to attend with her.

Everywhere Mary Douglas goes, her service dog Stella follows. The woman is living with post-traumatic stress disorder and has had the service dog for almost two years.

But Stella wasn’t allowed to step into a church in Quincy, MI, which Douglas says ultimately caused her to miss her son’s wedding. She says she had a fear of relapse if she went to the area without her dog.

"I've cried a lot. It was a very sleepless night last night,” Douglas said.

The mother says missing the wedding is sparking emotions she needs Stella to calm.

"I've sacrificed as any single mom, any mom really, does for their children. For that not to be reciprocated, that honor not to be due to a mom on her son's wedding day, it's heartbreaking,” Douglas said.

Pastor Robert Montgomery says Douglas still could have been there for her son. He says the church gave three options for the dog a couple months before the wedding.
read more here

Cincinnati Bell Rejecting Veteran's PTSD Service Dog?

Wounded Marine vet says boss won't let him come to work with PTSD service dog
FOX News
July 8, 2017

“Despite repeated effort we have yet to receive any information regarding the current status of Yaunce’s condition and its effect on his ability to perform his duty,” Cincinnati Bell told Fox and Friends.

An ex-Marine awarded a Purple Heart after being wounded in combat says his bosses won’t let him come to work with his trained service dog.

“I was told by my supervisor that HR said that if I showed up with the dog I’d be fired,” Yaunce Long told Fox and Friends Saturday.

Long said he installs phone lines for Cincinnati Bell in Ohio. He has a service dog, named C4, to help him control anxiety caused by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He was diagnosed with the condition after a 10-year stint in the Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was with counter-intelligence.

Long said that each day for a week he was sent home without pay when he showed up with C4.
read more here

Veteran and Service Dog Not Welcomed to Shop

Veteran’s service dog turned away at Illinois store
WCMH NBC 4 Columbus
By NBC4 Staff
Published: May 26, 2017

ROCKFORD, IL (WCMH) — A military veteran was kicked out of an Illinois store all because of his service dog, and part of incident was caught on camera.

Wherever Cesar Ordonez goes, an angel is not far behind. Ordonez is an Iraq War veteran, and Angel is his service dog.

“He’s actually literally brought me back to life,” Ordonez told NBC affiliate WREX. “We don’t leave each other’s side much.”

So when Ordonez stopped for a snack and drink at a store in Rockford, Angel came with him. A store employee confronted him and told him not to bring the dog in the store any more.

Ordonez recorded part of the incident on his cell phone.

“Yeah don’t bring that dog in here no more,” the employee says in the video. “If you have to have the dog go somewhere else.”
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Soldier and Veteran Took Turns Shooting Her PTSD Service Dog!

UPDATE
Sad end to grisly episode: Ex-soldier who killed dog is found dead


Bail increased for veteran, soldier accused in execution of veteran’s PTSD therapy dog
Fayetteville Observer
By Monica Vendituoli Staff writer
April 25, 2017

The couple next tied Cam to a tree, the warrant said. Cam sat down and turned away from Rollins right before she shot him in the head. She then shot him a few more times, according to court documents.

Marinna Rollins told her Facebook friends on April 17 that she found a new home for her PTSD therapy dog, Cam.

Instead, she and her boyfriend, soldier Jarren Heng, are accused of shooting Cam multiple times with a rifle execution-style. Authorities said they filmed the incident.

“They can be heard on the tape laughing and giggling as the dog was being killed,” Cumberland County District Attorney Clark Reaves said at the couple’s first court appearance on Tuesday. “It was a therapy dog.”

Rollins, 23, and Heng, 25, both of the 5600 block of East Netherland Drive, have each been charged with cruelty to animals and conspiracy, arrest documents said.

Heng was arrested Monday evening and Rollins was arrested Tuesday afternoon. Arrest documents said Rollins attempted to avoid apprehension by the Sheriff’s Office.
read more here

PTSD Veteran Donating German Shepherds to PTSD Veterans

Marine veteran helps other vets with PTSD through his charities
NBC 26 News
Marisa DeCandido
Apr 6, 2017

WHITE LAKE, Wis. - A Marine veteran in Wisconsin is helping vets across the country overcome their PTSD through his multiple charities.

Karl Klimes owns Moo-Lon Labe Home for Veterans and Semper Fi farms.

Part of his work involves breeding German Shepherds, donating them to military veterans with PTSD. Right now, he has four puppies he's looking to donate to veterans in need of a service dog. One of those dogs is already heading to a veteran in Georgia.

Klimes said his service dog has helped him through his own struggles after deployment.

read more here

Three Tour PTSD Veteran's Service Dog Not Welcomed at University North Texas?

Disabled veteran’s service dog kicked off UNT campus
CW33 News
BY JAKE YOUNG
APRIL 1, 2017

"I will risk my education, career to make sure this will not happen to another disabled veteran or disabled person." Tawan Throngkumpola

DENTON -- "This is probably the least disabled veteran friendly school in the nation right now," Tawan Throngkumpola told NewsFix.

Throngkumpola thought his toughest battles were behind him: three tours of duty, IED explosions, and even homelessness. Now, he's being told his service dog isn't allowed on campus at the University of North Texas, where he's a student.

"I kept reading, 'We're upholding these actions.' But no reason why," Throngkumpola said.

The letter came Friday at 5:01 p.m., closing the door on an appeal of a ruling from November. The original ban for his service dog, Cali, listed five incidents of her being aggressive but not actually harming other people.

Throngkumpola says it was out of nowhere, "We got blindsided that day."
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Wounded Times Dog Days

It seems most of Wounded Times Google+ posts over the last couple of days have been about dogs. (Gee, no shocker there)

How a dog named 'Harbaugh' helped a Michigan veteran fight PTSD

Skydiving Dogs

Dropping into action Dogs are also trained to rappel from helicopters. “That is the most effective tool against poaching ever used and it’s low technology, it’s low cost compared to other technologies. And it works,” Holtshyzen says

‘Puppy Love’ Turning Out To Be Great Way To Help Vets With PTSD

March 13, 2017 

On National K9 Veterans Day, Salute Military Working Dogs

Monday, March 13, marks National K9 Veterans Day, a day to honor and commemorate the service and sacrifices of American military and working dogs throughout history. According to American Humane, it was 75 years ago today that the U.S. Army first established the War Dog Program, or “K9 Corps,” to train man’s best friend to become the military’s best canine asset. The dogs of war who have served alongside soldiers throughout history aren’t just good dogs — they’re great dogs.

Veteran who served in Afghanistan gets reunited with service dog after 5 years

WWII Veteran Thinks of Others for 100th Birthday

WWII Veteran Asks for Donations to Service Dog Group for His 100th Birthday in Lieu of Gifts
PEOPLE
BY AMY JAMIESON
POSTED ON MARCH 3, 2017

Sgt. Nick Nichols wishes he could have a guide dog, but at nearly 100 years of age, it would be quite an undertaking to introduce a new pup into his life.

So, for his milestone March 20 birthday, he would like to help provide the freedom and comfort of a service dog to another veteran in need.

Nichols is hoping that, in lieu of gifts this year, people will donate to Patriot PAWS Service Dogs via a GoFundMe page set up by his daughter Cheryl.

“Doing something to help veterans feels much better than getting any present,” Nichols tells PEOPLE in an email typed by his daughter.

The WWII Army veteran — who served in the Asia-Pacific campaign from 1941 to 1944 — has so far raised $700 of a $34,000 goal, the latter equaling the cost to train one dog for Patriot PAWS (veterans involved with the program receive the service dog at no cost).
read more here

Australia: Veteran Denied Service Dog Because His Wife Could Do It?

Veterans’ office ‘feudal, chaotic’
The Australian
RORY CALLINAN
February 20, 2017

Minister for Veterans Affairs Dan Tehan. Picture Kym Smith

One veteran was refused a mental health assistance dog because “his wife could do everything a dog could”.

Another was told her post traum­atic stress disorder claim was false because she was pregnant and was suffering from depres­sion related to that instead.

A third had to get his wife to secretl­y record his commander abusing him. The abuse related to his claim over being wrongly investi­gated and disciplined for alleged­ marijuana use in Afghanistan. He was also told he would end up as a “trolley pusher at Coles” if he didn’t follow directives from a Veterans’ Affairs staffer.

These accounts, from veterans’ advocate Rod Thomp­son, are contained in one of more than 500 submissions lodged with an inquiry­ by the Senate standing committee on defence into suicide by veterans and ex-service personnel. They give a devastating insight into the mindset of, and difficulties facing, veterans trying to navigate assistance and compensation claims after they leave the Australian Defence Force.
read more here

Dog Has Afghanistan Veteran's Back...On Motorcycle

Dog Loves Going On Motorcycle Rides With His Veteran Dad
The DoDo
Christian Cotroneo
February 14, 2017

"With my PTSD, I don't do well in crowds and with unfamiliar people and places. She watches my back."

When the crowds got to be too much for Keith Campeau, he had a friend to take him away from it all: his motorcycle.

Campeau would get on the open road in Edmonton, Alberta, and feel the sanity-saving grace of being alone. It's been like that ever since the Canadian soldier came back from a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2011 with a crippling case of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Crowds made him painfully anxious.

"When I first got back, that was my one escape — to jump on the bike and take a ride when I was getting out of hand," Campeau tells The Dodo. "That was a kind of self-induced therapy."

But the motorcycle couldn't always be there for him. And the crowds — on busy sidewalks and in teeming malls — never seemed too far behind.

"It was like World War 3 every night getting home from work," he explains. "When I went out in public, I started bumping into people. In crowded areas, I started knocking people over."

A psychologist recommended Campeau find another friend: a dog.
read more here

Yogi Saved Ryan

‘He hit me to make me drop the knife’: How Ryan’s dog saved his life
News.com Australia
Emma Reynolds
February 14, 2017

AFTER Ryan Geddes served two terms in Afghanistan, he was left with serious post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

The 30-year-old from Newcastle says

his dog Yogi has been his lifeline.

Source:news.com.au

The 30-year-old from Newcastle in NSW found a fly-in-fly-out job, but only lasted a few months, crippled by panic attacks and a phobia of leaving the house.

He says his dog is the reason he’s alive today.

“If I hadn’t met Yogi, I’d be dead by now,” he said. “He hit me once, hard enough to bleed, to get me to let go of a knife. He’s saved my life a few times.”

Ryan met his six-year-old wolfhound cross back in 2010, after his first nine months in Afghanistan, while posted in Brisbane. He returned for five more months in 2013, serving in mobility support on patrol searches for IEDs and weapons.

“When you go to war you see all these horrible things,” he said. “Then your whole idea of humanity is clouded. “It didn’t really hit me until I got out of the army.”
read more here

Fake Support Animals Hurting Trained Ones

Are passengers flying with legit, or phony, support animals?
Philly.com
Linda Loyd
FEBRUARY 10, 2017

Airlines are seeing more animals in cabins of planes. Owners can buy medical certificates and service-animal vests online for as little as $40 and avoid airline fees, which can be $75 to $125 each way, for pets to travel.

MARK ESSIG
Daniel, an emotional support animal, on a flight to Asheville, N.C. in October. The duck's owner suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after a 2013 accident. The flight was the owner Carla Fitzgerald's first since the accident, and she brought the duck along for support.

A Chihuahua in a handbag at 30,000 feet.

A marmoset monkey peering out of his owner’s shirt as a Frontier Airlines jet lands in Las Vegas.

A potbellied pig waiting at the gate to board a Delta Air Lines flight in Boston.

Next time you fly, you may encounter an unusual passenger in the next seat. Turkeys, rabbits, roosters, ducks, and geese are legally allowed in the cabins of airplanes as “emotional-support animals.” Owners need only a note from a licensed medical professional — which can be bought online — that the companion animal is needed for emotional and psychological well-being.

“The bottom line is it’s a bad situation,” said Doug Lavin, vice president of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents 269 airlines around the world. “The numbers are quite high — in a six-month period from November 2015 to April 2016, one major carrier had 82,000 service animals, of which 54,694 were emotional-support animals.”

“There is a good amount of fraud,” Lavin said. “If you go online, you can find sites and order, for a small fee, a letter from a licensed professional that says you need to bring your potbellied pig on the plane."
read more here

Iraq Veteran's Life Changed After PTSD Service Dog

Veteran sees life improvement after he gets service dog
FOX 10 News
December 27, 2016

HOENIX (KSAZ) - It is no secret that many veterans require help, and Patriot Paws is one but many organizations that train service dogs for disabled veterans.

The training process can be difficult for both the veteran and the dog, but some might ask the question: does the veteran choose the dog, or the other way around?

The answer, quite possibly, may be a little bit of both, at least for Justin Ross.

"I came back in 2005 from Iraq," said Ross. He served the Army for eight years, and he was also hit by an IED.

"Even my buddies, they don't know how I survived," recounted Ross. "My shadow, my footprint, the bottom of my boot, was burnt to the ground. I just got lucky."
read more here

Florida Veteran With PTSD Gets Puppy After Thinking of Other Veterans

Former Marine With PTSD Brought to Tears as His Mom Gifts Him a Puppy for Christmas
Inside Edition
by Johanna Li
December 16, 2016

Finding a puppy under the Christmas tree may be viewed as a clichéd holiday tradition, but for this former Marine suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, the newborn beagle was the perfect gift.

Peter Coukoulis from Tallahassee, Florida was brought to tears when his family surrounded him Wednesday, and presented him a tiny puppy as an early Christmas present.

"Hey pretty girl," 26-year-old Peter could be heard saying in a video licensed by Caters News, while wiping away tears of joy with one hand, and holding his new puppy in the other.

His mom, Dena Coukoulis, told InsideEdition.com he has been struggling from PTSD since returning to civilian life three years ago.

"Sometimes he just looks sad to me," Dena said. "[He feels] a lack of purpose and self-worth. He has a hard time sleeping because he has bad dreams. Anytime he sees something big in the news, he feels like he could have done more."

Although Peter, who now works as an electrician, was qualified for a service dog, she said her son passed on the opportunity, hoping the dog will go to a veteran who deserved a dog more.
read more here

PTSD Service Dog Group Started by Gold Star Family

Gold Star Family Works To Honor Son By Helping Veterans With PTSD
CBS 4 News
December 15, 2016

“I think it’s the first of its kind the way that we’re training. Because the veteran is actually training his own dog,” Sonka said.

STRASBURG, Colo. (CBS4) – A Gold Star family from Colorado is trying to change the way some veterans treat their post-traumatic stress disorder, and they’re doing it the only way their fallen son would have wanted.

Cpl. David Sonka was killed on May 4, 2013, when he, his military working dog Flex and a fellow Marine were shot and killed by an Afghan soldier they were working with.

Sonka’s father knew he wanted to dedicate his life to honoring his son and Flex.
read more here

Iraq Veteran Luis Carlos Montalvan Left "Tuesday" Behind

Sad ending for Iraq War vet who shed light on PTSD
CBS Evening News
Chip Reid
December 8, 2016

The cause of death has not yet been determined. But one thing is for sure -- nobody will miss him more than his best friend -- Tuesday.

For many who’ve been through war, the battles continue long after the guns go silent.

Through the years, we’ve come to know a veteran who owed his life to his best friend.

Luis Carlos Montalvan and Tuesday, his Golden Retriever service dog, have been inseparable for the past eight years.

Before they met, Army Captain Montalvan did two tours in Iraq, earning a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars. But he returned broken in body and spirit -- a severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder left him terrified to leave home.

“Drinking heavily to deal with physical and psychological issues,” he explained.

That all changed when he and Tuesday became partners, as he later told David Letterman.

“He brightens my days and he calms my nights,” Montalvan said on the Letterman show.
read more here

Iraq Veteran, Author, PTSD Advocate, Montalvan Found Dead

Military Vet, Best-Selling Author Luis Carlos Montalvan Found Dead in Texas
NBC News
by BRIAN LATIMER
December 5, 2016

Montalvan was a decorated 17-year veteran from a tour in Iraq. He received two Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Badge and the Army Commendation Medal for Valor. Along with PTSD he suffered from other injuries sustained in combat.

In this March 16, 2010, file photo, Iraq War veteran Luis Carlos Montalvan and his service dog walk in the corridor of the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington. J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Friends, family and fans are mourning the death of U.S. military veteran Luis Carlos Montalvan, who was known for his best-selling book about his struggle with post traumatic stress disorder. He was 43.

Montalvan was found dead Friday night in a room in the Indigo Hotel in downtown El Paso, Texas, according to the city's police department.

"There were no signs of foul play and cause of death is pending investigation by the Medical Examiner's office," El Paso police said in a statement.

Montalvan's service dog, named Tuesday, was not with him, his friend and co-author Ellis Henican told USA Today.
read more here