For many years, supporters of veterans are raising money to help veterans get service dogs. The money they get from the donation is somehow insufficient because the cost of a service dog is expensive. But a potential bill might change this.
Known as the Puppies Assisting Wounded Service Members Act of 2019, the bill seeks to make service dogs accessible for veterans. The PAWS Act is supported by many dog-loving individuals and the families of veterans.
This bill is spearheaded by Florida Representative John Rutherford and Senator Deb Fischer. Both officials believe it is high-time that service dogs be made available, especially to those who served the country.
It is a sad reality that most veterans have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of their previous job. Rutherford and Fischer believe that a service dog could help better the lives of these veterans.
Under the proposed bill, the two officials argued that suicide rates is high among veterans. They presented a glaring statistic that around 20 veterans die each day because of mental health-related problems. At least 30% of this number have PTSD.
For the two officials, a service dog could mitigate this mental health problem among veterans. But since the cost of having a service dog is high, many veterans shrug off the idea of having one. In data released by the two officials, the price of a service dog for veterans ranges from $5,000 to $8,000. This is a hefty amount for a veteran to pay on top of his or her daily needs.
While the two officials believe that a service dog could not entirely solve mental health-related problems, they think that dogs could help. The two officials cited a study that said having a dog could improve a person’s view of life. The two officials vowed that they would do their best for this bill to become a law.
Posted by Chris Kreiger on Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Credits to Chris Keiger.
