Read and Analyee Hesearch:

ons for
rcmillan
Student Research Essay
?,"# l/2" margin

Riesler I between top

of page and
Dara Riesler header

' paper, Professor Gomes Student's last

name and
.e entry, English 99 page number
;e at the 4 October 2017 on top of oach
page
re MI-A
Service Dogs Help Heal the Mental !flounds of\Var ldentification
of student,
V4renever Ken Costich, a former army colonel, is on the
---rI edge of a panic attack, his dog, Bandit, senses it immediately,
professor,
course, and
date
nuzzling Costich until he feels calm again (Caprioli). Across the
Title centered;
*1 country, another dog, Maya, is also looking out for her owner, not s€t in bold
a
veteran Jacob Hyde. \flhen Hyde, feeling nervous in a crowd, or itialics or
underlined
gives the command "block," Maya stands between him and
other people, easing Hyde's fears (Lorber). Elsewhere, Mush,
by'
01 6. a Siberian husky, is helping her owner, MargauxVair, get out
*_-__**_-i lntroduction
and meet people-somethingVair had avoided since returning

: and the
from her service in Iraq (Albrecht). "Because [Mush] is a Husky
lndirect and
lditional and very pretry everybody wants to pet her,"Vair says. "'What's direct
quotations
. Writing happening is that people are coming up and talking to me, and
with in-text
it's helping with rny confidence" (qtd. in Albrecht) ' citations
Bandit, Maya, and Mush-specially trained service
dogs-are making a significant difference in rhe lives of their
ownersr all of whom suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder
n the list (PTSD) as a result of military service. As the benefits oJ service
list: How dog. baao*a.1""r.. u.rd *o." PTS@
",

caring pets is growtng;ln lact) at Lne present tlme, demano lar

exceeds suDply.

witnessing the deaths or iniuries of others ("$7hat is P-|SD?"). --- I Titles used for
According to the VA, symptoms of the condition include i [mtr" .,
flashbacks of the trauma or nightmares abor.rt it. P'I'SDsufferers ! .ou,"."
I without
may also have difilculty forming or maintaining relationships i authors
i
with others. I

I
L_
 ----_-i
I
I

I
Riesler 2

Additionally, some of rhem are constantly "keyed up"

and "on the lookout for danger," as if they are still in a war
zone ("Symptoms of PTSD?"). According ro rhe RAND
Titles used
for in-text Corporation, a nonprofit research group, an estimated 300,000
citations ot
veterans from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq suffer from
sources
without PTSD or major
authors
to escape or to numb the effects of PTSD, sufferers may turn
to alcohol or
and Problems with Alcohol Use"). $7orse, they may decide to
end their lives, as an estimated 6,500 veterans do each year
(Williams).
A variety of treatments are available to veterans with PTSD.
They include one-on-olle discussions with a therapist, group
:i.,: I

therapy, and medicines-usualiy antidepressants-that address $el

:r{*l
i..
t,l
the symptoms of the condition ("Trearmenr of PTSD").The ;t
.:,ggl i:
use ofservice dogs as an additional rherapy for PTSD is a
i:14lx :::i
relatively new practice. According to researchers Joan Esnayra :'i:$j ':ii
' :,.,t:' :.
l and Craig Love, a key benefit of these dogs is that they are .i:ui! '-
I constant companions to PTSD sufferers, helping them go about il&,:,1.
:,i.:l
..1 :
their daily lives and directly addressing their symptdms. For ..:.]

rneiireer I I example, service dogs may be trained to alert easily starrled

..lt
i:.] |
,

quotations --i l :, ::
di ir.
with in-text I
.
I veterans that someone is approachingJ to scan surroundilgs for :r i:ir:

c*arions possible threats, or to turn on the lights and wake up veterans I iil
:
I
lti' I
suffering from oightmares (Esnayra and Love). These pets can
also soo*te veterans experiencing panic attacks and remind their
owners when it is time to take medications (Caprioli).
loprc Some veterans, however, find that their dog companions
sentence outshine medication as a PTSD rrearmenr. "This dog [did]
:,

ii
i
I
more for me in three weeks than any medication," says Ken
i
I
Costich (qtd. in Caprioli; see fig. 1). Alicia Miller, an Army
I veteran who cofounded an organization that donates and trains
service dogs for vets, agrees. "Medication works 50 percent
sourco i of the time," says Miller, who also experiences symptoms of
within
quoted
PTSD. "Thlk therapy, alone, works 30 percenr of the time, and
another --T---
I

source dogs work 84.5 percent of the rime" (qtd. in Caprioli).

I
 Riesler 3
t*
li
t&
ilit-
In a recent study, Esnayra and Love found that among 39
$' PTSD sufferers paired with service dogs, 82 percent reported
l{
ts
1.6. fewer PTSD symptoms (Bavley 5). In addition, 40 percent
w
.
$1
Er:
reported that they were able to reduce their use of medications.
r*' Recognizing that more research into the effectiveness of service-
iffi
,ffii dog therapy is needed, the United States Department of
is'
4$i
I Blt Defense is funding a $300,000 study on this topic (Bavley 5).
rffii Esnayra and Love are conducting the research.
F
ffi' Although service-dog therapy has many benefits, Topic
l6: sentence
*ii
iisJ organizations that train these dogs have trouble keeping up
t.&
lSlj with the demand created by the thousands of veterans who
lg
t#.
IH: have returned from Iraq or Afghanistan with PTSD (Dreazen).
i ,Xf
H'-
Training is time-consuming and demanding; the dogs are
r&:i
l&i:i, taught to respond to as many as 150 commands and to notice
.' &,t,
rHi;
ts: subtle changes in vets-such as a quickening pulse-that
.i *i:
signal emotional distress (Montalv6n and\Titter 4). During
,!:}.:,
a two-year period that ended in the spring of 2010, Puppies
r: s3l'
Behind Bars, a program in which prisoners train service dogs,
I ii*.
i-P.:j' placed 23 dogs with veterans suffering from PTSD (Lorber).
:s:
i .:iiLi,
Other nonprofit training organizations report similar, or
i ': ii:

I :1:r
lower, numbers of vet-ready dogs (Caprioli). Given the labor-
': s; intensive training, these numbers are understandable; however,
.,&.
the need remains.
: ili.::
Another challenge is the expense of the training, which Topic
6' sentence
in the nonproflt organizations, like Puppies
case of many

:&' Behind Bars, is paid for by donations, not by the veterans

:i:'$. (Caprioli; Dreazen). At Puppies Behind Bars, $26,000 is needed
rt t&
to train each dog. Other training organrzations report similar
1t$
.;:t:
,.1 expenses.
:-irffl-
:ii ia:r.
Some lawmakers are taking steps to meet vets' growing --,--.
,,:.L
1,. :1(::. In 2009, President Obama signed into
need for helper dogs.
.,:;1
ii:,
1aw the Service Dogs for Veterans Act, which was sponsored by
t,
;,,,; ;,:
Senator Al Franken ancl Senator Johnny Isakson. According to

i
Franken's office, tl-ris legislation matches at lcast 200 veterans with

::.i , I
 I

Riesler 4
VA*func1ec1 service dogs, and it requires rhat ar leasr 50 percent
of these vets suffer mainly from mental_health problems,
as
opposed to physical disabilities. It also cails for a
study of the
participating veterans to learn more about the therapeutic
and
economic benefits of service dogs (,,Franken-Isakson
Service
Dogs ") . Addirionally, in January 20 I I the
, Veterans Dog
Training Therapy Act was introduced in the U.S.
House of
Representatives. Under this legislation, vets wirh pTSD
would
be taught how to train service dogs that, in rurn,
would be used
by other vets (Peters).
Witi.r luck, and wirh the continuing efforrs of legislators
and concerned citizens, more helper dogs wiil
find homes with
veterans, providing not only valued service
but also lasting
Conclusion liiendship. As Arny vereran Luis Carlos Montalvin
savs of his
service dog, Tuesday: ,,!7e are bonded, dog and
man, in a way
able-bodied people can never understand, because
they will
never experience anything like it. As long as Tuesday
is aiive, he
will be with me. Neither of us will ever be alone.
We will never
be without companionship,, (Montalvin and\ilZitter
6).

I
l

I
__ -=-l
 1,,
Riesler 5
,a

r
:t1:

i,: Vorks Cited

l. Albrecht, Brian. "Psychiatric Service Dogs Aid Northeast
i .::,
:r Ohio Veterans-" Cleveland.com, 13 July 2011, blog. Alticle trom
l.*
l" cleveland.com/metro/20 I l/07/psychiatric_service_dogs_
online news
t" site
I :iii
I 'ir.i. aid_l.html.
r*r Baviey, Alan. "PTSD Treatment Goes to the Dogs: DOD
i$
i .*Ei' Research Pairs Soldiers with K-9s." Stars and Snipes,
,qrticlo from
ri**, print
r$ 10 Sept. 2009, p. 5. newspaper
lii
li
I
'"til
Caprioli, Jennifer M. "Dogs Go the Distance: program provides
i tt: Part of larger
I
Service ro Veterans with PTSD.', United States Armn website
t" -s,

4 Mar. 201 0, www.army.mil/articie/35292ldogs-go-the-

rS distance'pro gram-provides-s ervice-to-veterans-with-ptsd.
1?l
l].?: Dreazen,Yochi J. "'Sit! Stayl Snuggle!,: An Iraq Vet Finds His
I ,{'l
l*, DogTi:esday." TheWall Street Journal, l l July 2009,
i *ii:
1.8i. ' www.wsj.com./articies/SBl 2 47 27 3857 499261 69.
l'l
i .:' Esnayra, Joan, and Craig Love. "A Survey of Mental Health
l&, Patients Utilizing Psychiatric Service Dogs.,, pSD Lifesryle,
I tqtt
I,:i:
Parts of larger
Psychiatric Serrrice Dog Sociery, 2008, VeteranVoice.info, websites
r,
www.vereranvoice.infolARCHIVE/info_1 2apr_A Survey of
I :rl' Mental Health Patients Utilizing Psychiatric Service Dogs.
pdf.
"Franken-Isakson Service Dogs forVeterans Act passes Senate.,,
Al Franken: U.S. Senator for Minnesota,24 July 2009,
wwwfranken. senate. gov/?p=hot-16pi.6.1 d- 59 2.
"InvisibleWounds: Mentai Health and Cognitive Care Needs
of America's Returning Veterans." RAN D C orporation,
2 00 B, www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/ pubs/research
briefs/200 B/RAND-RB9 3 3 6. pdf .
 :i:
.l: f,li
::'.:: l.:.
iii,li?

Riesler 6 -ri.. i ,

,.;;i5i€
Article from Lorber, Janie. "For the Battle-Scarred, Conrfort at Leash's l:irii:l lil
:,j,
:;;!il
l.
online ::tiE$i
l:1
l:'
newspaper End." The NezpYorkTirnes,3 Apr. 2010.\Veb, www.nytimes
tlgi:'.il
coml 20 4/04/us/04do gs. 1-rtml?-r= 0. .li*iilr:
. 1 0 I 0 :,::':it I '
r,4.:11 :.
Book with two Montalvdn, Luis Carlos, and BretWitter. UntilTuesday:A
authors
:,r*,
-
1

:?:'
WoundedWarrior and the Golden RetrieaerWo Sat-,ed Him. *'*
-ry-l
Hyperion, 201 1 .
Article {rom Peters, Sharon L. "Man's Best Friend Could Soon Be Vereran's il:*WI ':
online *sl
-it
r
,

newspaper Best Medicine." USA Tbday, 19 Jan. 201 1, usatoday30 ,.r:*ry.1

.usatoday.com/yourlife/healttr,trealthcare/20 I 1 -0 1 -20- )$Fi

ii.il.l
veterantherapy2 0_ST_N. htm.
Online
government United States Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center
publications.
for PTSD. "PTSD and Problems with Alcohol Usc."
Note: Three
hyphons used National Center for PISD, Department of Veterans Affairs,
in place of
government
7 Jar.. 2007, www.ptsd.va.gov/public/problems/ptsd-alcohol-
and use.asp.
department
names in each '(Symptoms of PTSD." Naional Center for PZSD,
entry after the Department ofVeterans Affairs, | !an.2007, www.ptsd
first
.va. govipublic/PTSD-overview,&a sics/slnnproms_oLptsd. asp.
"Treatment of PTSD?" National Center for PISD,
Department ofVeterans Affairs, I Jan. 2007, www.ptsd
.va. gov/public/treatment/therapy-med/trearment-ptsd. asp.
"uflhat Is PTSD?" National for PZSD, Department
Center
of Veterans Affairs, i Jan. 2007, www.ptsd.va, gov/public/
PTSD-overview/basics/what-is-ptsd. asp.
Wiiliams, Carol J. "Courr Orders Major Overhaul of VA,s
Mental Health System." Los Angeles Times, 1l May 201 1,
articles.latimes.com/201 1 lrr,ayl lliloca1/1a-me-05 I 1-
veterans-ptsd-2O I I 05 I l.

1. Double underline the thesis of rhe essay.

2. Can you match each source in the lforks Cited list to an in-text
citation?
3. Does Riesler's essay fo11ow the Four Basics of Good Research?
Expiain.