'Jordan's Battle' author E.A. West on service dogs

I used to work with a service dog named Claren. Actually, I worked with her owner, Matt, who sat near me in the newsroom (Matt has since moved on to another job). Claren dutifully reclined under Matt's desk until she was needed to fetch water or perform some other errand. When Matt "released" her from her role as his service dog, Claren turned into a frisky pooch who thrived on belly rubs. Needless to say, Claren and Matt were huge hits in the USA TODAY newsroom. E.A. West's book Jordan's Battle features a psychiatric service dog that helps a soldier cope with PTSD, so when E.A. volunteered to write a post for HEA about the importance of service dogs, I took a moment to miss Matt and Claren and then said YES.

E.A.: When most people think of service dogs, the first thing that comes to mind is a guide dog. That image is usually followed by one of a mobility assistance dog aiding a person who's in a wheelchair. Few people think of psychiatric service dogs. Many have never even heard of psychiatric service dogs, which are specially trained to help alleviate the symptoms of a psychiatric disability, such as autism spectrum disorders, debilitating depression, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The idea for Jordan's Battle came to me with two important points already formed: The hero was a young veteran, and he owned a service dog to assist with an invisible, psychiatric disability (PTSD). As the first draft took shape, a third thing quickly became clear: The heroine didn't understand the importance of the hero's service dog to his daily life. Although it may seem counterintuitive to doubt the necessity of a service dog, this is a common issue people without an obvious physical disability often face.

One of the inspirations for Alaina's opinions of Jordan's service dog came from listening to a young lady relate her own experiences with friends, family members, and even strangers questioning her need for a psychiatric service dog. She faced ridicule, was denied public access, and was asked to leave the dog home when going out with friends. All of these things only made life more difficult for her, since her service dog mitigates the symptoms of her disability and enables her to lead a fairly normal life.

I'm sure by now many of you are wondering what exactly a psychiatric service dog does. There are numerous tasks that can be performed, depending on the specific needs of the dog's disabled partner. The dog can be trained to turn on the light if the human partner has trouble with entering a dark room. Some dogs that help with PTSD are trained to alert their partners if someone approaches. They can also be trained to retrieve emergency medication, wake up the human partner to interrupt nightmares, or get help in an emergency.

Grounding is an important task that can be as simple as the dog nudging its partner with its nose, which is what the service dog in Jordan's Battle usually does. It can also involve a more obvious action, such as jumping up to bump its partner's chest or lying across his lap. What is grounding, you ask? In the simplest terms, it keeps the disabled person connected to the world around him. Many psychiatric disabilities can cause the sufferer to lose touch with reality or to get lost in memories or growing anxiety. When a psychiatric service dog performs a grounding task, it helps the disabled person to focus on the dog rather than what is going on in his own mind, which in turn leads to refocusing on his present surroundings. This enables the person to lead a much more normal life than he would otherwise be able to live.

The use of psychiatric service dogs is still controversial in some circles, but these special dogs are growing in both popularity and acceptance. Dogs trained to alleviate the symptoms of PTSD, in particular, are receiving more attention from the mental health community, the media, and the government. This is due in part to the large numbers of service members being diagnosed with the disorder. There are countless pieces of anecdotal evidence that psychiatric service dogs help lessen the severity of PTSD symptoms. There are also reports that training the dogs is therapeutic for service members and veterans. The Department of Veteran Affairs is conducting a study to gather scientific data to see if they support what thousands of people already know from their own experiences and observations: that psychiatric service dogs do help their handlers just as much as a guide dog helps a blind person or a mobility assistance dog helps someone with a physical disability.

For more information on psychiatric service dogs and service dogs in general, please visit the website for the Psychiatric Service Dog Society and Service Dog Central.

To find out more about E.A. West and her books, you can visit her website.