Des Moines Register: by Missy Keenan | August 4, 2022
Daily life can be tough for military veterans and first responders who have experienced trauma.
In a war zone or emergency situation, danger could lurk around any corner. For veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), their minds and bodies often stay on high alert, easily re-traumatized and leery of new or potentially startling experiences.
Inspiring Our Warriors of America (IOWA) Service Dogs is a Des Moines-based nonprofit that trains dogs to help first responders and veterans reintegrate into civilian life. These dogs are specially trained to provide mobility and psychiatric service to these men and women.
“I’ve seen the difference these dogs make in the lives of the veterans they serve,” said Brian Sweeney, volunteer treasurer of Iowa Service Dogs. “The first dog I trained was for a vet who felt like a prisoner in his own home, too traumatized to leave. But then I saw him enjoying himself at the State Fair, where he probably never would have gone without his dog.”
IOWA Service Dogs volunteers train dogs for two years starting as 8-week-old puppies. The dogs are specially trained for the vet or first responder they’re going to serve. Some dogs are trained to pick up dropped items or otherwise support someone with physical injuries. All dogs trained by the nonprofit monitor the environment — alerting the vet if someone is walking behind them or moving between the vet and an unknown person so they can’t pose a threat.
IOWA Service Dogs is volunteer run, with no physical location or staff. But the organization spends about $15,000 per dog over the two-year training period for food, supplies, a small stipend for the trainer and extensive medical screenings to make sure the dog is physically fit for a service career. Iowa Service Dogs currently has six service dogs in training.
How you can help
You can donate to help IOWA Service Dogs through A Community Thrives, an initiative of the Gannett Foundation. Iowa Service Dogs is one of 17 Iowa nonprofits focused on community-building that are eligible for crowdfunding support and grant money from The Gannett Foundation. To donate to Iowa Service Dogs or another nonprofit, go to acommunitythrives.mightycause.com. Search by location or category, find a cause to support, and donate by August 12 to be a part of the A Community Thrives challenge. Organizations keep all funds raised from crowdfunding and some will share $2 million in grant funding from the Gannett Foundation. The grants are scheduled to be announced in October.
Iowa organizations participating in A Community Thrives
Go to acommunitythrives.mightycause.com to contribute to these organizations during the fundraising period through Aug. 12).
Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, Ankeny
Civic Music Association, Des Moines
Community Healthcare Resources, Bettendorf
Everybody Wins! Iowa, Des Moines
Family Promise of Greater Des Moines, Des Moines
Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa, Urbandale
Highland Park Community Development Association Inc., Des Moines
Home Allies Inc., Ames
IOWA Service Dogs, West Des Moines
Kingdom Living Iowa, Des Moines
Martha's House of Hope, Ames
Shalom Community Impact Center, Urbandale
Shelter House, Iowa City
The Arc of Southeast Iowa, Iowa City
The Center for Afrofuturist Studies, Iowa City
United Upper Nile South Sudanese Community Association in Iowa, Des Moines
Young Men's Christian Association of Greater Des Moines, Des Moines